During the dot-com boom, we were innundated with meaningless communications dotted with words like "paradigm" and made-up terms that started with "i" and "e" (as in: "I find the e-hot-fudge-sundae a tertiary shift in the ice cream paradigm"). With the recession in full swing and no end in sight, we're writing more plainly--and in some cases, more whinily.

I find this site depressing on a number of levels--first of all, because I sympathize with professional writers who can't find work. And second of all, because they're so darn whiny. This level of complaint is something I'm increasingly seeing at work and in the media these days. People think the way to make a good impression in public forums such as the Internet is to complain about how hard it is to find a job, how rude employers are, how disheartening things are, and so on.

Anyone's entitled to say what they want on an anonymous blog, of course, but it's hard to understand building a career-oriented site, posting a resume, and then filling reams of space with hard-luck stories and pleas of "Look at what a rotten time I'm having! Hire me!"

Don't get me wrong--I remember what it was like to be unemployed. When I moved to Chicago and job-hunted, any number of bad things happened. I was belittled in Tinley Park and snubbed on Randolph, and yes, my resumes were ignored by the dozen. So tell me something I don't already know.

I don't mean to kick these particular people when they're down. On the other hand, what they're telling us isn't new, and in many cases, it isn't very interesting either. In a professional context, it certainly doesn't make me want to hire them. I'm more interested in someone who has something engaging to say, or some good idea, employed or unemployed. For those who can't find an idea, they're well advised to not say anything at all.