Down But Not Out

‘I’ve found that so many of the people who I thought were my friends are only friends for those who are not in need’

I quit my job with a Project Management company in early 2010 to come back to my hometown and take care of my elderly parents who both have major health issues. As one of 5 children and the only single one, I felt it was my responsibility to care for them. Like most people who have not been hit very hard by the economy, I didn’t realize how hard it was going to be trying to find work. I worked a few temporary jobs when I finally landed a permanent position with another construction company. After 8 months they had to cutback on “overhead expenses” which meant cutting people and of course, as the newest employee I was let go in June of 2011. I didn’t have anything savings left but was able to pay off all my debt so my unemployment has been barely enough to get me by while searching for work.

I am a 53 year old female who has spent her career working in accounting/bookkeeping/office administration for most of my career. I no longer go out for my once a month dinner with my friends, I no longer go to Starbucks, I no longer spend anything unless it is for a necessity. I cannot afford health insurance so I have not seen a doctor since 2009. Thank God I have not needed any medical attention. I was given an opportunity for a 3 month temporary assignment about 2 weeks ago but was told after 7 days that they were going to use a “friend of a current employee to do the work” so I just found out yesterday that my services would no longer be needed. With Christmas quickly approaching and no funds to provide for my daughter, it was simply the worst news I could get. So, this Christmas will be spent baking our favorite cookies, preparing a Christmas day meal and just trying to be thankful for each other.

I have to admit it has been very hard emotionally for me because I’ve found that so many of the people who I thought were my friends are only friends for those who are not in need. Of all my “friends” there has been only one who even bothered to ask if we needed food or money for gas to get to interviews or help with the electric bill. Everyone else has spent time talking about their vacation home or their shopping trips or going to their favorite artists concert or how busy they are wrapping their Christmas gifts. It has certainly made me painfully aware that most people are so wrapped up in themselves that they are oblivious to the suffering of others around them.

No, I don’t have money for gifts this year and I don’t do any of the things I used to enjoy doing and there is no job waiting for me in the forseable future. But I have had a wake up call and I am very aware of how very hard it is for others out there. I realize that there are some things much more important than going through ones day as though a kind word to someone who may be hurting or holding the door for an elderly person just doesn’t matter … because it does. And for those people who are “living the life and loving it” as I’ve seen from so many I know say, someone you know could use your help. If you are doing well, how could it hurt you to pay it forward to someone who could desperately use your help?

Connie C.; VA

‘How is it that you have had so many jobs but you never been hired?’

I started out as an accountant at a law firm that started downsizing in early 2008. I was fortunate enough to find another job but it was a temp-to-hire. Since the economy got worries I never got hired and the department I was working in was outsourced. This was the start of my three year journey of being unemployed.

The hardest thing about being out of work so long was never having a consistent check. Each temp assignment was different by pay and length of assignment. The most I made was $26/hr the least $8/hr. Some lasted 6 months others only a day or just a few hours.

There was a number things that kept me from getting jobs besides not having one:

1. The amount of jobs I had in such a short period of time would make companies ask, “How is it that you have had so many jobs but you never been hired?”

2. They never wanted to pay the finders fee from the temp agency, so a lot of times I would be on jobs while they did interviews and trained new people for the job I was already doing.

3. When I would apply for jobs that were well below what I used to make, employers would see my degree and work history and tell me I was over qualified for the position. I had one experience where I did a phone interview and when I was invited to come down to talk to the manager, as soon as I walked through the door he began apologizing to me. Saying, “I’m sorry to have you come down here but you are way to over qualified for this position.” Pretty much was shown the way out before the elevator I was on closed its doors.

The jobless benefits were very helpful in filling in the gaps of when I would go long periods of time with no work. I never did get a chance to exhaust them. But I did take full advantage of all the government programs that were available that I would qualify for such as WIC and many other programs provided by utility companies for low income families.

Yes competition is tough, its to the point companies become really picky and start dismissing good workers for the silliest things. I remember temping for one company where the hiring manager didn’t like the car the person was driving, or the shoes they were wearing.

In the end, after three long years, I was able to find a job.

I pretty much signed up with every temp agency in my area and I took any job they gave me. Temp agencies have a list of who are good workers and who are not. To get on the top of the good worker list you need take any job they give you, no matter how much you hate it, and just do your best. Overtime they will keep calling you for more and more work. This is what helped me to support my family and it extended my unemployment benefits for over three years without filling for an extension.

The easiest way to find work is to not lock yourself in to only being able to do one thing.

My work history shows accounting, but the three years I was out of work I did electrical, car detailing, small business consultant, auto mechanics, baking, and construction. Never think you are too big for any job, also look at certain hobbies you have, you never know you maybe able to make money off of it.

Most of the things I did I knew nothing about—like electrical work I knew someone who did it and I was his helper. Car detailing—a major car wax company has free classes on the weekends that teach you how to detail a car, and auto mechanics I used YouTube to learn how to do basic auto repairs.

Think outside the box and never be afraid to ask for help or use any government assistance program. You have to remember when you were working you paid taxes into those programs so you have every right to use them.

Mason B., via email

‘I have a job now, but I’m a contractor’

I’m 38. Have a 3 year-old-son. I have a Masters and Bachelors in social science (my first mistake) and I wonder why I ever got an education.

I was working as a project specialist in Jacksonville, Florida as a full-time employee for about a year when I bought a house (my second mistake) Suddenly I was laid off. They (the same bank) brought me back on as a contractor, long enough for me to save some money, and I was laid off again.

From April of 2009 until October of 2009, I applied for unemployment and in the state of Florida, at the time it was $275/week. Obama passed a bill and gave us an extra $25 dollars a week. Thanks for that. It was money, but I was slowly losing the battle.

I left Jacksonville, Florida moved back to St. Louis, Missouri, in hopes of finding a job and rented out the house in Jacksonville for less/a month than what I owed. Because I didn’t and still don’t want to foreclose. However at this point I’m not sure I have a choice. Taxes went up in Florida and I don’t get the home exemption anymore since I don’t live there. (You can Google the home exemption)

I have a job now, but I’m a contractor, and was told it was ending Aug. 5. Then I was shifted to a project I’m on now, but it runs out (supposedly) at end of year. Who knows. I’m sure they ran “out of funding.” I’ve been told that before too.

My employer is notorious for letting go contractors though, so I’ve been sending out resumes left and right.

So far I’ve been lucky bouncing from one temp job to the next—but I hope my luck doesn’t run out. It’s just frustrating. It shouldn’t be this hard to find full-time work!

I’m looking at admin jobs, coordinator, anything. I leave off my Masters as well most times, because I don’t want the employer to think they have to pay for a person with a Masters. You never know.

I have played by the rules, I did everything right. I went to school, I made great grades, I did it all. And now I’m wondering what was it all for??

I’m not down and out but it’s close. I can see the wave coming and I’m trying to steer clear, and it’s really hard. I wish I could move to another country and make money, but as an American, I can’t really immigrate anywhere else. I see all these people wanting to come here to better their lives for the supposed American dream? And I think, “for what?” There is no dream. It’s just a nightmare covered in sugar.

Hope W., 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

‘At 55, it all fell apart when I was laid off from the newspaper where I had spent almost 21 years’

Six months is the definition of long-term unemployment? Hell, I still had some hope after six months. Hope is pretty much gone after being out of work for 2 years, two months.

And that’s perhaps the hardest part: the loss of hope. A close second is the guilt you feel at not being able to pull your weight, to contribute financially to your family. My wife is working two jobs to make ends meet. We’re just eeking by, but the workload is killing her and I so far have been unable to do anything about it.

Oh, and don’t forget the rejection. There’s  a barrel of giggles. After more than two years of “We don’t need you. We don’t want you. You’re not what we’re looking for” …  life has become little more than a series of bad days and worse days. There’s no joy anymore; the things I once enjoyed doing no longer hold any attraction.

How did it come to this? My career had moved along just fine over the years—jobs at progressively larger companies, raises, good evaluations. Then at 55, it all fell apart when I was laid off from the newspaper where I had spent almost 21 years. Of course, we know the story of newspapers—how many have closed in recent years, others have downsized or gone online only.

I took classes to try to transition into another career. But just because you’ve achieved some level of skill doesn’t mean there’s going to be a job waiting for you when you get out of school. And if an employer has a choice between a 27-year-old with a degree and 3 or 4 years of experience and a 57-year-old with the same degree and no experience, who is most likely to get the job?

I have exhaused all my jobless benefits. They were certainly helpful, but didn’t have the intended effect—serving to tide me over until I could land another job. I pick up some temp  work—a day here, a couple of days there—occasionally, but that’s all I have been able to find.

I listen somewhat bemused as fellow Republicans wax poetic about the rugged individualism that made this country great and how we have to pull ourselves up by our own bootstraps. Of course, they all have jobs.

Britt S., via email

‘The strain of paying all the bills also put a strain on our new marriage’

I’m just shy of 30, and I had never been unemployed for more than a couple of months since I was in high school. That all changed during this recession. In January of 2009, just 2 months after getting married, I was laid off from my customer service job at a uniform supply company. I was laid off from a previous job in July of 2006 when that company began outsourcing their customer service to the Philippines, but I found this job just a few months later, and had been working there just over 2 years when I was laid off. The company was making cutbacks, and some other people in my department had already been laid off, so I was not entirely surprised when it happened.

I figured that, just like before, I would find another job within a few months.  Well, a few months turned into just over 2 years.

The hardest part about being out of work was feeling like I didn’t have anything to contribute in both my marriage and in life in-general.  My wife, thank goodness, has a steady government job with benefits, but it was hard relying on her for so much. The strain of paying all the bills also put a strain on our new marriage. Unemployment did help us continue to pay our rent, etc, but those only lasted for the 99-week maximum. After that, we really had to scrimp and save to get by. 

Our entire lifestyle changed. I felt like I applied for 1,000s of jobs over the two years I was out of work. I only got a few interviews, usually with a month or so in-between them. I only remember one or two interviewers actually asking why I had been out of work for so long, but I think that my long-term unemployment definitely played a part in the fact that I did not get a lot of interviews, and never actually got hired.    Competition is also a huge factor. 

I only had a high school diploma at the time I was laid off.  I finished my AA degree in the meantime, and I am now working towards my BS degree. I think even the customer service jobs I normally applied for were being taken by college graduates.  Getting an education became even more of a priority for me when I started to notice how many jobs I couldn’t even qualify for because I didn’t have a degree.   I finally got a new job through an office staffing agency.  That job is temporary and is scheduled to end next month, but it is finally something new I can put on my resume, and since the staffing agency is happy with my work, I have a lot of hope that they will place me somewhere else soon.  At the point where my unemployment benefits ran out, and I had a hard time finding jobs I hadn’t already applied for, I really did feel like giving up, but I kept sending out resumes online, and going to every job fair I could.   My advice to the unemployed out there is threefold.  Of course, the first part is never give up.  It is so easy to get discouraged, but you can’t get a job if you don’t apply.  Second, find activities to pass the time.  Being unemployed has a tendency to make a person feel useless, but there are other things that helped me get through the days.  I became a “homemaker” of sorts, which stereotypically isn’t a husband’s job, but I began to enjoy cooking and gardening.  Also, I focused on finishing my college degree.  Yes, education is expensive, but there are quite a few scholarships, grants, and loans available for people who have little or no income.  Getting an education should always be a priority, and it is especially important in today’s job market.  Finally, walk into every job interview with self-confidence!  Dress well and be prepared.    Being unemployed really changed my life. My wife and I found new ways to enjoy life at home, instead of spending money going out. I developed my hobbies, and I pursued an education. I am not sure what my career path is at this point, and I know I still have to find a more permanent job, but I think I have even more confidence now that I have weathered what was a very difficult time.

Luis T., via email

‘One employer asked me what I had been doing all this time and I blurted out ‘clipping coupons!”

I have had potential employers tell me that I am overqualified.  I have had them tell me that they are looking for someone “fresh” (young and cheap) for the position.  I have had them tell me that I’d be bored with the job, etc.  One employer asked me what I had been doing all this time and I blurted out “clipping coupons!”  While the interviewer may have thought it was a humorous response, I literally had spent the morning scouring the internet for coupons in an attempt to pick up a few groceries on the way home from the interview. After all, I couldn’t afford to use the precious fuel in my car JUST for food!

And don’t even get me started on temp agencies.  I have wasted hours on tests and achieve mastery level on them.  They act impressed, they tell me I’m quite qualified, but then they never call.  I mention a position in the paper that is EXACTLY what I’ve done and they tell me that I am not a good match?! 

I am still looking for full time employment and mentally, I have given up.  Physically, I keep going through the motions.

I accepted part time work and am working two part time jobs making 8.50 an hour and working less than 5 hours a week combined with the two. Plus, I am working as an independent contractor and will have to pay self employment taxes, which means that I am working for almost nothing.

We need an employment website for the older crowd.  It will be an understanding that these are qualified people, some older, all seriously in need of work, and willing to do something that does not pay as much or that isn’t quite in their old field.  Something that would appeal to the crowd that adopts shelter animals …  You are taking a chance on a used pet, but they are often the best ones.  If that mentality could be positively marketed … Wow.

Janet H., via email