Please help the Jobless workers
 

The House introduced a bill on yesterday to retroactivate unemployment benefits.

Click on the link to send an email to your congressional rep. Please pass the link so congress can get as many emails telling them to pass the bill BEFORE the holiday recess!

Thanks!

http://www.nelp.org/page/speakout/July4recess

Done, although I know if anybody is going to try to turn this around it would be John Dingell. They are estimated it would be a 1/4 of a billion dollar hit to Michigan's already very hurt economy. You might as well just shut the state down and move us as refugees elsewhere or something.

And, quite frankly, if my ex-husband loses his unemployment benefits at this point, he will definitely lose his house and I could very well lose mine too.

For your sake and everyone else who is being affected, I wish you luck!!

I wish you luck, but when should unemployment benefits finally be cut off? This is deficit spending on folks who have been unemployed for (in some cases) 99 weeks.

My understanding of unemployment (and I've never taken unemployment, so this is based on very limited knowledge) is that you have to show evidence of at least three job applications per week.

If that's true and you've applied for over 300 jobs and not made progress, maybe the problem isn't the job market.

At some point, this free money has to dry up.

I do agree at a certain point the money does have to dry up.

I will say this though it needs to be done in shifts. Folks that haven't been working for a long time will and I really hate to say this, be cut off. I know Michigan is hard hit, but it may be time to move. It isn't any accident that the census shows Dallas-Fort Worth having the largest population increase. Sometimes you gotta leave and start over.

I've been on unemployment since April of last year. I'm smart, experienced, educated, hard working, have a great resume and great references. Finally, after 15 months of being on unemployment compensation, I got a job offer and I should be starting next Tuesday. The job offer comes none too soon, because my compensation expired the last week of May. I've been living on a meager savings since then, that as of this week, is exhausted. We will have to borrow money until I start getting paychecks.

Kevin, it varies state to state. However, in Ohio, we have to contact 2 potential employers per week. That doesn't mean apply for, though. It can mean follow up with, call, e-mail, inquire about the status, etc. And yes, you have to keep evidence (I keep a journal, and save anything electronically). I would have been SOL a long time ago if applying for 3 jobs a week were the case.

I have a BS in environmental science, I've had 8 interviews since I was laid off, and 2 second interviews that did not lead to offers. Things are incredibly competative right now. I apply for jobs in my field, with little luck getting an interview (too much experience, not enough experience, too many job aplicants, etc). I apply for jobs in areas I have zero experience in, and I'm told I won't be hired because I don't have experience or a related degree. I apply for jobs bartending, waiting tables, working at Target, and I'm told I have too much experience. A friend of mine (who is a manager at a grocery store) explained it this way - They won't hire someone like me because:

A. They don't want to hire someone who will leave the job as soon as they get a "real" job offer. They don't want to waste time training me when I won't stay.
B. They don't want to hire someone they see as being "smarter" than them. The positions I have listed in my resume are intimidating.

Were it not for the amazing timing of this new job, I would be royally screwed. We'd lose our little starter house, my husbands car, and would probably have to move in with family. And asking for help like that is not something I look forward to. Asking for a loan from my in-laws to pay the bills, get food and pay for gas until I get paid is hard enough. I took this job with no questions asked, even though it will mean my children will be with a babysitter for over 14 hours for 4 days a week, I will have a 1 hour 20 minute commute each day, and we will evetually have to relocate.

Everything sucks right now. I still need help. Yep, I know it won't last forever, but it is a kick in the nuts that I no longer get any compensation, but people who were laid off a week before me are still getting assistance, because they made the deadline that I missed by a week.

I won't beleive I actually have the job until I'm there working. I still feel like they will call and rescind the offer.

Yay!

Thanks! But I'm still very anxious. It feels almost too good to be true, that's why I don't think it'll feel real until I'm actually there.

Preach Irish. I've been saved by my school loans and internships thus far, but I'm running into the same issues with people not wanting to hire me because I'll have my MA soon. I have one second interview Friday and I'm hoping it works out because I'm desperate and broke and don't qualify for unemployment.

Then make it more graduated than the way they are doing this. The way this is working right now is that everybody who has been collecting for more than 6 months is cut off whether it's their 6month + 1 week or their 99th month. I'd be very curious to see better stats on just how long some of these people have been on unemployment. My ex has only been collecting unemployment since February, when his severance pay ran out.

All that said, I disagree with the statement "if you have applied for 300 jobs and still don't have one... " in a market where there are 400 applicants for every ONE job. We're talking about an area where the unemployment is 1 in 6.

Understandable, and I can also see from the rest of your post that it's not ideal. Still, though -- yay! ;)

If people are applying for jobs that they know they are overqualified for, they need to submit a resume` that does not reflect their overqualification. They need to essentially "play the part" and not speak or behave (I'm not talking about "dumbing down") in an overqualified manner. Wendy's will not hire someone with a PhD regardless of how broke and desperate that person is.

True enough, but then I have a blank resume/application since all of my most recent work has been internships either at my grad school or for my program. Omitting my work on my Master's means omitting my job history for the past 3 years. I've never acted as if I'm too good for a job.

What about folks who only have "high level" experience? Had I taken off all of my "overqualified" jobs when I was searching for a job, I would have been left with one job on my resume -- from 7 years ago.

Not to mention submitting a resume itself can be viewed as "overqualified."

Blah.

Exactly. Every expert will tell you not to leave anything off your resume or applications. Doing so is lying by omission. What should I put instead of "Environmental Scientist" and "Environmental Geologist," which were my last 2 titles, when applying at Target?

If that's the situation, you have two choices--1) figure out a way to be successful and self-employed or 2) be willing to relocate.

Eventually, I suppose, if the benefits run dry, one of those choices will be forced on folks in your situation. I just hope you're in a situation where you're doing it on your terms.

Lots of folks have opted to start over. It sucks, but them's the breaks.

LOL, here we go....

I know I am not the only person familiar with having more than one c.v. or resume'. The point of a resume' is to highlight your strengths. If you are a professor who also has extensive experience in ballet and singing, guess what you will do? You will put the professoral experiences and training on your c.v. that you send to academic jobs and not include the ballet and singing. You will do the opposite when you send your resume' for dance and music positions.

If the job doesn't require a resume' then don't submit a resume'. Anyhow, folks can figure out the rest and apply my post however they see fit. Many graduate students, people with advanced degrees, and people with advanced experience have made that work for them when nothing else seemed to work and unemployment checks were no longer an option. How else would many starving grad students and beginners in certain fields end up as bartenders and waitresses as they put themselves through school and repay their loans? :)

Yep. I already knew where this thread was heading lol

I had several different resumes. My main 2 were bank/financial-focused and marketing-focused (that's where the bulk of my experience lies). Of course, when I was applying to a banking or marketing job, I'd use the appropriate resume.

If I'm applying at Target, though, even though they might not require a resume, previous work history is still needed. Once I take off the irrelevant positions, I'm left with one retail job from 2003. Adding the rest of my experience automatically puts me into the "overqualified" pool.

Good.:)

Then that will shape which jobs you wish to apply for. Also, people with extensive experience can look into contracting and seeking opportunities to train others in what they do. For instance, if you (general) have extensive mental health experience and certifications, there are mental health companies and universities that will pay you to do a training session, handbook, or help you get in touch with agencies that can use your assistance. If you have a little money to invest and know of a decent business card place to make some nice but inexpensive business cards, get yourself one and see where that opportunity leads.

These suggestions apply to whomever they apply to and people can either try them (or have tried them) or not.

And this is exactly what I'm referring to. Of course you don't submit a resume when applying at Target or to be a bartender at Applebee's. I do have a generic resume that focuses more on my strengths and generic qualifications, but I still list related and non-related work experience, and I only list dates, job title and company. No details. I'm still over qualified for an entry level marketing position with a local company, or so I've been told. It's been tough, but I keep on keepin' on.

Sure that's the ideal. But by the time you're just trying to find an income, or else, you've branched out from the "jobs you wish to apply for" to "who's hiring, I am willing and able to work."

"Jobs you wish to apply for" only means "jobs that you choose to apply for." Don't rehash the basics of unemployment at the cost of missing the larger point.

As the ex-wife of the unemployed father of her children, I have no options. I have a job. If he leaves the state, I either get the kids full time or report him for violating a court order. Seems kind of nuts to report him for violating a court order. However, relocating still means losing your house, which is what I said the concern was.. that one or both of us will lose our houses.

Kevin, I know you'll never understand how someone can end up in dire straits, but the kind of people I'm talking about are people who were continuously employed for 25+ years with master's degrees, families, etc. They have paid more in taxes than some people will ever make. They can do ok for a few years from selling the extra car, living off of retirements funds, etc. At some point though, the money is truly gone. The unemployment is only $300 a week. It's certainly not living in the lap of luxury. It almost covers the mortgage payment for some people. Almost.

As dire as it is, that does not explain or justify why anyone thinks they deserve compensation from the government (from the taxpayers) when the government doesn't even really have that money to pay them. Sometimes folks' houses get foreclosed when they lose jobs. Sometimes they have to move, declare bankruptcy, etc.

You are not entitled to a job which pays $x simply because you are qualified for the job you used to have.

No, I understand your point, however ITT we've been talking about chronic unemployment. So while your suggestions are great for the ideal, they're really not applicable here, hence the response to them by several people.

Removing experience from my resume or from a job application isn't really an option, choosing to apply only within my field isn't really an option and even though I'm using myself as an example, it's not just me.

The chronically unemployed who have found success in my suggestion would beg to differ. I didn't pull it from my imagination and have extensive experience with this. I actually learned these suggestions from other chronically unemployed people who have masters, mbas, and doctorates and found success in these "outside of the box" approaches to employment. In fact, I said almost the exact same thing in the other unemployment thread and received less of a response from people. At some point such discussions become more about people's frustrations and less about what could possibly work or not work outside of the box.

Like I said, apply it how you (general) see fit. Either try it or don't. It will work for some and not for others. I really don't see why people feel the need to be Debbie Downer about this and share their stories.

@ the bolded - Because many of the suggestions aren't necessarily new or groundbreaking. Lots of folks have applied (or attempted to apply) these techniques, with little or no success. Then, they're told "well, you're not trying hard enough" -- that's a pretty big slap in the face.

Exactly. And don't have the luxury of being picky about the jobs we apply for. Also, it's shocking that we're down because we're unemployed.

I've never used the same resume twice. I don't fabricate anything but I tailor it to whatever Company or job I'm applying for to make it POP!

Interesting.

I always created unique cover letters, but the resumes were industry-specific, not company-specific.

Neither are a lot of things that a lot people are clueless about. Job training and job skills programs exist for a reason. You all may not need them (or they may not have worked for you) but you all aren't the only people reading this thread.

And folks have applied these techniques with great success. What's the point?

So, did the unemployed people in this thread assume that tone?

If I'm applying within my field, my resume doesn't really differ much between different companies (if they're consulting that is, I use a different one if applying to regulatory agencies), but my cover letter is made from scratch every time, based on the job description and company.

We're not the only ones reading, but we are the only ones sharing our stories.


One size doesn't fit all (not necessarily directed at you).

I'd include the specific "catch" words in my resume ( If they applied of course) used in the actual job posting. It works, especially if the HR uses Resumix or just scans over the resume.

Well, it is good that you applied for every possible job that a human could possibly apply for regardless of other factors. There's always a chance of getting hired, even at the place we least expect.

;) Are you serious? Did you really think that needed to be stated regardless of who it is directed to? Aren't there things that you suggest to people regarding various topics that won't work for everyone?

As my posts stated, people who have chosen to try those approaches did so without knowing whether it would be successful. I know people who did not find success in those approaches but that doesn't void those who did find success.

@ the bolded - You must have forgotten what forum we're posting on.

I know for a fact that you understand, but (as you've stated) we're not the only ones reading this thread :)