I’ve been unemployed for one (1) business day, and here is what I’m already noticing about the job market for creatives:
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usinesses large and small alike are vastly undervaluing the expertise of creative professionals. I’ve already seen numerous jobs expecting creatives to quite literally do it all, for low pay, and expecting quality on all fronts.
Graphic designers are not video editors. Content writers are not marketing strategists. Social media managers are not animators. UI/UX designers are not web developers. Do those hiring have any idea what the mental toll is to give full creative effort in just one of these areas, or how much time and training it took us to become skilled in one of these jobs? Many of us have overlapping skill sets, depending on our schooling, but only having inch-deep knowledge and being a Jill-of-All-Trades can only get a person and business so far.
What are we to do as job seekers?
Do we cave in and attempt to learn multiple full-time jobs for the sake of paying our bills? Do we collectively refuse to undervalue our hard-earned expertise and wait for a unicorn job, since they’re waiting for their unicorn employee?
Is this trend happening in other sectors?
I’m genuinely curious about what others’ approach to this is, on both fronts.
INT. UNLIT HOME OFFICE
A single blade of light slices in from the window highlighting a wizened hand resting on the arm of a bankruptcy-sale Aeron. The hand holds a smartphone. LinkedIn app is open.
FACE:
Faded eyes behind layers of reading glasses. The eyes are frantically scanning. The reflection in the glasses shows that it is looking at the LinkedIn app--scrolling past hundreds of ghost jobs.
The eyes spark at something.
PHONE:
Post with the headline: "I’ve been unemployed for one (1) business day..."
BODY:
The artist (unemployed since the pandemic), uses the free hand to wrangle a rusted vape from a side table. And inhales, while sinking deeper into the chair and unwashed alumni sweats.
After a very long, LONG, drag lets escape a blister of watermelon strawberry-scented regret past go-no-where-interview chapped lips.
ARTIST:
Oh, honey.