Dealing with Unemployment

[Rock 'n' Soul]

Love to know your thoughts on this Escapists, as this is new territory for me.

Back in February I took a leap of faith, quit my very stable job, and moved all the way across the country to San Francisco. I joined the start up scene and, roughly six months later, find myself unemployed.

I've got a couple problems with this, aside from the obvious ones. Let me clarify by saying that the job I moved out here to do, was not my passion, nor was I any good at it. Both of those things combined led me to where I am today and after several lost League of Legends games and a bit of nagging self doubt here I am writing this post.

For those of you out there reading this who at one time or another have found yourself in my shoes, I'd love to know how you dealt with the situation and how you (hopefully) triumphantly overcame your misfortune.

As of next week (or something like that, I'm losing track of time) I will have been unemployed for a month. So far, I've found myself going through periods of unabashed optimism and dark periods of hopelessness. Other times, I find myself completely neglecting my degree and, in desperation, considering applying for jobs well below my qualification level just so that I can make an attempt to pay rent to what I'm praying is a patient roommate.

Last week, I had my first interview (for a game company no less) but swiftly learned I did not get the position. Now I am feeling not only defeated, but a bit ashamed of my predicament despite my best efforts to network, apply for open positions, and call forth any remaining shreds of optimism I have tucked away within me.

Let me also say that, while things are looking dismal, I realize one month is not a long period of time. Also, an acquaintance that I met when I move here, remained funemployed for a total of five months before finding work.

How do I stay rational and focused on my task when my funds are dwindling, the prospect of moving home is extremely bleak, and my path to salvation will almost certainly be littered with future rejections?

As a kind of aside, I should also mention that, for me, this is a land of opportunity, but also intimidation. My former co-workers were either Ivy League graduates or highly coveted developers with line after line of accolades. Where I come from, it's easy for me to stand out. In San Francisco, I feel like a small town hick (not to mention I am from South Carolina so I find myself regularly judged just as a rule).

Any advice, encouragement, or tough love would be very much appreciated.

 

[Zykon TheLich_v1legacy]

First off, you will probably get a lot of rejections. Always ask why and then try to address that. It might be a long time till you get a job that reflects your level of qualification, or maybe you might have to adjust your expectations, Bachelors degrees don't go as far as they used to.

Secondly. A month aint shit. Yeah, the longer you're out of work the worse it looks, so make sure you're doing something in that time other than looking for work (voluntary work, short educational courses etc) but a month? Pshaw. Pshaw I say. I was out of work for 18 months once.

Finally, on a personal note, maybe this was a typo, but your friend being "funemployed" is pretty much how I deal with it. No work? Nice! Sure I'll probably get bored after a few months but in the meantime I'll have some fun. It sounds like you have a different attitude to work than me, so I can't really say that I think this info will help. It answers your question though.

 

[Esotera]

Don't take rejections personally, and expect to get a lot of them given the way the global economy is right now. Prior to interviews I always do a little research about the company and go in with the mindset that I've already got the job - i.e. asking questions about salary/holiday.

I guess apart from applying to loads of places, it'd be a good idea to get a hobby. I'm a student and have been unemployed for the last three summers, so I helped out round my parents garden. This summer I got to build a dry stonewall and it was awesome, plus I learned some valuable construction skills. Just keep at it and don't get demoralised.

 

[EightGaugeHippo]

I'm in a similar situation, ie unemployed/depressed for a while. Just keep your chin up and stick at it. Nothing worse than getting stuck unemployed with no confidence believe me. Remember, no job is a bad job.

I've been working on a plan for myself as a possible course of action. Go to a large shoping centre with 50 printed copies of your cv, and just hand them out to any business that you could stand being in. For example, any store that sells games or movies.
Then, go to your interviews, and sooner or later you'll get some form of job.
It doesn't stop there, now that you have some income, you can relax and seek out the job you really want. And hey, you might like doing what ever you ended up with in the first place.

What I'm trying to do is just give you some hope and ideas. Its so easy to get into a rut in this situation, all it takes is a little encouragement. Best of luck friend.

 

[dementis]

When I was unemployed I found it best to work on the basis that no job is below me, yes I'm qualified in my chosen profession but if I can't find a job in that field then maybe I'll have to clean dishes in the back of a crappy restaurant for 6 months until I find the job I want.

That's the trouble I've found with unemployment in the UK, young people say there aren't any jobs but when I was unemployed I went to the job centre and there were literally hundreds of jobs that needed no qualifications and were within 5 miles of my house. I just applied for everything I could and offered to work a trial day for no pay, then hounded the employers on a daily basis until I got a job within a fortnight after daily applications and phone calls.

After 7 months of searching for a job in my area of expertise with the stress of no money now gone I got accepted into an IT position that pays me a comfortable wage and is within cycling distance.

I find the main issue of unemployment is people aren't willing to work certain jobs as they feel that the work is below them, if it means I get to eat then I'll do any work that needs to be done, as a result I have a fairly diverse CV built up that includes catering, cleaning, caring, retail and IT.

 

[Bailos]

I think I would be technically unemployed, but it seems more accurate to mention I've never been formally employed in the first place. Not for lack of trying, mind you, but in the four years I've been looking for a job I've never manage to get one, and often I can't even get to interviews. The biggest problem is when employers ask me to apply online, and their applications consist of some sort of idiotic survey:

A customer needs help in an aisle you're not familiar with. Do you:
A. Tell them to wait and find a suitable coworker?
B. Attempt to help them anyway?
C. Go find a manager?
D. Stab them in the neck and watch them bleed out?

Now while I never choose D, for some reason I always fail these surveys and get an automatic email saying I'm not qualified, but I'm more than welcome to apply in 90 days. It hurts to not even make it to the interview stage, where I can show I'm a hard worker, when I can explain myself and not be summed up by an algorithm.

If you're anything like this, trust me, unemployment is going to suck. But you can't let it get to you. While unemployed I've been going to school (Getting 2 bachelor's degrees within the next year!), I've interned at a museum which has given me a lot of practical experience and a work related reference, and begun freelance writing. I've had a steady gig that's gotten me $100 or so a month, and while not sustainable or astronomically high, every penny helps, right?

I've recently gotten a break with another writing gig, which potentially could set me up for sustainable paychecks. So hey, it only took 4 years for a shot, right?

If you try your hardest, there's not really anymore you can do. So just go for it!

 

[Abomination]

Take whatever comes your way, you can always quit when you find something more suitable.

It's far easier to jump ships than it is to board one from the sea, as it were.

Not having an income will add stress on top of depression from rejection. Seek to rectify one of those as soon as possible.

 

[Gonzolaz]

I've been in a similar position as you, and I would say that one important thing would be to get a job, any job.

Even if you're overqualified or feel that your degree is going to waste, I think employers look at a CV and see it as a quality that you have been working, regardless of what kind of work.

Between finishing university and now being at a job that is suited to my education, I worked several different places that required no qualifications for over a year. My sister who has a very good degree went through the same thing.

I was unemployed for about a month and a half, and I thought I was going mad at one point. I guess I'd rather have a shit job than no job at all.

If you don't have a job, there is no job that is below your qualification.

 

[RobotDinosaur]

*Make sure you have friends. Unemployment can do a number on self-esteem. I'm not assuming that you're on the verge of full-blown depression, but it happens, and you need to be reminded that you are more than just your job.

*Try staffing agencies. They are free (reputable ones, at least - you should never have to pay a staffing agency anything, for anything, ever. They get their fees from the employer after successful placement.) They can find you opportunities you wouldn't know about elsewhere, it's good to have extra people helping you find a job, and there's nothing that stops you from continuing your own search while they do their work. They aren't a sure-fire success, but they do work - I've had two successful placements through staffing agencies, one of which eventually became a full-time position with a company.

*Be persistent with your search, but don't be reckless over it. If you apply to every single long-shot job opening, the increased number of rejections you get back might just burn you out even faster. While you CAN apply to 20 jobs a day, I tend to prefer focusing on 3 to 5 openings for which you have a realistic chance.

*Do keep records of where you apply, and follow up with them a week or two after you apply.

*Be careful applying to entry-level or low-level jobs. If you're vastly overqualified, they won't consider you because they assume you'll just bail the first chance you get for a position more in line with your skills. It sucks, but that's how it is. You can still apply to them, but you'll need to tailor your resume to downplay some things and call attention to others.

*Speaking of which: don't expect you can use one resume/cover letter for everything. You need to tailor your application to the job you're applying for. In my last search I had about three different resumes, and I typically wrote my cover letters from scratch. Warning, this will make you hate cover letters with a passion, because they say nothing other than "I would like this job" but you have to write them and make them sound good anyway.

 

[soren7550]

Aside from less than a month's worth of work, I've been unemployed for over two years. And seeing as the internship I had seemingly counts for nothing, you could say that I've never had a job.

It's soul crushing, utterly depressing, and sucks major ass that I can't afford a single fucking thing, I'm a leech to my wonderful boyfriend, I'm a utter failure at life, and many days I really want to throw myself in front of a bus. There's only so many times you can go and desperately hand out countless resumes to places you know will never hire you, only so many times you can get that rare interview that sickeningly brings your hopes up that maybe, just maybe, you can finally get a job and be financially supportive, only to have those desperate hopes dashed so horribly.

Sorry that I'm so depressing, but that's just how things are.

 

[SuperUberBob]

The way to get on track is to make yourself marketable. Look into adult education classes that would suit what you want to do for a living. If your grade were good enough in college, maybe look into some post-grad programs. Try some certification classes if they are available for your trade.

 

[Rock 'n' Soul]

I really appreciate all of the advice/encouragement everyone! Just writing back in to report that I found a job and start on Monday, so things are looking up!

 

[krazykidd]

I was unemployed for about two months when i ragequittes my last job . However my situation wasn't as dire as yours . Basically i had enough money to live for half a year without being in dept . So for a month i played videogames while faking looking for work , then i took a trip to cuba for a week , that cost me 1000 $( while still unemployed), and when i got back i started looking for a job and 3 weeks later i was working .

So... My experience with unemployment was kinda fun actually.

 

[Zack Alklazaris]

I guess when I lost my job I was in the right place. I could collect unemployment and my mother in law lets us live at her house. I try not to think about long term money issues, they can not be fixed at the moment so there is no point in dwelling. Instead I actively seek out opportunities and live day by day. Its fun in some ways, you get a lot of time to discover yourself. After a while in a long tiring job you can forget who you really are.

Take the small goodies that come with this. Also I highly recommend going to a local church and asking about housing, food, and furniture, etc. There are programs set that can provide for such things. Also try temp work, its crappy, but its money. You may want to consider doing something else from your original career. Perhaps something thats related, but not the same.

I personally always wanted to teach astronomy, its my favorite subject and for not being college educated on it I'm damn good. But the pay sucks and its a dead end career field. Well I'm unemployed and I can't find any career promising jobs anywhere. So, why not do something I enjoy while I'm looking. Allow myself to put my joy before livelihood for once. Trust me its quite freeing. Also I would highly recommend hanging out with friends, girl friend, what ever. It will help keep your communication skills sharp (which is a constant lacking in companies) and you wont find yourself 14 days in alone with just baked beans to talk to.

In the end you gotta keep your spirits up. Remember many people are in the same place you are for one reason or another. You didn't do anything wrong risks are what get you ahead and not many people are willing to take that path. I would make sure to explain that on your interviews as it shows drive and a act of leadership. Good luck

 

[Thaluikhain]

Well...if you are unemployed, for any reason, you will be assumed to be the scum of society by large amounts of people, many of whom are one financial crisis from being unemployed as well (though some of them are comfortable insulated from the issue).

Yeah, try not to let that get to you. Also, don't let endless streams of rejections and sitting round waiting for the one acceptance get to you either.

Unemployment is a real drain on your emotional and mental reserves.

 

[Hero in a half shell]

When I was unemployed I found it best to work on the basis that no job is below me, yes I'm qualified in my chosen profession but if I can't find a job in that field then maybe I'll have to clean dishes in the back of a crappy restaurant for 6 months until I find the job I want.

That's the trouble I've found with unemployment in the UK, young people say there aren't any jobs but when I was unemployed I went to the job centre and there were literally hundreds of jobs that needed no qualifications and were within 5 miles of my house. I just applied for everything I could and offered to work a trial day for no pay, then hounded the employers on a daily basis until I got a job within a fortnight after daily applications and phone calls.

After 7 months of searching for a job in my area of expertise with the stress of no money now gone I got accepted into an IT position that pays me a comfortable wage and is within cycling distance.

I find the main issue of unemployment is people aren't willing to work certain jobs as they feel that the work is below them, if it means I get to eat then I'll do any work that needs to be done, as a result I have a fairly diverse CV built up that includes catering, cleaning, caring, retail and IT.

As an unemployed UK-ian it's not that I find worse paid work demeaning or degrading, and more to do with it not having anything whatsoever to do with my degree, and every job regarding my degree asks for a year or more experience in various specific fields.

That's the issue most graduates face: If we ever want to get jobs in our degree fields we have to work up a year or more experience in the fields important to it, because all jobs request at least that. But if we start part-time/full time minimum wage work we'll never rack up that experience, and it's not a matter of waiting until the right job comes along, it's having to work for potentially years for free under the wonderful banner of 'work experience' until we are regarded as experienced enough to work in our chosen fields.

I know guys that took the minimum wage jobs, and were stuck there until they are now in a state where they wouldn't be comfortable applying for their university degree jobs because they've been out of the loop of the field for too long. I held a -just above- minimum wage job for 9 months and now it's over I've come to realise just how useless that 9 months of work has been for my CV, the last job I applied for I didn't even reference it in the experience section because literally none of the skills the minimum wage job required were cross compatible.

Believe me, if I could get a minimum wage job that was relevant to gaining experience for my degree I would be on it in a heartbeat. I'm currently on a 30 hour a week work experience program that pays £1.70 an hour: (I calculated that's what I earn from all my benefits, job seekers and travel allowance included for 30 hours a week) Minimum wage work is a luxury compared to the 'work experience' forms and pay I have to put up with.

 

[omega 616]

Jesus, I left high school in 05, I took a year off and then went to college (UK college) for 3 years, since then the only actual, real, paying job I had lasted 2 months (ended due to redundancy). I'm classed as "long term unemployed".

While the UK job market is "are you manager/supervisor?" I think if I would have dedicated my life to getting a job, I could have had one but reading "manager/supervisor" over and over again killed me.

I am now 90% of the way through starting an apprenticeship in cooking, just going through various introductions and preparations before being placed in a hotel.

All I can say is unless you're skills are in great demand or there aren't many who can do what you can, drop your expectations. You might not be living like you're accustomed but there is always room to progress up the corporate ladder.... Think of it as life saying "well, you chose to leave your stable job. This is the price for that".

If you can't get a lower position, start doing lots of voluntary work! When an employer asks "what have you been doing during your unemployment?" and you say "job searching" all they hear is "nothing". Voluntary work is great for keeping in a routine, shows you want to work, keeps your people skills sharp, maybe gain some skills and let's you network a little. The only reason I got my current apprenticeship is due to voluntary work.

 

[capper42]

I finished university in June, and after a relatively intentional unemployment over the Summer started my first real full-time job, and holy crap it's hard. People might call me lazy or whatever but seriously, life becomes such a slog when you're in an incredible menial job you don't really care about.

I think part of it is probably that I haven't had any every day commitments for a few years. I had about 8 taught hours a week whilst at uni. I'm a month and a half in now, and although I've not really started liking it, I've certainly numbed to how shit it is. It just shocked me I guess, I know people moan about their jobs but they seriously do just suck the fun out of life.

My girlfriend and I are both saving to travel in about a years time, so how amazing that year is going to be should keep me going through how terrible this one is going to be. Because we're leaving though, I wasn't really looking for a job that I'd be interested in doing as a career. I ended up signing up to a temp agency, who got me a job doing admin work at a warehouse after a couple of unsuccessful interviews through them. It seems to be a long-term position and I didn't even need to interview for it (I know right?) and it pays £7.50 an hour, which is a fair bit over minimum wage (£6.19). I guess I shouldn't moan and I feel terrible doing so in a thread lamenting being unemployed. I know I'm lucky to have it, I just thought I'd be honest.

 

[dementis]

When I was unemployed I found it best to work on the basis that no job is below me, yes I'm qualified in my chosen profession but if I can't find a job in that field then maybe I'll have to clean dishes in the back of a crappy restaurant for 6 months until I find the job I want.

That's the trouble I've found with unemployment in the UK, young people say there aren't any jobs but when I was unemployed I went to the job centre and there were literally hundreds of jobs that needed no qualifications and were within 5 miles of my house. I just applied for everything I could and offered to work a trial day for no pay, then hounded the employers on a daily basis until I got a job within a fortnight after daily applications and phone calls.

After 7 months of searching for a job in my area of expertise with the stress of no money now gone I got accepted into an IT position that pays me a comfortable wage and is within cycling distance.

I find the main issue of unemployment is people aren't willing to work certain jobs as they feel that the work is below them, if it means I get to eat then I'll do any work that needs to be done, as a result I have a fairly diverse CV built up that includes catering, cleaning, caring, retail and IT.

As an unemployed UK-ian it's not that I find worse paid work demeaning or degrading, and more to do with it not having anything whatsoever to do with my degree, and every job regarding my degree asks for a year or more experience in various specific fields.

That's the issue most graduates face: If we ever want to get jobs in our degree fields we have to work up a year or more experience in the fields important to it, because all jobs request at least that. But if we start part-time/full time minimum wage work we'll never rack up that experience, and it's not a matter of waiting until the right job comes along, it's having to work for potentially years for free under the wonderful banner of 'work experience' until we are regarded as experienced enough to work in our chosen fields.

I know guys that took the minimum wage jobs, and were stuck there until they are now in a state where they wouldn't be comfortable applying for their university degree jobs because they've been out of the loop of the field for too long. I held a -just above- minimum wage job for 9 months and now it's over I've come to realise just how useless that 9 months of work has been for my CV, the last job I applied for I didn't even reference it in the experience section because literally none of the skills the minimum wage job required were cross compatible.

Believe me, if I could get a minimum wage job that was relevant to gaining experience for my degree I would be on it in a heartbeat. I'm currently on a 30 hour a week work experience program that pays £1.70 an hour: (I calculated that's what I earn from all my benefits, job seekers and travel allowance included for 30 hours a week) Minimum wage work is a luxury compared to the 'work experience' forms and pay I have to put up with.

Problems like this are why I feel that apprenticeships are a better method of study in the current job market where every qualified job requires experience. A form of study that has you working for at least a year is a great way to get into the industry and learn everything you'll ever need to use first hand.

I just never understand why you only get apprenticeships in things like plumbing and IT as I can see plenty of careers that would suit apprenticeships fine and it's not like high level IT is easy. I recently just earned my MCSE in server infrastructure after a year and a half of study and work, I get to put that 18 months down as work experience and I have a job at the end.