Barbara Ehrenreich on "Bait and Switch"

Complete program at: http://fora.tv/2006/09/25/Barbara_Ehrenreich

Journalist Barbara Ehrenreich decries corporate hiring practices for what she sees as an over-emphasis on upbeat, extroverted personalities, while overlooking such factors as creativity and skill.

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Author Barbara Ehrenreich discusses her book "Bait and Switch."

In "Bait and Switch," Barbara Ehrenreich goes back undercover to explore another hidden realm of the economy: the shadowy world of the white-collar unemployed. Armed with the plausible resume of a professional "in transition," she attempts to land a "middle-class" job. She submits to career coaching, personality testing, and EST-like boot camps, and attends job fairs, networking events, and evangelical job-search ministries. She is proselytized, scammed, lectured, and - again and again - rejected.

"Bait and Switch" highlights the people who have done everything right - gotten college degrees, developed marketable skills, and built up impressive resumes - yet have become repeatedly vulnerable to financial disaster. There are few social supports for these newly disposable workers, Ehrenreich discovers, and little security even for those who have jobs. Worst of all, there is no honest reckoning with the inevitable consequences of the harsh new economy; rather, the jobless are persuaded that they have only themselves to blame. - Books Inc.

Barbara Ehrenreich is the author of thirteen books, including the New York Times bestseller "Nickel and Dimed." A frequent contributor to the New York Times, Harpers, and the Progressive, she is a contributing writer to Time magazine. She lives in Florida.

Category:

News & Politics

Tags:

• corporate
• corporation
• personality
• test
• america
• unemployment
• unemployed
• nickel
• dimed
• bait
• switch
• jobs
• working
• economy
• fora.tv
• foratv
• fora
• tv

[catgumart]

well put,,,that type of "cheerleading" is something I absolutely abhor..I like critical thinking and being in control of my own expressions and have the self determination to choose not to agree or conform...low level management is very oppressive and mind/spirit numbing..a very depressing situation in my opinion...maybe that has to do with my personal disposition,temperament,charac­teristics, bio-chemical make-up..whatever it is I think all that "group think" is very unhealthy.

[lurgidbee]

Introverts can be troublemakers as they don't conform as easily to the 'group think' that management demands at the lower levels. Chanting corporate mantras by cheerleader types who don't question things is quite necessary, as critical thinking could upset the status quo of the power structure.

[Harikrishnalove]

The way people feedback Ms. Ehrenreich's ideas is just pathetic to me, a foreigner Costa Rican immigrant in USA, however, at least people tried to think about them despite the fact that their lack of critical thinking obviously demontrate in their comments that they are lost! She just criticizes the enphasis of corporation to label people in their recruiting methods while disregarding creativity and other characteristics that aloners and thinkers have!

[brianmc18974]

She is such a genius and one of the smartest people in this country

[eotto2001]

Thanks for this posting.

[Darksunshinerain87]

I love this woman.

[21avasapi]

U are F'ceng player devil .

[razorbladekissss]

i dont see the problem with the personality test.. i mean, im in college and i can tell the people who are going to be great "corporate" types (usually cause they annoy the shit out of me in every way). the people who lack these qualities eventually quit cause they realize they hate it

[JackBlair2]

@dutytocareforothers What does that have to do with Briggs-Meyer?

[dutytocareforothers]

@JackBlair2 Companies have gone out of business. Enron. Need I say more?

[JackBlair2]

@dutytocareforothers It's stupid until it works. Most companies DON'T use this system. Some industries are more suited to "personality profiling."

It must work at least SOME of the time - otherwise, companies who do it would be out of business, and we wouldn't even be discussing the issue.

Much ado about nothing, which is a definition of sociology.

[dutytocareforothers]

@dsutari I agree. Friendly personalities are great. However, personality tests are not accurate. And people have biases against certain minorities. If they find out you are gay and you are working with a bunch of Mormons or Christians, then you are in trouble. They aren't going to be friendly to you no matter how nice and bubbly you are.