[I]Editor\u2019s Note: The following story, as related to Frank Gibson, is part of a continuing series of stories related to the effects of the new federal immigration policy, as seen from the perspective of people who will be affected by those changes. [\/I]<\/p>\n
All I want is for someone to give me a chance. I\u2019m not applying for specialized jobs, or supervisory or management jobs. I\u2019m just applying for basic positions, even entry-level spots, where I can show what I am capable of and, hopefully, move up from there. Waitress, clerk, receptionist, store helper, pre-school teacher or teacher aide, childcare, cashier, or housekeeper\u2014I can clean and dust with the best.<\/p>\n
It\u2019s not that I don\u2019t have experience. I graduated from Mariana High School and worked for PSS as a teacher\u2019s aide for nine years, took a couple of years off, and worked with them again for another seven years. I was Teacher Aide of the Year one year and Overall Teacher Aide the next. I loved working with kids\u2014and would love to do it again. <\/p>\n
I went to the U.S. mainland and worked for Walmart as a sales associate for about a year. So I do have experience\u2014perhaps not the exact experience asked for in every job I apply for\u2014but, let\u2019s be real, Walmart didn\u2019t require me to have 3-5 years of floor-sales experience before they hired me!<\/p>\n
I\u2019m a fast learner. Train me for a week. Most people think that I\u2019m reasonably bright and I\u2019m certain that I can pick up most jobs quickly. I work hard, I\u2019m reliable, I can get to work on time, I enjoy working with people, and I\u2019m a team player. I know how to operate a computer, can use most Microsoft software programs, type, make copies, answer the telephone, send faxes and lots of other things that most jobs require\u2014even if I\u2019ve never held that particular job before. Give me a chance\u2014once I\u2019ve been able to prove myself, you\u2019ll never want to let me go.<\/p>\n
Oh, yes, I\u2019ve seen the requirements in the ads\u2014I hate to think of how many ads that I\u2019ve read\u2014or heard. If you believe the ads, there is not a single job in the Commonwealth that can be filled without 1-2 or even up to 10 years of experience and all sorts of extraordinary requirements that you couldn\u2019t possibly have without having worked for years in the job. No wonder our kids leave home for the military or laze around doing nothing. There aren\u2019t any jobs for them to start with here at home!<\/p>\n
And this is my home. When I was back in the States, my family asked me, \u201cWhy do you want to go back to Saipan. There\u2019s nothing there for you.\u201d I came back because this is my home. I missed being here. Nowhere else feels the same to me as my home. Still, I got back in August and I\u2019ve been looking for a job since then. It seems as if my home doesn\u2019t feel as happy to see me here as I felt about being back.<\/p>\n
Do I blame this on the nonresident workers? No, not at all. They aren\u2019t the cause of this. I\u2019m not sure who is, but I know it\u2019s not them. They\u2019re just like me, trying to work and take care of their families. A lot of my friends are from elsewhere. We get along fine\u2014we respect each other. I\u2019ve worked alongside other nationalities, both here and in the States, and I would be happy to do it again. Yes, I know that if I get hired, someone else might lose their job. It\u2019s not what I want, and I would be sorry for them, but I didn\u2019t make the laws that we all have to live by. That\u2019s not my doing, anymore than it\u2019s their fault that I don\u2019t have a job. I am losing friends and I will miss them. <\/p>\n
I\u2019ve been trying hard to get a job since I got back. I\u2019ve registered with the Department of Labor and they are trying. I bug them all of the time\u2014every day\u2014and refer to myself as \u201ctheir worst nightmare.\u201d But they are trying and have been getting my application out. I can\u2019t even guess at how many I\u2019ve dropped off. I think I\u2019ve applied at all of the hotels and most of the stores, Joeten, Herman\u2019s Bakery, and many others. Everywhere I go, I ask if they have any openings. I went to both job fairs and filled out lots of applications. I never heard back from most companies. In all of this time I\u2019ve only had a couple of interviews. I applied at one hotel before their ad, so I wasn\u2019t considered and, Ooops, then I was too late to apply for the ad. I applied for other hotels after the job fair, and I understand they have already interviewed, but I wasn\u2019t called. I did interview earlier with the Hyatt, and I thank them, and I had to carry plates and utensils and set a table. I was so nervous that my hands were shaking and I could hear the plates and things rattling. The funny thing is, the next day I was helping to set up and was carrying platters of food at the Jesus Kristo Tuna festival\u2014but, of course, that wasn\u2019t the Hyatt.<\/p>\n
It\u2019s all very frustrating\u2014sometimes I break down and cry because I don\u2019t know what is going to happen to me. Then I get over it and tell myself that tomorrow is another day and something good will happen. I\u2019m actually an optimist and try to always look on the bright side. I\u2019m on food stamps for the first time in my life, and while I\u2019m grateful for it, I want to get off so someone with a greater need can benefit from it. Like I said, I want to believe that Alfred, Manny, Radbert, and the others at Labor will be successful in helping me find a job. I do appreciate their efforts and thank them for it\u2014and for putting up with my calls. <\/p>\n
Let\u2019s face reality, though. Things are getting tough. I have to support myself. I don\u2019t want to have to depend on anyone else to do that for me. Why am I not getting interviews? I don\u2019t really know. I guess it\u2019s because I don\u2019t fulfill all of the ad requirements. I\u2019m competent. I\u2019m outgoing and energetic. I\u2019m presentable: neat, clean, and polite. I enjoy working with and helping people. I\u2019m not shy or afraid to talk with others. Some say I talk too much.<\/p>\n
So\u2014my final words? This is my home. I\u2019m here for the long haul. Try me\u2014you\u2019ll like me. Give Alfred a call at CNMI Labor\u2014he definitely knows who I am.<\/p>\n
All I want is for someone to give me a chance.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
All I want is for someone to give me a chance. I\u2019m not applying for specialized jobs, or supervisory or management jobs. I\u2019m just applying for basic positions, even entry-level spots, where I can show what I am capable of and, hopefully, move up from there. Waitress, clerk, receptionist, store helper, pre-school teacher or teacher aide, childcare, cashier, or housekeeper\u2014I can clean and dust with the best.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[4],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-156718","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-local-news"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.saipantribune.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/156718","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.saipantribune.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.saipantribune.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.saipantribune.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.saipantribune.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=156718"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.saipantribune.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/156718\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.saipantribune.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=156718"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.saipantribune.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=156718"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.saipantribune.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=156718"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}