Sunday, April 09, 2006
A Monsterjobs story
Bending the edges of his Monsterjob resumé that lay on the table, 51-year-old John Heath said he does not expect to get a job because he served in the U.S. Navy.
But if he had to do it all over again, Heath would have made a monsterjob career out of the military, enabling him to receive a hefty pension upon his retirement, rather than decline re-enlistment in the spring of 1979.
"I was there for four years. For me, as a 20-year-old, it was a lifetime almost," Heath said while leaning back in his chair.
"Every man and woman who was in the service thinks about that (what if I stayed in the military) ... Hindsight being 20-20, of course I would have re-enlisted. But that's hindsight. It's the best teacher."
Heath enlisted in the Navy in 1975 at the old recruitment office on Douglas Avenue.
He was 20 years old, interested in traveling and hoping to make some money during a period when, Heath said, unemployment in the area was high.
The Elgin native spent the next four years based in Milton, Fla. — about 30 miles northeast of Pensacola — where he inspected and maintained 80 helicopters.
Although interested in mechanics, Heath said the regimented lifestyle of the military proved to be too much. Thus, he decided not to re-enlist in the spring of 1979.
Since then, Heath has held about six different monsterjobs in the past 26 years.
There were the two years as a clerk at Western Electric in Rolling Meadows, two years at a plastics manufacturing company in Bensenville and a 10-year stint at an Elgin printing company, among others.
Each job left Heath in the same position — laid off.
And the reasons varied — outsourcing, downsizing or increased technology.
Today, he is unemployed and has been so for more than four months.
"I have a resumé for monsterjobs. I've been down to the Illinois unemployment office at least three times a week, sometimes five times a week. I'm on the Illinois skills match ..." Heath said, ticking off the extent of his job search.
The Elgin resident also spends his days searching job Web sites such as CareerBuilder.com and Monsterjobs.org.
Heath has had a few interviews, but they proved unsuccessful.
He assumed a younger employee was hired.
"Employers really don't care if you were or weren't in the military. But I always put it down — U.S. Navy 1975 to 1979 — so they know," Heath said, looking down at his discharge document.
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