# Wanna know why you can't get a job, moron? **URL:** \ **Category:** The BBQ Pit\ **Created:** [March 24, 2006, 6:14pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/wanna-know-why-you-cant-get-a-job-moron/349747 "2006-03-24T18:14:46Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 4
**Author:** ![CanvasShoes](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/74df32/32.png) [@CanvasShoes](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/CanvasShoes)\ **Post date:** [March 28, 2006, 2:05am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/wanna-know-why-you-cant-get-a-job-moron/349747/61 "2006-03-28T02:05:17Z")
> [@](#): > > I had to rewind to make sure it really said what I thought it did. Okay, I don’t have my reading glasses on, so I might have missed the “wrong” part, but why is that not correct? ---
**Author:** ![The\_Long\_Road](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/b5a626/32.png) [@The\_Long\_Road](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/The_Long_Road)\ **Post date:** [March 28, 2006, 3:27am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/wanna-know-why-you-cant-get-a-job-moron/349747/62 "2006-03-28T03:27:50Z")
Hell, I once misspelled ‘detail’ on my resume in a sentence that said ‘excellent attention to detail’. I still cringe. ---
**Author:** ![zweisamkeit](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/zweisamkeit/32/4360_2.png) [@zweisamkeit](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/zweisamkeit)\ **Post date:** [March 28, 2006, 4:46am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/wanna-know-why-you-cant-get-a-job-moron/349747/63 "2006-03-28T04:46:14Z")
> [@Helen's Eidolon](#): > > I’m 99% certain that there’s only one accent on resumé. [Nope](http://www.careermotiv8.com/resume-writer.html) > [@](#): > > - Note: Technically, the word referring to a career and job summary is spelled with accents over both e’s – “Résumé.” We have taken the liberty of copying the above without these accents to facilitate ease of access on the Internet. ---
**Author:** ![ENugent](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/4af34b/32.png) [@ENugent](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ENugent)\ **Post date:** [March 28, 2006, 5:14am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/wanna-know-why-you-cant-get-a-job-moron/349747/64 "2006-03-28T05:14:59Z")
> [@CanvasShoes](#): > > Okay, I don’t have my reading glasses on, so I might have missed the “wrong” part, but why is that not correct? There is no language called “Mexican.” People in Mexico speak Spanish. ---
**Author:** ![bizzwire](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/958977/32.png) [@bizzwire](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/bizzwire)\ **Post date:** [March 28, 2006, 5:34am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/wanna-know-why-you-cant-get-a-job-moron/349747/65 "2006-03-28T05:34:38Z")
> [@ENugent](#): > > There is no language called “Mexican.” People in Mexico speak Spanish. But people in Canada still speak Canadian, right? ---
**Author:** ![CanvasShoes](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/74df32/32.png) [@CanvasShoes](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/CanvasShoes)\ **Post date:** [March 28, 2006, 6:21am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/wanna-know-why-you-cant-get-a-job-moron/349747/66 "2006-03-28T06:21:32Z")
> [@ENugent](#): > > There is no language called “Mexican.” People in Mexico speak Spanish. Arggh, I was looking so hard for a grammar or misspelling that I missed that they simply used a non PC term. Could it have been some sort of CC type term? That is, since folks who are deaf wouldn’t be able to hear them, they wanted to convey what nationality it was that was in the crowd? ---
**Author:** ![Sampiro](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/2acd7d/32.png) [@Sampiro](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sampiro)\ **Post date:** [March 28, 2006, 7:54am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/wanna-know-why-you-cant-get-a-job-moron/349747/67 "2006-03-28T07:54:06Z")
My pet peeves are the “one size fits all” cover letter (“I am seeking a position that will allow me to use my degree in the phrenological science in such a way as to make a significant contribution to the field and enable me to establish roots and a long working relationship”- uh, did you see the part that said “this is a temporary position” and “for one year only”?) and the unprofessional email addresses. I’ve actually had the following e-mail addresses on letters from people seeking PROFESSIONAL POSITIONS: foxysinglemama1970@\>\>\>.com beachbum34@\>\>\>\>.com elvisfreak@\>\>\>\>\>\>.com praisehisname@\>\>\>.com (or very close to if not exactly). For a professional application, the e-mail address should be first.lastname@\>\>\>.com or something very similar- it’s not clever and catchy as “Luck-be-a-Larry2night” or some leet translation of Homer, but it’s easy to remember and doesn’t make you come across as somebody too stupid or too non-chalant to care about how s/he presents him/herself. ---
**Author:** ![DrDeth](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/b487fb/32.png) [@DrDeth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DrDeth)\ **Post date:** [March 28, 2006, 4:08pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/wanna-know-why-you-cant-get-a-job-moron/349747/68 "2006-03-28T16:08:28Z")
> [@ENugent](#): > > There is no language called “Mexican.” People in Mexico speak Spanish. The term “Mexican dialect of Spanish” is legit however- certainly few of the population of Mexico use the standard _Castilian_ dialect. :dubious: Thus, “Mexican” is just a shortening of “Mexican Dialect of Spanish”, whether or not PC dudes like it or not. > **[Spanish language](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Spanish_language)** > > Spanish (español (help·info) or castellano, lit. 'Castilian') is a Romance language that originated in the Iberian Peninsula of Europe. Today, it is a global language with nearly 500 million native speakers, mainly in the Americas and Spain. It is the world's second-most spoken native language after Mandarin Chinese, and the world's fourth-most spoken language overall after English, Mandarin Chinese, and Hindi. > Spanish is a part of the Ibero-Romance group of languages of the Indo-European lang... > **[Mexican Spanish](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mexican_Spanish)** > > Mexican Spanish (Spanish: español mexicano) is a set of varieties of the Spanish language as spoken in Mexico and in some parts of the United States. > Spanish was brought to Mexico in the 16th century by Spanish Conquistadors. As in all other Spanish-speaking countries (including Spain), different accents and varieties of the language exist in different parts of the country, for both historical and sociological reasons. Among these, the varieties that are best known outside of the country are... [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Spanish\_dialects\_and\_varieties](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Spanish_dialects_and_varieties) ---
**Author:** ![Left\_Hand\_of\_Dorkness](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/left_hand_of_dorkness/32/7156_2.png) [@Left\_Hand\_of\_Dorkness](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Left_Hand_of_Dorkness)\ **Post date:** [March 28, 2006, 4:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/wanna-know-why-you-cant-get-a-job-moron/349747/69 "2006-03-28T16:20:22Z")
> [@DrDeth](#): > > dialect. :dubious: Thus, “Mexican” is just a shortening of “Mexican Dialect of Spanish”, whether or not PC dudes like it or not. Maybe that’s true on the other side of the pond, but I’ve never heard this usage in American. Daniel ---
**Author:** ![metonymic](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/5f9b8f/32.png) [@metonymic](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/metonymic)\ **Post date:** [March 29, 2006, 4:38pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/wanna-know-why-you-cant-get-a-job-moron/349747/70 "2006-03-29T16:38:25Z")
I used to have a job adding paper and emailed resumes into a database. It was so boring that the only thing that kept me sane was finding those hilarious mistakes or phrasings in people’s resumes – so I made a text file to document some of them (because some are just appalling), which a friend posted [here](http://harveycartel.org/misc/res.html). It would have been very aggravating to see all these mistakes if I’d been in charge of hiring, but I was “fortunate” to have no actual decision-making power. 😉 ---
**Author:** ![Beadalin](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/3be4f8/32.png) [@Beadalin](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Beadalin)\ **Post date:** [March 29, 2006, 4:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/wanna-know-why-you-cant-get-a-job-moron/349747/71 "2006-03-29T16:58:55Z")
> [@](#): > > I enjoy hats, and meeting new people. Who doesn’t? > [@](#): > > Drive 15 passenger van to pick up 80 children. Oh my God, **metonymic** , I’m dying here. ---
**Author:** ![Ghanima](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/9e8a1a/32.png) [@Ghanima](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ghanima)\ **Post date:** [March 29, 2006, 5:07pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/wanna-know-why-you-cant-get-a-job-moron/349747/72 "2006-03-29T17:07:48Z")
> [@metonymic](#): > > I used to have a job adding paper and emailed resumes into a database. It was so boring that the only thing that kept me sane was finding those hilarious mistakes or phrasings in people’s resumes – so I made a text file to document some of them (because some are just appalling), which a friend posted [here](http://harveycartel.org/misc/res.html). > > It would have been very aggravating to see all these mistakes if I’d been in charge of hiring, but I was “fortunate” to have no actual decision-making power. 😉 I didn’t read them all, but I especially loved this one: • Before marriage: Skydiving, riding my motorcycle and getting my private pilots license. • After marriage: Watching skydiving on TV, sold the bike, playing flight simulator computer games. 😛 ---
**Author:** ![Una\_Persson](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/una_persson/32/346_2.png) [@Una\_Persson](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Una_Persson)\ **Post date:** [March 29, 2006, 5:28pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/wanna-know-why-you-cant-get-a-job-moron/349747/73 "2006-03-29T17:28:00Z")
> [@ENugent](#): > > There is no language called “Mexican.” People in Mexico speak Spanish. My Spanish clients said when they went to Mexico, they not only had trouble with the accents, but many of the words, and their usage were different that Spanish, to the point where they (by their admission) often asked the Mexicans they met to speak in English. :dubious: I’ve heard others much more learned than me about language say that Mexican Spanish is different enough from Spanish to be called a different language. Personally, I cannot testify. ---
**Author:** ![metonymic](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/5f9b8f/32.png) [@metonymic](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/metonymic)\ **Post date:** [March 29, 2006, 5:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/wanna-know-why-you-cant-get-a-job-moron/349747/74 "2006-03-29T17:51:59Z")
> [@Beadalin](#): > > Oh my God, **metonymic** , I’m dying here. I know what you mean! > [@](#): > > own a 9 1/2 pound shi-tzu that I trained to give hugs > [@](#): > > I appreciate your consideration and I look forward to sneaking with you in the near future. (snicker) ---
**Author:** ![Waenara](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/50afbb/32.png) [@Waenara](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Waenara)\ **Post date:** [March 29, 2006, 6:13pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/wanna-know-why-you-cant-get-a-job-moron/349747/75 "2006-03-29T18:13:20Z")
I particularly liked: > [@](#): > > Imagine you’re in a war and need to form a special ops team for reconnaissance by going behind enemy lines. You will need agents with special abilities, sharp minds, knowledge in tactics and weaponry, iron clad balls of steel and proven experience in the trenches. With my accumulative experience I have become such an agent, highly trained, skilled and tougher than boot leather. > [@](#): > > I speak 3 language.I may trance late them into english ---
**Author:** ![Bosda\_Di\_Chi\_of\_Tricor](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bosda_di_chi_of_tricor/32/16845_2.png) [@Bosda\_Di\_Chi\_of\_Tricor](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bosda_Di_Chi_of_Tricor)\ **Post date:** [March 29, 2006, 6:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/wanna-know-why-you-cant-get-a-job-moron/349747/76 "2006-03-29T18:32:56Z")
> [@](#): > > Applicant’s Info: > > I can hold my breath for 3 minutes and NOT pass out. > I can fit my whole fist into my mouth. > I can touch the inside of my eyelid. > I can touch my tongue to my chin. > I once, on a dare, ate something that came from my nose. **Bricker** applied there…? 😛😃 ---
**Author:** ![Sean\_Factotum](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/50afbb/32.png) [@Sean\_Factotum](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sean_Factotum)\ **Post date:** [March 29, 2006, 7:07pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/wanna-know-why-you-cant-get-a-job-moron/349747/77 "2006-03-29T19:07:07Z")
> [@ivylass](#): > > No, the show is not boring, but being the higher than average intelligent message board that we are, glaring errors tend to pop out at us. I feel the same way about “alright.” Grrrrr… > > I mean, You’re for Your? Honestly. Not at all. I’m a big fan of correct spelling on resumes and other business correspondence where a bad first impression can be a deal-breaker. I just like slamming _Lost._ ---
**Author:** ![Sean\_Factotum](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/50afbb/32.png) [@Sean\_Factotum](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sean_Factotum)\ **Post date:** [March 29, 2006, 7:12pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/wanna-know-why-you-cant-get-a-job-moron/349747/78 "2006-03-29T19:12:07Z")
> [@ethanwinfield](#): > > I may never understand the closed-captioning thing. For scripted programs, isn’t there, well, a _script_? Can’t the people making the big bucks writing the captioning go off of that? > > We were watching the episode of _Seinfeld_ where Kramer spills hot coffee on himself (“The Maestro”). He uses a balm (as in salve). The captioning read, “Who told you to use the bomb? Did I tell you to use the bomb? Why did you use the bomb?” My sister does closed captioning for a living. And I love her like, well, a sister, but she ain’t the best speller in the world. I do know they don’t get a script to work from - just the audio track. And they only have so much time to do the captioning before any show is sent back out to the network. If something is going on the air Wednesday night at 8 p.m. Eastern, say, they’ll often get it that afternoon. In those cases (first run network shows) they really don’t have much time to do the job. ---
**Author:** ![gotpasswords](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/c57346/32.png) [@gotpasswords](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/gotpasswords)\ **Post date:** [March 29, 2006, 8:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/wanna-know-why-you-cant-get-a-job-moron/349747/79 "2006-03-29T20:48:15Z")
> [@](#): > > Reverences and portfolio available on request. What’s really funny about this is that reverances are real - they’re a sort of unisex curtsey or show of respect. > [@](#): > > I can interact well with costumers Could be very important if they’re applying to a theatre company. ---
**Author:** ![griffin1977](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/977dab/32.png) [@griffin1977](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/griffin1977)\ **Post date:** [March 29, 2006, 9:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/wanna-know-why-you-cant-get-a-job-moron/349747/80 "2006-03-29T21:42:34Z")
> [@DrDeth](#): > > The term “Mexican dialect of Spanish” is legit however- certainly few of the population of Mexico use the standard _Castilian_ dialect. :dubious: Thus, “Mexican” is just a shortening of “Mexican Dialect of Spanish”, whether or not PC dudes like it or not. > > [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Spanish\_language](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Spanish_language) > [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mexican\_Spanish](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mexican_Spanish) > [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Spanish\_dialects\_and\_varieties](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Spanish_dialects_and_varieties) It’s nothing to do with what is PC, but what is correct. But by that definition it would have been correct to say “crowd chattering in American”… (There is a certainly such a thing as “American English” but this would not IMO be correct English, as there is no such language as ‘American’). [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/wanna-know-why-you-cant-get-a-job-moron/349747.md?page=3) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/wanna-know-why-you-cant-get-a-job-moron/349747.md?page=5)