Down But Not Out

‘You are scared all the time about where your money is going to come from’

I was working as a customer service rep at Time Warner Cable for three years when they began downsizing and restructuring. They moved the call center that I worked at to  another city in Wisconsin, so I lost my Job I haven’t been able to find any job since then.

I lost that job back in June 2010 so it’s been exactly a year that I’ve been out of work.  The hardest thing about being out of work so long is that you are scared all the time about where your money is going to come from, about being homeless or possibly having to live with relatives, and overall its depressing, you feel hopeless and worthless.

I am getting unemployment which is below what I could make if I was working, but that has some difficulties as well, they are always holding your benefits back for some frivolous reason or another, and that’s really hard to depend on. I need security and I don’t want to rely on unemployment benefits anymore, I know won’t get the benefits forever and that’s what worries me.

Recently I’ve been applying to jobs that I’m over-qualified for like at a grocery store or a coffee shop, I’m at the end of my rope here. Still I’ve been getting responses like, “We found a better match for this job,” so I wonder if I’m ever going to work again?

It’s even hard to get temp jobs now. This is the longest I have ever been out of work, I am still looking for work right now, I have been on a few interviews recently but I haven’t heard anything so far, so we’ll see.

I’m not very sure what can be done to help the thousands of unemployed people, but I know what shouldn’t be done: they are trying to cut unemployment extensions in Wisconsin, and if that happens 100s of people will be homeless, so they should definitely stop that action from taking place.

Kenya S., via email

‘All I can do is think about how great it would be if I could become permanent … and not a temp’

I lost my job in 2009 due to cutbacks in the company, shorty after that I lost my car (couldn’t keep up the payments) and lost my apartment (living in a room for $600.00 a month now in someone’s basement with very small windows).

The hardest thing was trying to stay on top of my work skills and make sure that I get the latest training for my fields of work i.e., Deltek CostPoint, Soloman, Access and Microsoft programs etc. The other things that was hard was loosing my apartment a place of my own, not being able to afford medication for my high blood pressure and asthma. I went to the state for assistance but they said that I was 3.59 over the limit for assistance but that they could cover my daughter who at the time was 16 years old. I felt like I was losing control of my life and couldn’t do anything about it no matter what I tried.

Yes, it is difficult to get hired when you’ve been out of work so long specially when you are 50 years old. Interviews had a way of making me feel like I should be retiring now that I was too old for a company to invest time in training me, that I would more so be an expense than an investment. I don’t know I guess my years of experience and loyalty as an offer just wasn’t enough. I am technologically inclined and electronically trained and I really look 30 years old not 50, I speak well and I am very professional. I have 3 different resumes and I have even altered my resume to fit the job descriptions, I’ve gone to unemployment workshops, resume workshops, Microsoft workshops etc. but so far I have not been able to land a permanent job.

The unemployment benefits were help for somewhat I was able to keep my apartment a little longer than if I didn’t have my benefits, I did not exhaust them but I don’t like depending on them either, I am currently temping at a company until Sept. 1, 2011 and I am registered with a temp company now but that can be a positive or a negative because some so far the companies I’ve been assigned to don’t want to pay the fee to buy me out of the temp agency. There is so much competition now that I know I don’t stand a chance of getting a permanent decent paying job without a college degree.

I just want to give up, if it was not for my daughter and me proving to her that all is not lost I probably would of crawled under and rock and died by now. I am so depressed I feel like I’m going to loose my mind sometimes but gotta keep up the smiling face at my work and the cordial hello’s to everyone as though nothing is wrong. I just want to work I have worked since I was 16 years old, it’s all I really know, sitting around doing nothing but housework and reading can be bad for your health let alone your work skills deteriorating.

I have not given up yet the temp work helps a lot but I fear if I get sick and miss days I will loose pay or worse my temp position to another temp. I haven’t given up on searching totally but I feel like I have no where else to send my resume to.

All I can do is think about how great it would be if I could become permanent with this company so I can get medical benefits and exhale because I know I am someones staff member and not a temp. I’ll just keeping praying that all will work out for me and my daughter who now live with her father because the room I have will only accommodate a full size bed and the space is too small for the two of us, but I know that I will be able to afford a place with at least enough space for her and I to live together. I miss having a normal working routine.

Betty O., via email

‘I received a voice mail via my cell phone that informed me they were actually letting me go’

I had been working for Huntington Learning Center from April 2007 to May 2009 when they had finally decided to let me go due to the economic downturn. Once the Great Recession hit in 2007, more and more people had been forgoing tutoring for the children. Some parents even trying to do it themselves at home. I never saw being let go coming. I simply showed up less and less on the work schedule. Then, after 2 weeks of not appearing at all, I received a voice mail via my cell phone that informed me they were actually letting me go. (Whatever happened to telling someone to their face?) Since I drove the longest (17 miles, a half hour) to work, they decided to spare me the continued drive of little to no work. (I thought their decision to let me go was weird because they, at the same time, brought 2 new people aboard.)
 
After they let me go, I went on unemployment. My UI benefits ran out a year ago (June 2010).
 
I’ve tried shifting gears by taking some ECE (early childhood education) courses at my local CC (community college) and joining NAEYC (National Association For The Education of Young Children). However, I found daycare/childcare to be a lot like tutoring. Once the Great Recession hit, parents began sending their kids part-time instead of full-time and parents who sent their kids part-time took them out altogether only to do it themselves or ask a friend or family member to do it.  
 
I then switched over to using my past lab experience  from the biology and chemistry prep labs at the CC when I worked for Sharon. Despite the fact the fact it was well in my past, I felt I could still capitalize on it and get hired doing something simple like cleaning glassware or processing specimens, but I’m finding out that’s not really the case. Tried approaching several staffing agencies and have had zero luck. Many of them told me, “Oh yeah, we see these kinda of jobs come across our desk all the time.” Guess I’m hitting them up at the wrong time because they’re sure not coming across their desks now, when I MOST need a job.
 
Being out of work like this for so long has consequences. I have bills to pay like everyone else: monthly car payment, car insurance, credit card consolidation, cell phone. I’ve actually had to have my mom help support me and pay my bills for me, which has been extremely hard on her, as she has her own bills to pay. Juggling my bills and her bills isn’t easy yet we do it so I don’t go into financial ruin, which would then make it absolutely impossible for me to find a job.
 
I think being out of work for long periods of time is definitely detrimental. I have been asked by employers what I was doing “in that period of time.” They then follow that with “Anything, anything at all?” It’s like some people just can’t or won’t comprehend the extreme scope of things. They want to act like everything is alright for some odd reason.
 
UI benefits were extremely helpful in keeping me afloat. Unfortunately, after a year, I exhausted them. Since then, I was able to find work at a daycare/childcare center, but after a month, for reasons unknown, she let  me go. Fast forward a few months. I picked up a specimen processing job at a local diagnostics company and they too, after about a month let me go (apparently I wasn’t fast enough for the guy and he was expecting 30,000+ specimens in the weeks ahead and couldn’t have someone around who processed a card at a minute or two a card.) I’ve tried to get back on UI benefits, but every time I fill the online application out and hit submit, it tells me I exhausted my benefits. Been off a year now, let go twice, and I can’t reply. Not fair. Not right.
 
Competition is definitely up. I couldn’t even get hired at Wal-Mart if I wanted to. Word has it they average 10 applications for every position that comes open. So they can afford to be picky. I’ve noticed the same thing in daycare/childcare too. There must be an average of 10-13 people applying for every job that comes open. Normally, it’s quite easy to get into daycare/childcare. Ten, 15 years ago, I never would’ve had the difficulty I’m having now even for simple lab positions. Much easier to fill back in the day. Doesn’t matter if it’s minimum wage or low paying, people want to work just to work and pay their bills.
 
As I said, been employed on and off since my UI benefits were exhausted. There are times I really do want to just up and give up altogether. All the rejection and what not, it’s disheartening. And after being let go twice, I feel like I’m not meant to do anything.
 
People need to understand that hiring an unemployed person isn’t a bad thing. It doesn’t mean they’re any less capable of doing the job and many people, like myself, are unemployed not because they chose to be unemployed. We do get jobs with the intent of keeping them, but for whatever reason(s) employers let us go. It’s totally out of our hands and control.
 
One thing that can help is if the Federal Government, my mom’s employer, were to start filling Civil Service jobs with more and more civilians now that they’re axing the contractors and going back to Civil Service workers. They hire mostly vets and spouses and many of the jobs (GS-3, GS-4, GS-5, and GS-6 level jobs) vets and spouses get never even come open to the general public. They simply fill them with vets and spouses because they’re a vet or spouse. In many cases, they don’t even have to prove KSA (knowledge, skills, and abilities) in order to get the job yet someone like myself does. Where’s the fairness to that? If the Federal Government began hiring more civilians, they really could help get things back on track employment wise for EVERYONE, not just vets. Why be so greedy? I agree with my mom, share the wealth.
 
I can see vets getting hired, as Civil Service was initially created for them, but military spouses? I realize it’s hard for them to find work because they move around a lot, but at the same time they chose that lifestyle and knew what they were potentially getting into. So, in many ways, I don’t feel sorry for them. What really ticks me off when it comes to spouse preference is the fact officer spouses sometime work, when, in retrospect, they don’t have to because their spouse makes more than enough money being an officer. My mom once worked with a guy who’s wife was an officer. He didn’t care about the job at all, was lazy. Had a bad work ethic. He didn’t care to work because he knew his wife brought home more than enough money so he didn’t have to work yet he was taking up a good job I or someone else, who desperately needed work, could’ve had. People like him really piss me off.

Elizabeth M., via comments

‘Stay up too late at night and sleep too long in the morning’

My story …

58, single, long term unemployed - two years. Formerly middle management  making over $100k / year.

My search …

·        Recruiters - they must be very busy pounding square pegs into round holes because they don’t return my emails or phone calls. 

·        Big search engines - useless. Better to put your resume into a bottle and toss it into the Pacific, someone will get back to you!

·        Networking - dried up. Besides your friends and former constituents are not hiring. 

·        No current prospects. 

My Life  …

·        Stay up too late at night and sleep too long in the morning

·        Drink way too much. Way, way too much.

·        Unemployment benefits exhausted. 

·        No health insurance - but three hospital visits in the past year.

·        Stare - stare at the computer screen, stare out the window, stare at your image in the mirror, stare at the ceiling fan. 

·        Skills eroding - that happens when there is no intellectual activity. 

·        Social life - none. I’m no fun.

·        Sex - none. Women would sooner hear you have Hepatitis then learn your unemployed. Besides  there is no T & E budget.  

·        Living off cashed out 401k’s. Mortgaged the future.  

·        Depressed - big time.

·        Think suicide every day. 

Peter K., via email

‘There is definite skill atrophy, even though I am reluctant to admit it’

I am the college graduate who can’t find a job. I have been unemployed for exactly two years. Even though I have a master’s degree in a technical subject from a top-ranked university, it has been hard for me to find work.
Being long-term unemployed is deeply emotional and deeply depressing. 
There are big emotional swings. Phone and 1:1 interviews are big things that you really look forward to. Afterward though is the slow fall and sometimes “crash” when you wonder how you did and try to figure out from how the interviewer talked if you moved on. Some days are really good and you are quite optimistic. But most of the time you can barely get out of bed because you worry so much about your future. 
I feel so behind, especially when talking to my peers. Several of them have already moved on from their first job to their second one. Many are in long term relationships, something I know I can never have without a job and financial stability. I feel so … behind. I have grown much more envious of others lately. 
Especially unsettling was a phone interview today with someone who was one year younger than me. I researched his blog, LinkedIn profile, Twitter, etc before we talked. He was already married, had a house, at his third job since graduation, was working at a big and popular company, found his passion in life, new shiny iPhone, etc. And he was younger than me! And he only had a bachelor’s degree from a state university! How could he be so happy (or at least stable and content) while I am struggling? He doesn’t know how lucky he is. I could tell even over the phone I was just one more thing to cross off his busy schedule. He doesn’t realize how much power 45 minutes of his time has over my self esteem and my future. 
People say that it is okay to fail as long as you learn from your experience. I guess I haven’t learned anything because I am still unemployed. I used to pride myself on picking things up quickly, like a new programming language. Now I don’t feel that way anymore. Some lessons I guess are very difficult to learn. I am stubborn after all.
I’ve received one or two job offers, but I didn’t pass the reference and background/credit checks. I didn’t realize that the process continues even after an offer. I’ve also received one or two lowball offers that were insultingly low. I couldn’t accept them because then I couldn’t pay my bills. And they were too low for the industry too. I told the companies that, but they wouldn’t budge. I guess not accepting it anyway is just me being too proud.
I am blessed to have my family. They support me financially and emotionally. But I found out it is not good to ask them for specific job advice. 
I have become more religious. I pray everyday, asking God for a job and a girlfriend. Does it help? Somewhat. It is better than no religion at all. Most of the time it just makes me feel better. God has given me time and comfort. But I am still waiting for a miracle—a job and a girlfriend. 
I have channeled my depression into my new hobby, writing. I write short stories and hope to write a novel one day. This was a skill I never knew I had, and I am glad to have discovered it. I have a lot of fun doing it, and I hope to publish my work and become a famous author someday 
I have a lot more free time now. Goobobs of it actually. I enjoy running and exercising. I like to read. And of course I like to play video games. I get to spend a lot of time now with my dog and my family, after being away from them so long at a far away college.
Yes and no. In my experience, it’s a question they ask you in indirect and polite ways. It’s like a hurdle question. If you can swing a good story like I was sick or taking care of the kids, then you can jump the hurdle easily. 
There is definite skill atrophy, even though I am reluctant to admit it. As a hopeful software engineer, I have tried to keep my skills up the best I can. I have even learned a new programming language or two. But it is difficult for me to get motivated, or to maintain my skills without a clearly defined task or project that only work can provide. 
Employers should be more forgiving of people’s backgrounds, and more wiling to invest in them and teach them new skills rather than expecting them to come fully formed knowing everything from day one. I think they’re being overly picky. 
I would like to hear some constructive criticism and not just a polite “no thank you email”
Overall, I want companies and those who represent them to realize that job applicants and the long-term unemployed are not just resumes in a system. We’re real people too. Please treat us like one. 
Todd L., via email

‘To be extremely honest I thought of taking the easy way out, which probably many people have’

I am 39 now and lost my job back in September of 2008.  I didn’t do anything to get fired I was laid-off due to not enough assets to justify the amount of employees on staff. The company treated me extremely well and in return I gave back the best work I could do.

When I think about what happened and why me, I blame no one but myself. I became too comfortable with my last job. I wasn’t thinking about what if’s and I wasn’t afraid of loosing my job. I was thinking I was going to work here for a long time. That was my mistake. In the end a company is going to do what it needs to do in order to keep the business running.  They weren’t going to hold my hand and help me pay my bills. I should have motivated myself to read more, educate myself more and look out for number 1 (which is me).

The advice I will give my kids (14 and 10 years old) is to do what you love to do. You don’t have to make a lot of money to be happy. Educate yourself and continue to educate yourself.  Don’t stop and get comfortable.  Position yourself to where company’s are begging to have you work for them and not you begging to work for their company.  There is way too much competition for us to be waiting in line for an interview. I know it’s hard to self motivate so ask a friend, family or even join a group/club that will challenge you to always keep you ahead.  

The hardest thing for me when all the money started to run out was not knowing how I was going to feed my kids.  I was embarrassed to tell them I had no money (they knew I wasn’t working) and I didn’t want to worry them.  I didn’t know when my next job was going to be. To be extremely honest I thought of taking the easy way out, which probably many people have.  I read an internet article a couple of weeks ago about some 22-year-old ending her life because she had no job and too many bills that she couldn’t handle.  Of course I didn’t do that, because I consider myself a strong person and I have a lot to live for.

I didn’t know what hiring managers were thinking when they met with me. I never got any feed back. I tried to keep my resume current though. I was in contact with my previous employer and they helped by giving me work and allowing me to put down on my resume that I did contract work for them on an as needed basis, which they did. There is a lot of competition for IT work. What was once a job for 5 techs has dwindled down to one “do everything” tech. So I applied to stores trying to pass out food samples for minimum wage and I couldn’t even get that job, because I think they were worried I would leave if I found something else. I understand that, but I tried to convince them I researched your company and said I can make a career working here in maybe 5 years time. No such luck.

I did actually find work for a company I applied for 6 months ago and thankfully I was given a conditional job offer (pass/fail job offer).  This is a great opportunity for me especially after being out of work for close to 3 years now. It’s about $16 shy of what I was making an hour before and it is more laborious, but I am committed to kicking butt at this job, continuing my education (making myself more valuable) and earning my way up the ladder.

Lastly, unemployment benefits was a lifesaver for me. I received the maximum amount and was able to support myself and my kids for the 99 weeks, but the benefits did run out. You asked the question “How should we go about making it easier for the long-term unemployed to find work?” I don’t think that is the right question to ask. Waiting around with your hand out only enables us to be lazy and believe that we are owed something. Making us angry when we don’t get it. We need to prepare ourselves to start over. It does suck, but you can make it. I have been humbled by loosing my job almost 3 years ago. Having ZERO dollars in my bank account and very little cash in my wallet. Without the support of my family and the love of my life, to help me get by, I would not have made it this far. I do thank God for all his good graces he has bestowed upon me, which I know I don’t deserve. So whoever is reading this DO NOT sit around waiting for something to happen, make it happen.

Scott V., via email

‘We now sleep late because we have no money to do anything’

I consider myself to be a very intelligent person and a jack of all trades. I am a small business owner, and was an employee and sub-contractor for years. I decided early on in life that having all of my eggs in one basket could be disastrous. My passion for music pulled me into the Disc Jockey business where I flourished with many gigs for the last 15+ years. I also had a passion for electronics so I decided that my weekdays would be spent installing car audio and security systems for local shops (my day job).

After the market crash in 2001 (September 11th) business dropped about 15 percent but I was not really hurt by that. I had a comfortable income of about $5,500 a month. After the crash in 2008, I began to feel the pinch. The car audio shops I was working for, slowly decreased my hours, my DJ gigs dropped by 40 percent. It only got worse from there. I had to cut back on advertising due to the dent in my income. 2009 was even worse and I thought I felt an uptick in business in 2010, but it was short lived. 2011 has been the worst of all. DJ business down by 80 percent, absolutely no car audio jobs left, and I have sent out over 100 resumes in 5 months without a single reply. I have also spent what little money I had to print new brochures and put up a website for my business.Once again, it was so far, in vain.

My fiance also lost her job in 2009. She too has applied for many jobs only to get no response from anyone. It’s very depressing and has caused many arguments and led to a very unhappy life for us for the last 2-3 years. I am 39, my fiance 37 and I have 3 children to support. Luckily, my oldest son joined the Navy after exhausting all job possibilities. Now we are on food stamps, waiting for housing assistance, and living on what is left of our savings. My fiance’s unemployment ran out 2 months ago. The only thing we have left to look forward to is our tax refund next year. God help us if we have any major problems (car, medical, accidents, etc) in the next 6 months. We went from $8,000 a month between us, to less than $1,800 a month. We now sleep late because we have no money to do anything. Gas costs too much so most days we stay home and just watch tv. It’s making me anxious, depressed, and my confidence is all but gone. I pray for a miracle at this point.

Paul K., via email

‘I don’t feel like I matter anymore’

I believe my story will be quite different than most. I became unemployed in June of 2009 from the University of South Florida. I was employed at WUSF TV-16 as their staff lightning grip. I had started there in April of 2006 and had never had a bad day while working there. A month before being laid off, we were told that the state was going to be unable to pay us so 10 of us would be laid off. I worked in my job capacity up until the afternoon I was let go. The hardest thing about being out of work is that I don’t feel like I matter anymore. I don’t have any family anymore besides my dog and I’m not sure he really gets the fact that I matter to him.

I think I should mention before I say if I think employers are wary of me not having worked in awhile. I am a male to female pre-op transsexual and unfortunately I live in the state of Florida which has no anti-discrimination laws concerning gender identity. So I have already been turned down by many jobs because of this fact alone. I’ve even been told straight out that that was the reason why I wasn’t being hired.

The jobless benefits that I’ve been receiving have helped to keep a roof over my head and food on my table but unfortunately is hasn’t been enough and I’ve had to turn to other means of making money. Nothing truly bad just selling myself and getting paid for what I do best. I am still looking for work and have noticed that there really is a lot of competition out there for even the lower paid jobs that I’ve been applying for. In the past, I was paid pretty well for my field but unfortunately in today’s job climate beggars can’t be choosers and I’ll take any job at this point. 

I think that the only way for people like me to find a job is to make more laws concerning discrimination for us. I am moving out of this state at the end of my lease and back to NYC because they have laws concerning discrimination against transsexuals.

Ashley C., via email

‘When I was first unemployed, I was full of panic and shot resumes to everybody and everything’

My job was terminated for a personal vendetta from a superior. The termination went to a State Unemployment hearing after the company attempted to also block my unemployment benefits. The Judge found “no fault” at all on my part and awarded me my benefits. 

I’ve been unemployed now for nearly two years. Saying that out loud is extremely difficult, being that I’ve worked since my early teens. After a few months pass by, you start to take it personally. You start to hear a voice in your head that tells you, “perhaps you’re just not good enough”. You know it’s not true, but it feels true. You then began to feel ashamed when people, who know of your situation, keep asking if you’ve found a job yet. Despite the fact that I never stopped looking and, as of today, have applied to over 300 jobs, you still feel lazy and begin to feel sorry for yourself. It doesn’t help when you hear numbers like “14 million still unemployed” when you know it’s more than double that in reality. From what I understand, the moment people’s unemployment checks run out, they are no longer counted on the unemployment numbers. I find that extremely unsettling! I cringe every time I hear somebody spout out a bogus figure. I know that’s not correct by far!

I’m not proud. I apply to any job that I can do, no matter how small. Unfortunately, even the small jobs get pounded by huge volumes of people. I once drove past a line of about 40 people who were waiting for a mattress sales position! That’s the reality!

I have had one official interview out of hundreds of applications. The interview went great, the people loved me and felt I was a good candidate. I received a letter from them a few weeks later that stated that they were uncertain about whether or not they could take on another person and decided to cancel the job entirely. I don’t know what employers think. I doubt they would tell a person something like that either way. (I do freelance work when I can, so my resume doesn’t have any gaps anyway).

Jobless benefits were a HUGE help for me!! It wasn’t close to what I was making before, but it was just enough to get by on a very lean budget. I did exhaust them and it is very difficult for me now. However, I felt guilty for getting them anyway! I never thought I would ever need them in my life. Very humbling.

I still haven’t found a job. The area I live in also plays a huge role. It was hit hard. Obama himself has been here, at least, four times. I still look and I still apply. I have cut back somewhat, but not for obvious reasons. When I was first unemployed, I was full of panic and shot resumes to everybody and everything. Now I choose a little more carefully and with greater focus.

To help the long-term unemployed, we need to: 1) Be honest with people. Let them know the actual numbers of unemployed, let them know the REAL situation and give reports constantly on who is hiring in a given area via local news. 2) Give companies greater incentives to keep factories in the U.S. 3) Give companies who hire the ‘unemployed’ tax breaks calculated by the number hired. 4) Tell the president to not put all his eggs in one basket. He has been very generous with his hand-outs to Union industries, but unfortunately for unemployed Americans, most of us aren’t road crew workers. 5) Have the government be honest with Americans, keep politics aside, man-up and give a definitive list on taxes and other expenses planned for businesses, big and small, so that they can plan, run their figures and know ‘if’ and ‘how many’ people they can hire. Keeping businesses in suspense with uncertainty and double talk halts progress!! Not a single unemployed American cares even the slightest about the coming election or Osama Bin Ladin’s death. 6) No more bail-outs!!! Paying down the debts of American would have been a better idea than just giving the banks billions. Doing that would have helped the banks and the people, rather than just the banks.

Stefan K., via email