October 22, 2010 05:29 by
Melody
We’ve seen reality TV shows about the trials and tribulations of the modern day job hunt (see: ‘The Apprentice’ and MTV’s ‘Hired’), but here’s a new one focusing on the exhaustive employment search for the long-term unemployed: Lifetime’s “The Fairy Jobmother”. Set to air its premiere episode next Thursday night at 10 pm Eastern, The Fairy Jobmother features international career specialist Hayley Taylor (aka The Fairy Jobmother) and her no-nonsense, tough love approach to help the woefully long-term unemployed find new jobs and get their lives in order.
According to the Lifetime press release for the show, “Taylor will help families by confronting the unspoken truths responsible for placing them into their current situations.” From the previews, it appears that these “unspoken truths” are displacement due to devastating natural disasters (Hurricane Katrina), laziness, lack of motivation, and lack of appropriate attire. While the show has yet to air in the US, its reception may not be as warm as it was in the UK, where Taylor became an overnight sensation after appearing in a documentary and volunteering at a job training center.
For most frustrated long-term unemployed job seekers, the show may not be so much a motivational tool, as it is a reinforcement of just how bleak the job market has become. Active, motivated Americans on the job hunt probably won’t want to hear that the solution to finding a job is simply to “try harder,” when they feel they they’ve already put all of their hopes, efforts, and resources into their own job searches. While it’s true that some unemployed Americans feel they could make more money by participating in government-funded unemployment benefits and welfare, the majority of them are wiped out from the constant blows to their self-esteem that come with each rejection. As one frustrated commenter said on the show’s page, “It is hard enough for people to find jobs without the message that they just need to clean up and get motivated.” This may be the overwhelming sentiment felt by many watchers of the show, but we’ll have to wait and see.
What do you think? Will you tune in to watch “The Fairy Jobmother” when it airs next week? Do you think the ‘tough-love’ approach is appropriate during one of the worse economic recessions of our time? Tell us in the comments section below!
Melody Yaghoubi
Interactive Resources
