It is daunting news when you are trying to find a job, no matter what age. Trying to get a job is hard enough without have to think of the pressure that you are just a number and worrying if you don't get this job then when will the next vacancy come around.
So to help guide people through this horrible part of life there are all sorts of people handing out advice. A quick browse of the internet reveals how to write a CV, a covering letter and what to do in the actual interview. All this is helpful advice and the more that people know about it the better.
However, there is a small group of people who have seen this as an opportunity to get out some joyless and patronising television shows. My particular favourite was Up For Hire, a BBC Three show that was supposed to help conquer mass youth unemployment by giving out four jobs. Undeniable helpful.
It also adopted a wonderful tone telling young people they had only themselves to blame because all they had to their name was a degree and a Facebook page filled with drunken photos. Why should they be deserving of a job?
ITV2 have jumped on board and decided that this a wonderful format too. They are due to show The Exclusives, which is being called The Apprentice for journalists. Again it seems to be working on the premise that 1.04 million people will be solved by one television show giving away one job. In this case the lucky person will get a 12 month contract with Bauer Media and get a chance to work on titles like Heat, Kerrang and Empire.
So I have decided that these shows telling people how to find a job are just like property shows. Most people on these shows aren't experts in these fields. So instead of being helpful they just end up being annoying, repetitive and patronising.
So the people out there doing good - keep doing it. If you are thinking of making a programme where thousands of applicants fight it out on a crappy, digital channel for just the one job, then stop right there and forget you ever had the idea.
Photo: jacobchristensen via Flickr
As much of television is based on good old Schadenfreude this could be said to be a natural progression. I wonder when it may take a further step - reality TV based redundancy shows? Imagine the scene. The office staff all assembled at their desks, their laptop and mobile phone sat in front of them, waiting for the fateful tap on the shoulder. Who will go first? Let the nation decide!
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