In a Difficult Job Market, Settling for Less

Editor’s note: In a report that aired earlier this week about a Manhattan job fair, Paul spoke at length with Philip Mereday, a former executive who had been out of work for about a year. Mereday, a college graduate and military veteran, had experienced a number of frustrations in his long job search, including being told he was too intelligent for an opportunity.

At the job fair, Mereday made a good impression on a company looking to hire electricity salespeople and he landed a job shortly thereafter. The product has proven to be a difficult sell, and Mereday has not been making the commissions he’d hoped to make. He recently sat down with Paul to talk about the euphoria he felt after being offered work, but also the frustration he continues to feel about having moved so far down the ladder. In this market, millions of Americans are feeling something similar – a tug between, as Mereday puts it, keeping “the wolf from my door” and finding a fulfilling job that pays well.