Beating the street: Joyner has sent out more than 450 resumes in the last three years.

'Round About

Darren Joyner just wants a job.

by Kia Gregory

In the last three years Darren Joyner, an Army vet with accounting experience, has sent out more than 450 resumes, and has had only three job interviews.

Joyner, 43, was in the Army for 14 years—eight on active duty—and served as a logistics and accounting specialist.

He left the Army in 1995 with medals and ribbons for leadership, achievement and good conduct. But since then his resume shows a string of temporary jobs that have failed to become anything permanent.

“I just feel like I’m this loser, this guy who can’t find a job,” he says sitting in a coffee shop one recent afternoon. “I feel that everything I put into the military was a waste. It … demoralizes me.”

Joyner, who’s pursuing a degree in accounting, has applied for janitorial jobs, administrative jobs, accounting clerk jobs and retail jobs. But despite his best efforts, he’s been unable to secure steady, decent- paying full-time employment.

In response to a struggling economy, many companies have declared a hiring freeze. And last month employers throughout the country cut 63,000 jobs, the biggest drop in five years, a good sign that a recession is here.

In Philadelphia, manufacturing jobs were once the backbone of the economy. The city has since evolved into an economy of information and service.

According to the U.S. Census, 40 percent of those in the city’s labor force live below the poverty line, on an income of less than $15,000 a year.

The city’s unemployment rate is 12.4 percent, up from 6.1 percent in 2000. The unemployment rate is highest for African-Americans, at 17.7 percent.

Joyner, who masks his frustration with an easy smile, considers himself an “eternal optimist.”

He grew up in East Germantown, where he lived with his mother and two siblings. His father went to prison when Joyner was five years old.

In high school, he ran track and played football. In his senior year, disenchanted with school, he joined the Army. While in the military he traveled the world, visiting places like Greece, Italy, Germany, the Netherlands and the Middle East.

“I did some heinous stuff for truth, justice and the American way,” he says of his time in the Army. “Things you won’t see on CNN.”

After the Army, Joyner went to Community College of Philadelphia to study accounting, and worked a series of temporary jobs as a distribution clerk, system administrator, customer service representative, accounts payable clerk and accounts receivable analyst.

His longest run was almost two years as an accounting clerk at the University of Pennsylvania, a temporary position that never became more.

During that time Joyner says he applied for numerous positions, hoping to make the transition from temporary to permanent employee, without success.

“I can’t get any steady work,” he says. “And even temp jobs are drying up.”

In listing his qualifications, Joyner talks about his accounting experience, which spans more than two decades. He has no criminal record or medical conditions. He’s everything people list on their cover letters: a great communicator, team oriented and an asset to any organization. One former employer describes him as friendly, hard working and a very nice person.

Yet he still can’t find a full-time job.

During his career as a temp, Joyner also worked as a theater manager at two live arts venues in Center City. Now the part-time jobs, which average 30 hours a week at about $13 an hour, are his only income.

“I love these jobs, but I hate the pay,” he says. “It’s just not enough money. I’m starting to get discouraged about where I wanna go with my life.”

Since losing his apartment two years ago, he’s been living in West Oak Lane with a close family friend, who he says plays Oscar to his Felix. He’s grateful for the place to stay, but wants out as soon as possible—which likely won’t be soon. He admits he’s behind on his bills.

He’s cut his lifestyle to something he can afford. He rides his bike instead of paying for public transportation. He canceled his cell phone contract for a prepaid phone. And he’s pawned some of his worldly possessions—like his beloved stereo equipment, including an amp he bought in Germany—to make ends meet. He’s been single forever, he says, but when he dates, it’s usually at the theater, where through his job he can get half-price tickets.

With part-time work and limited health insurance, Joyner has had to put off things like eyeglasses and dental work.

“I’ve overcome gargantuan odds,” he says of his life. “I’ll never quit or give up. I just want a job.”