Chronicles of the Unemployed

A different direction

2010-04-05T09:45:00.003-04:00

Wow...it's dejavu all over again. In the time since I've created this blog, which by the way failed miserably in its intent to bring together a community of job hunters, I went back to work from the folks I worked for before. Another temporary gig. Initially for four months, they extended three months and now I find myself sans regular employment again.

So this time, I'm going to chronicle my own efforts at finding the "right" job -- ok, any job -- feel free to share your stories also.

My "job" ended mid-week last week. My first day of unemployment I learned that I have too many things on my "to do" list. I wrote four articles for Demand Studios -- yep, I'm in the mill.

Like most writers/journalists, I balked when thinking about writing nonstop crap for $15 an article. But I was unemployeed long enough last year to appreciate the need for a steady source of income. How much I make is up to me. I have to be disciplined.

So right now, my goal is five articles a day. That's enough to pay my share of bills and not cut into my savings. I've gotten the method down so I can write an article in about 45-one hour. If I work five hours a day, I can survive quite well. The rest of my day is dedicated to the pursuit or regular employment and higher-paying freelance articles.

I only dedicate one-two hours to sending out resumes into the black hole. I have stock cover letters ready to go - one for news, one for public relations, one for more generalized jobs. Any more time is simply wasted. I don't do that everyday. Some of my "job search" time will be dedicated to getting a professional Web site up, and networking.

So that leaves me plenty of time to send out queries for other work.

If I land a better paying gig, I can cut back on the time allotted to Demand Studios. I also write for Examiner, mostly to keep my name "out there."

My goal this week is to join at least one professional - local - group so that I can actually leave the house and network. Critical. I don't want to get into the rut that I was in last year.

I'm also forgetting the most important tool in my survival plan -- I get up every morning, shower and dress like I'm going to work. Gets me in the right frame of mind. So, we'll see how this works.

This is only a test

2009-08-10T14:37:00.002-04:00

I thought it was just me, but I've since learned that many job hunters these days don't even get the form letter that we used to get in the mail: Thank you for applying for a job at XYZ company. We had many great candidates...

It's even cheaper for companies to send out those form letters now -- they can do it via email.

I've since heard from a variety of different people that everyone's frustrated about this lack of common courtesy. Where' s Emily Post when you need her?

So, I decided to apply to 50 of the Fortune 500 companies all around the country. I applied for jobs that I am adamantly qualified for, and was hoping it would lead to something.

That was four weeks ago. I've gotten ONE reply. Sure, I got a few of the automated, we got your application when I submitted the resumes, but only ONE form letter telling me they hired an inside candidate but would keep my resume on file.

Exasperation!

S.J. in Atlanta

Job hunters

2009-05-28T13:49:00.003-04:00

I've heard a lot about people being fired. My job just disappeared. Really.

I worked in a mid-size public relations/advertising firm and had several accounts. Slowly, my accounts were shifted to other people -- new people coming into the company. I was told that was to free my time up for a bigger client that we had landed. I was the senior account manager having been at the company for 8+ years.

Pretty soon, the only account I had left was for a client who needed very little work. I literally sat at my desk and tried to find work to do to avoid going crazy. Then one day I came in and my desk was gone. Gone. My things were in boxes. I was told another employee needed a desk.

I went into see my manager. I demanded to know what was going on. Was I being fired. She said, no. They valued me as an employee. I had a stellar record. She told me to go home and enjoy some off time until she sorted out the mess and assigned me new accounts. I heard nothing for a week. The second week went by, I kept calling the office. They sent me to a conference the third week. I went into the office for an occasional meeting, but I never saw my boss. I was still getting a check, so my friends said enjoy it.

After a month, I was tired of this and went into the office. Another person was at a desk in my old office. I looked for my boss. She wasn't there. Out of town I was told.

I went home. I called every day that week. The next week I received no pay. I call human resources. I asked if I had been terminated. No, they said.

This was crazy. I finally got in touch with my boss -- I ambushed her by an elevator on the ground floor when I knew she would be getting to work. She told me that I wasn't fired, but there was just no work for me.

I filed for unemployment. They protested. In the end, I won. I now work for another firm -- a competitor and love my job. But you never get over that feeling of being humiliated, so I'm always aware of what's going on -- trying to stay ahead of the game. Look forward, just never keep looking over your shoulder.

Richard, L.A.

Anchor fired -- by manila envelope on doorstep

2009-04-06T11:19:00.002-04:00

This item from the St. Petersburg Times -- nothing like a special delivery to let you know you are out of a job...

Ch. 10 anchor Matthews let go amid local media's cost-cutting moves

By Eric Deggans, Times TV/Media Critic In Print: Thursday, April 2, 2009

After more than 15 years delivering news to Tampa Bay area viewers, Marty Matthews' career at WTSP-Ch. 10 ended Tuesday with a manila envelope left on the doorstep of her St. Petersburg home.
That's where the 48-year-old discovered a letter saying the CBS affiliate was exercising a window in her contract and terminating her job co-anchoring the station's 4 p.m. newscast. Officials at WTSP said they had no choice after repeated attempts to meet with Matthews in person failed.
But the anchor called the statement a lie, saying she was blindsided by the news.
"They sure could find somebody to drive over to my house and leave a manila envelope here," said Matthews, struggling to contain her anger. "Why didn't they find time to ask me (for a meeting) while I was in the office?"
At WTSP, general manager Ken Tonning said area TV stations have discussed possible news partnerships for the past six months, though he would not say whether the station was still considering joining the Local News Service. Tonning also declined to comment specifically on criticism that the station was cutting costs by slowly eliminating veterans such as Matthews and weekend anchor Jennifer Howe, a 12-year veteran let go last year.
"This decision (on Matthews) was driven by the very, very tough economy we're in," he said, noting that her co-anchor, Dave Wirth, will anchor the station's 4 p.m. news alone. The station also expects to assign a new staffer to report the weekly profiles Matthews assembled on children seeking adoption, Wednesday's Child. [Last modified: Apr 02, 2009 10:34 AM]

Great job on the project - you're done

2009-03-29T13:55:00.002-04:00

The small paper I worked for had a series that several of us had been working on for some time. It was getting a lot of comment and generated some good ad revenue -- always a plus for papers these days.

The editors sent the package in for an award. We won. So the bosses planned the usual cake celebration complete with speeches.

We had the cake and everyone was smiling, high-fiving etc. When the Publisher and GM walked into the newsroom, we figured more speeches were on the way.

They weren't smiling. The Publisher gets up front, congratulates us all. Tells us what great journalists we are. Then, he tells us that some of us won't have a job by the end of the day, times are tough, ad revenue is down. He was within striking distance, so I thought momentarily about throwing my cake. But hey, I could still have a job.

They called us in one by one, and handed out pink slips. Literally. I framed mine. At least we got cake.

Jackie, WA

Dance with me

2009-03-28T08:47:00.004-04:00

After college, I was applying at various corporations. I had a list of the companies I wanted to work for, so I was very excited when I had the one at the top of my list call me in for an interview.

I got to the business a little early. Not too early, but early enough. I chatted with the receptionist and noticed that she was limping a little when she got up. She noticed me watching her, so she said she had twisted her foot a bit when she was out on the dance floor with friends the night before.

I joked that sometimes I got a little crazy on the dance floor.

She went into the office of the person I was interviewing with and was in there a good five minutes. Finally, she came out and told me that Ms. Jones (not her real name) would see me now.

The interview went well. I was getting the routine questions, then things changed. Ms. Jones, leans forward on her desk, looks me straight in the eye and says, "Dance for me."

"What?" I stammered, thinking, I must have misunderstood.

She leans back. "Dance for me. I heard you are a great dancer, let's see it."

You could hear crickets chirping in the silence. I didn't know if I should get up or stay put or run from the room.

Finally, I found my voice and told her that I'd rather tell her about my other skills, and started listing some things I'd done in an internship.

I got the job, been here a year now. I gotta wonder what would have happened if I had stood up and danced.

I also learned to be careful what you chat about with the receptionist.

Submitted by Joe M., St. Louis, Missouri

Share your story

2009-03-26T14:47:00.002-04:00

In the past few weeks of job searching, I've found that there's no such thing as courtesy. You apply for a job and you never hear anything back. Worse yet, they call you in for an interview and you never hear anything back. It's free to send a "you suck" email. Seriously. So, this blog has now evolved. Use it to send your worst horror stories about looking for a job. Was it the interview, or worse?

Here's my story:

I went in for the second interview at the SPCA after spending a day going to some of the events with the current person on the job. It went well, I got a job offer. I was getting a cold. They wanted me to start right away. The next day I came in for orientation. Despite a great dose of OTC medicine, I was coughing, sneezing and my nose was a constant fountain. Embarrassing, but I wasn't about to not show up. After a couple of hours, it was suggested I go home. No sense in infecting the office. What a way to make a first impression. Bad news. I got worse. Monday rolls around, I'm running a 102 degree fever. I get up, get dressed for work, but decide the fair thing to do is call them and let them know. I'm told to stay home, get better. Tuesday's worse, I'm diagnosed with pneumonia and go into the hospital. Of course, I keep a running dialogue. By this time, I'm worried so I suggest that I should start the next week. I go home late Wednesday, contact the new boss on Thursday morning. I told her I want to go in at least for a few hours. She says No! Get better. You can start Monday. Friday evening she calls me tells me I've let them down in their hour of need so they changed their mind. I'm stunned. I blame my body, blame myself, and wish I had just shown up sick. But realistically I know it's ridiculous, I couldn't even walk across a room. This was a few weeks ago. I'm still a little stunned.

Your turn: Share your worst interview. How did your boss lay you off? Maybe this blog will make us shake our heads, laugh, cry. It's cheaper than Therapy and maybe, just maybe, employers will get a hint.

The job prospect

2009-03-04T20:24:00.005-05:00

I had a job interview with the SPCA in Tampa for the position of PR Coordinator during my last week of employment. My last day at AARP, they called me and scheduled a second interview.

I was thrilled after sending out countless of resumes and hearing NOTHING -- really, is an email that hard? -- I got a response.

The first interview went well, I thought. I like animals. I live with two. But I've never been an "animal" person per se. So I'm a little nervous. I'm highly allergic to cats, and truth be told a little scared of cats I don't know. Yeah, go figure. I love big dogs and cats make me nervous.

So I get to the interview. One of the people interviewing me meets me at the door. She has two dogs. We step out of the elevator and have to dodge a puddle in front of the elevator door. I handle it in stride. The conference room is a little more challenging. Two cats live in the conference room. One, Oreo, kept nudging me to pet him throughout the interview.

Hurdle No. 1 passed. Hurdle No. 2 was tougher. Part of the interview was in Spanish. Though, my first language was Spanish, I don't speak the language every day. I was nervous, but I think I did ok.

For the next several days, I've warned my English-speaking family -- I'll be speaking Spanish. The job is only part-time, but I want the job.

Next step: The second interview...

A cake for luck and we're on our way

2009-03-03T16:02:00.002-05:00

The last day of employment at any place is a little like attending your own funeral.

People give you arbitrary compliments, speak well of your efforts..."She was the heart of the campaign" and then they cut the cake.

It's hard to fight the urge to not fling the sweet concoction across the room. "I don't want your sweets. I want a job!"

But you smile, and hopefully, you've managed to pack your belongings and cart them off days before so all you will have is a briefcase when you walk out.

In my case, the operations manager hit me up early in the day. She wanted the blackberry. Ouch. No lingering goodbyes there.

I downloaded my numbers, and placed the electronic tool that had been my sidekick -- my life line -- into its box and took it to her office. Done.

Next, the laptop. This was the most painful. My home computer had just crashed and burned. I'd be shut off from the real world if I didn't act quick to replace this tool.

After the cake, I did a couple of other things. I was in a fog, in denial. My cohort, Jason, popped his head in.

"I'm out of here." he said.

I choke up.

"Don't start, you'll get me going. It's not goodbye. We'll stay in touch. Wine..." he heads out.

I log off the laptop. Log off. Then shut down and take it to the OM's office. I grab my stuff and head out the back way, avoiding all the goodbyes.

I can almost hear the click of my pass code being erased as I walk out the door. Unemployed.