Damned if You Do…

Being unemployed can be quite confusing and stressful.

To collect our unemployment checks, we are expected to look for work, but not actually do work. This leaves us between a rock and a hard place.

During my jobless stretch, I’ve done some freelance writing. As long as I deduct the days I’ve worked from my weekly claim, I can collect unemployment checks.

However, something came up last week that could put my unemployment benefits in jeopardy. Since I’ve been out of work for over a year, I had to resubmit my claim.

Applying over the phone for unemployment benefits is always confusing, but I also spoke to a New York State Department of Labor employee. I admitted I have done some freelance work in the past year. The state probably has the 1099 tax form on file, so it would know about it anyway.

The gentleman said he had to send a letter to the company I freelance for on an occasional basis to make sure I was not a full-time staffer or a contractor.

But now I’m worried. Can the state cut off my jobless benefits because I do some occasional freelance writing, which, really, doesn’t pay much?

No one can live on unemployment checks alone. We need some extra cash. But I cannot live on freelance gigs either. In one year, I’ve made less than $3,000.

Plus, HR officers—the people who seemingly control our lives—don’t like to see “gaps” in our employment history. (You would think the fact we were laid off during the worst recession since the Great Depression would explain those gaps, but they don’t seem to comprehend that reality.)

Therefore, I’ve been freelancing to keep up my skills and show some current writing samples.

Yet if the state threatens to stop my unemployment benefits, I’ll have to stop freelancing and how will I explain the “gap” between jobs? I’ll appear to be what most HR people think unemployed people are: lazy bums who don’t want to work.

Believe me, nothing would make me happier than to get a full-time job and get off unemployment. Who needs this agita?

It’s quite a Catch 22. Damned if you do work, damned if you don’t.

My sister was in the same situation. She had to reapply for her benefits in Pennsylvania, but she also works part-time. Because she is a full-time student and needs to work 500 hours in the food service industry for her culinary arts degree, she can still collect unemployment.

Now I have to sweat out a determination by the State of New York Labor Department that could cut off my unemployment benefits with no job offer in sight.

Have any of you out there in unemployed land been confronted by the same situation? What happened? What should I do?

A Change of Clothes

So how exactly are unemployed people supposed to dress?

I know the common perception among the employed and HR circles are that we laze around all day in our pajamas. In my case, I can say that is definitely not so.

Each jobless person has to settle on his or her own daily wardrobe. I bought several pairs of stretchy yoga pants. They were cheap, are comfortable to wear and can be worn outside the house when going to the store or running an errand. Imagine going to the post office in pajamas pants? I don’t think so. Having those yoga pants also came in handy when I went to physical therapy. Leg lengths vary from full (for fall/winter) to capri (for spring/summer). Pair ’em with a t-shirt or hoodie and you’re good to go.

Another good choice is a velour tracksuit. I have two. So much more polished than a ratty old sweatsuit, don’t ya think?

I also believe that the nicer you dress—even casually while unemployed—the better you feel about yourself.

When I do go out, I sometimes see women dressed in work clothes and high heels. I feel a little jealous. Again, a reminder of my jobless status.

Of course, I do dress up for interviews. It’s sometimes nice to wear a professional outfit. Although I must admit, the high heels kill my feet. Guess I’ve gotten accustomed to wearing comfortable shoes.

I’m not one for fancy party clothes, but I did manage to put together a respectable work wardrobe that is now gathering dust in my closet.

Someday I hope to wear those clothes again.

Bah Humbug,Part II

Since this is my second Christmas without a job, I figured I’d impart some advice to the unemployed during the season of overspending.

First, do not suspend your job search. Keep searching. True, companies may wait to fill positions until after the holidays, but that’s no reason not to get your resume in front of those doing the hiring. You may face less competition from those who have decided to wait until January to apply for jobs. Just today I went on a job interview.

Yes, the holidays can be stressful even under the best of circumstances. There is so much pressure to find the perfect gift and have the perfect family gathering. Add to that the anxiety of trying to find a way to buy gifts without a steady paycheck, and it’s Bah Humbug time indeed.

But you can get through the holidays (without resorting to too much alcohol) and even buy gifts for friends and family. Here’s how:

Use Your Points. I’ve mentioned this before (“The Point System”), but it bears repeating. Use the points you’ve amassed on your credit cards to get gift cards. I got $120 worth of gift cards by redeeming my points. You can get gift cards for department stores and restaurants. There is sure to be something a family member or friend will like.

Make a List…and Cut it Twice. It’s sad but inevitable, but some people will have to be left off your list this year. But the good news is you won’t have to buy gifts for former backstabbing co-workers or duplicitous bosses.

Set a Limit. In my case, I spent more on my immediate family. But for all others, I set a limit of $5 on each gift.

Wait Till Next Year. After the holidays, buy half-price Christmas cards or ornaments. If by some miracle you have a job next year, you will have saved some money on those items.

Should You Re-Gift? HELL YES! Just make sure you are not passing on something that is obvious crap. (Jars of jelly? Really?) If it’s something you think another person will enjoy or can use, why not?

If You Can’t, Don’t. Look, your family and friends know your situation and will understand if you don’t get them a gift this year. In this season of spend, spend, spend, it’s easy to forget that we give gifts because we want to, not because we’re obligated to. As much as we would like to buy everyone a great present, sometimes we simply cannot. This is one of those times.

And buying fewer presents means less time in the stores and having to listen to those irritating Christmas jingles.

So, try to enjoy the holidays as best you can. Spend time with family and friends and remember the holidays aren’t about the presents or even goodwill toward men.

The holidays are about one thing only: THE FOOD!

Read This Article!

Never has an article better summed up the plight of the unemployed in 2010: http://finance.yahoo.com/news/Unemployed-and-Likely-to-Stay-nytimes-4054267660.html?x=0&.v=1

It’s all there: the growing numbers of long-term unemployed; the frustration job seekers face; and how that frustration can become despair and hopelessness.

My only quibble with the article is that it repeats the misconception that unemployed people were laid off because of poor performance. I don’t know how we can fight against that perception. (However, there is a quote from a business owner that refutes that assertion. Good for him.)

I concede there may be some workers that were terminated because they were not doing a competent job. But not as many as people think. The vast majority of jobless lost their positions due to a poor economy, falling company revenues and the misfortune of not having their lips attached to their supervisors’ posteriors. Or they were in a profession—such as journalism—that is in a period of massive change or decline.

It’s like we are being stigmatized for being out of work, when, in reality, it’s the companies that should be stigmatized for doing so poorly that they had to let a great number of good workers go.

Yes, I understand that HR people don’t like to see “gaps” in a person’s employment history. But certainly they read the papers and understand the shape the economy is in these days. How can they hold it against us for being laid off and having difficulty finding work? After all, they are the ones who don’t want to hire us.

That being said, I’ve made sure to do some freelance work to at least keep my writing skills and bylines current.

While we struggle to make ends meet on our measly unemployment benefits, our former bosses get big bonuses and kudos from Wall Street analysts because profits are up. Did it ever occur to these dolts that corporate profits are up simply because they laid off so many workers? It’s sure not due to any innovative revenue enhancers they may have devised. From what I’ve seen after working in the corporate world, bosses are not that smart.

We did nothing wrong. We went to college, got advanced degrees, worked hard and paid our taxes. Now, we are treated like lepers.

The article makes a good point about the U.S. becoming like Europe, where countries have become accustomed to a large underclass of unemployed citizens. If that’s the case, then this country better be ready to pay the high taxes citizens in those countries pay.

So what’s the solution? Extending unemployment benefits is a start, although perhaps benefits should be cut off after a maximum of 99 weeks. But my opinion on that issue may change.

How about more dollars for career training at local community colleges? Give every unemployed person a voucher worth a maximum of two years of training at the community college level, in whatever field they choose.

My sister is going to her local community college to become a chef. She took out a loan to pay her tuition, but why not make it free? In the short term, the cost may be great. Longer term, the country will reap the benefits of having more people actually employed.

Once my sister is done, she will get a job in food service and become a productive, tax-paying citizen again.

I’m not sure the same can be said of her sister.

Bad Anniversary

One year ago today, I was laid off from my job. Not an anniversary I ever wished to commemorate, but the day has come.

December 3 was the day I was told to pack up my desk and leave after toiling for more than 16 years with the same company. December 7 is the day I officially began my unemployment. Talk about a day that will live in infamy!

Did I ever think I would still be unemployed for a year? Given the ongoing recession and the difficulty of getting hired in the publishing industry, no, I can’t say I’m surprised. Saddened, but not surprised.

I’m sure not alone. Just the other day I went to a family gathering, and nearly everyone I talked to spoke of a friend or neighbor who had been laid off from his or her job after decades of employment at a company.

I’ve lived during periods of recession before this, but I was employed. I would only read about massive layoffs and not think much of it. How could I have been so uncaring? I wasn’t smug (as some I encounter now are). It just didn’t touch me personally, so it wasn’t something on the top of my mind. Never again will I be so cavalier. After having been through a layoff, I have only empathy for those who have lost their jobs through no fault of their own.

In this past year, I’ve experienced myriad emotions: anger, frustration, unhappiness, insecurity, self-doubt, disappointment, fear, sadness, rejection, dejection, overwhelmed, hurt, depression, confusion, anxiety, shame, resentment, embarrassment, boredom, sadness, loneliness and, yes, I hate to admit, self-pity (not good, I know). So many emotions…and way too much time to think about them.

I sometimes want to cry. But I don’t, because I know if I start, the tears will never stop. I don’t sleep well and the circles under my eyes have gotten darker. I get upset over silly things that I know are unimportant. I’m more irritable: Were there so many bad drivers out there before I got laid off? And don’t get me started on the sound of Christmas carols!

I suppose that is all part of what a person goes through when he or she loses a job.

It hits me hardest in the morning, just after I open my eyes to the grainy gray light of pre-dawn. I start asking myself questions that I will never get an answer to: Why was I let go while others stayed? Was I a bad employee? Will I ever find a job again? What will I do when my unemployment runs out and I still have no job? How long will my savings last? What will happen when my COBRA benefits expire and I still have no job? How can I ever pay for health insurance on my own?

Over and over in my mind I think about all the mistakes I made—big and small—and wonder if that was why I was terminated. Could I have done anything differently that would have saved me from the ax?

But I know that it is torture to think that way. I will never know why I was let go. All I know is that I have to deal with the situation as it is, no matter how painful.

What’s most destructive about unemployment is what it does to a person’s sense of self worth. One day, I was, or thought I was, a competent professional woman, commuting to the city, and supporting herself. But within a dizzying short period of time, I become an unemployed loser that no one wants to hire. It’s amazing how swiftly one’s fortunes can change.

I took pride in my ability to do my job competently. Although I don’t have a family of my own, I was always proud of the fact that could support myself as a single woman. Not anymore. Those feelings of assurance in my skill to do a job and status in life are gone, possibly forever.

I remember how my bosses began to treat me differently about two months before I was laid off. It was so sudden it was truly shocking. I didn’t know what to do. I knew I couldn’t find another job quickly. But I also knew if I slacked off my situation would be made even worse. And I thought that maybe, just maybe if I kept doing a good job in the face of their nastiness, I wouldn’t be let go. What an idiot I was to think that! Nothing would have saved me.

I don’t know if I will ever feel secure in my professional abilities again. At the very least, it’s going to take quite a while to restore my self-confidence. As much as I hope to get a job, I can’t help but wonder if I will succeed at a new position. Will I fail or get callously laid off at the first hint of a revenue shortfall?

Yes, I admit I’m bitter. Get used to it. People tell me I shouldn’t feel that way and that I should just get over it and move on. That I’ll never get another job unless I stop being negative. Well, that’s easier said than done. I am trying, really, but a big part of “getting over it” would be to get a job and that hasn’t materialized yet.

“Oh, you’ll find something” is a common comment from my employed friends. But after a year of looking and dimming hopes of ever getting a job, it’s becoming harder and harder to believe that.

And did you ever notice the people who tell you such things are employed? Unless you’ve been laid off, you can’t understand how someone who has been does feel and what that individual has been through, the rejection and isolation we’ve experienced firsthand.

I recently spoke to former colleague who, like me, was laid off from the company I used to work for after a decade. He is doing fine, getting a lot of freelance work. (He is also semi-retired and gets Social Security payments. I’m not in that position.) But he said that while he is over what happened to him, he still sometimes wonders why he was laid off in such a cruel manner. The sting of a layoff stays with a person for a long, long time, maybe forever.

When I first laid off, I had three goals: freelance (which I have done, albeit even getting a freelance gig is tough); try to get a job in publishing/journalism; and if that didn’t work out, I would look into another profession altogether.

Since I didn’t get my first call for a job interview until six months after I was laid off, I really didn’t have a solid idea of whether I could be employed in publishing or journalism. Since June, I’ve gone on a number of interviews that, while they have yet to yield a job offer, have given me valuable insight into what positions I would be considered qualified to fill. After all, if I’m called in to speak to the HR person or supervisor, they must see something in my resume that piqued their interest, right?

To be fair, there have been a few encouraging signs. Two acquaintances recently got hired after long periods of unemployment. Maybe the job market is loosening up a bit. One can only hope. But one can live on hope for only so long. The longer I stay unemployed, the more difficult it will be for me to get hired again. (More on that later.)

And I don’t feel jealous when I heard of someone else’s success or good fortune in getting in a job. Just wistful for something I thought I once had.

Despite what some may think, unemployed people really do try hard to find a job. In the past year, I’ve sent out an average of two resumes a day. Sometimes more. I’ve reached out to contacts (which yielded me my freelance gig, but not much else). I follow up aggressively on any job lead (without being a stalker). I even paid $300 to get my resume professionally written. Considering the rejection I’ve experienced and how badly I was treated at my previous job, I’ve been admirably persistent. I haven’t given up. Not sure I can say the same a year from now if I still don’t have a job.

And please, let’s debunk the myth that unemployed people are somehow to blame for their predicament. What is most frustrating is the lack of control we had over our job loss. Our fates were decided behind closed doors by the whims of those above us who were more concerned with saving themselves and their cronies. We had no say in the matter, yet we must deal with the consequences of falling revenues and a bad economy.

More and more I’m getting the feeling companies in my field want someone younger for the lowest possible salary. Rather than an experienced journalist and editor, they want a tech whiz who can code copy and simply aggregate content from other sources. Or they want to hire only those who have gone to an Ivy League university. It’s hard not to get discouraged.

Yet we must stay positive! Follow our dreams! (Please note sarcasm in those comments.)

I’ve avoided talking too much about my feelings with family and friends. Except for one minor tiff with my sister, I’ve been restrained in my whining. Besides, people don’t want to hear about your problems; they only want to talk about theirs. Why bother?

So I put on a brave face and don’t talk much about my jobless plight. I keep my true feelings to myself and my blog, where if someone is reading this, he or she can simply go to another web page. And I’m not so self-absorbed that I believe my problems trump everyone else’s. Even when going through a time of personal turmoil, it’s good for the soul to lend an ear to someone else’s troubles.

Mostly, it’s sad to think a career I’ve spend more than 20 years building could now be over because I’ve reached what is deemed by some corporate bean counter a too-high salary level. Or because I don’t know some computer program that I could easily learn if trained properly.

I can’t say I’m optimistic, but I’m not pessimistic either. Realistic is more like it. Getting job interviews is a double-edged sword. It’s great to be called in and it’s hard not to get your hopes up and think, Wow, I could really work for this company. But those hopes are soon dashed when you wait weeks and hear nothing, or get the “we’ve decided to pursue other candidates” email.

I’ve even done some Internet research into who was picked over me. In several instances, I have to admit the person had more of the specialized expertise or background the company was looking for that I lacked. Other times it’s obvious they went with the cheaper candidate (although I’m willing to take a pay cut). But I can say with assurance that I could have done every job (except for one) I interviewed for. Now if I can only get someone to believe that!

Now it may be time to think of another professional avenue. What that is, I cannot say at this time. Perhaps my next step is to the local job center to see what training is available for me.

I have not given into hopelessness and despair. Yet.

It’s been a tough year, what with a job loss, health scare and continual professional rejection.

Here’s hoping for a better 2011 for all of us looking for merely the chance to work.

But when this is all over and I have a job (I hope!), I’m still gonna want to smack my former bosses in the face for putting me through this terrible time.

Tons of Cash…But None for New Hires

So this is what a jobless recovery looks like?

According to Standard & Poor’s, 500 of the country’s biggest companies are sitting on $842 billion in cash. So why aren’t they hiring new employees, or ones to replace those they laid off during the downturn?

Theories abound and have been the subject of many articles. Companies would rather hoard cash to prop up their stock prices. Uncertainty about regulations coming out of Washington, particularly regarding health care and taxes, have made them reluctant to expand now. Perhaps they are simply waiting for signs of a stronger recovery before hiring. In fairness, why should companies bring in new workers only to have to let them go when the economy dips down again?

Of course, from my vantage point as a jobless person, I think greed is at work here. As long as the few workers they have left are doing the job and making a company profitable, well, why mess with a good thing? If companies can make more with fewer employees, they will do that for as long as they can.

At some point, however, overworked employees will begin to balk at doing too much for not much reward. If companies want to expand into new markets, products and services, eventually they must hire new workers to make that happen.

As long as companies refuse to hire new workers, their companies—and the economy—will stagnate.

Should You or Shouldn’t You (Apply)?

As a jobless person, you spend most of your days eyeballing several job sites on the web. You carefully read the want ads, looking for something that matches your experience and abilities.

But what if the requirements meet most, but not all of your particular skills sets? Do you not apply? Or do you apply anyway, hoping whoever is hiring will take a chance on you?

This is a tricky question. You don’t want to waste your time or the time of the HR person. However, there are some things you should know about job hunting in 2010.

First, most companies have online submission programs, whereby applicants are chosen based on keywords. Therefore, a real human being may not even see your resume. (Kinda takes the human out of human resources doesn’t it?) What those keywords are depends on the particular company and position looking to be filled.

And sometimes when I read job requirements, I wonder if anybody could conceivably be qualified to fill the position. Seriously, a bilingual computer programmer with a masters in journalism and 10 years of reporting experience at national wire service? All for the top salary of $40K? A friend of mine once sent me an ad for job with the tagline, “Shall I walk on water, too?” What are these companies looking for? An employee or a superhero? Alas, there is probably some smartypants out there who can meet those qualifications. Does that mean the rest of us cannot be employed?

However, I once read an article that quoted an HR person candidly saying that she didn’t expect applicants to meet all requirements for a job. Several times I’ve gone on interviews where the interviewer conceded he or she was not looking for someone who met all the criteria. Bravo.

For instance, I applied for a job at newspaper for bankers. The ad requested someone with financial reporting experience. But during the interview, the editor admitted he was really looking for someone who had general business reporting experience (like me), not necessarily someone who wrote specifically on financial issues. Of course, I didn’t get the job. They hired someone out of college with only an internship behind him.

Considering the surge toward online publishing nowadays in journalism, a major requirement is familiarity with CMS (content management systems). CMS is basically a computer program that allows an editor to input copy so that it appears on a website. Then there is SEO, search engine optimization. SEO enables your articles to pop up on search engines like Google ahead of the pack. But what does that have to do with journalism? Sounds like they want a computer programmer, not a writer.

Now, I myself am familiar with the terms CMS and SEO, but I have not worked with them directly. I’m not a techie, but I have learned computer programs in the past and can do so with proper instruction. Has this held me back? Yes and no.

Some editors have told me point blank that they will only accept someone who has that specific skill, no exceptions. Yet others have said they were willing to train a new hire on CMS. The only way to know if a company takes that particular stance is, well, by applying for the job. Some companies are extremely picky; others not so much.

Being unemployed, should you apply for a job that may be a tad below your professional status? Again, why not? Unless the ad specifically states it’s an entry level position, give it a try. Sometimes the descriptions are a bit vague. It may seem as if the company wants an experienced candidate, but when you interview, it becomes obvious they are looking for a less experienced (and cheaper) applicant.

And let’s face facts here: Since I’ve been out of work for nearly a year, I have to accept the reality that I may have to take a job below what my experience level would dictate. This is no time to be prideful. I need a job.

Look, any HR person has more than enough opportunity to weed out unqualified candidates before a call for an interview is ever made. Another way a company can pare down its list of candidates is via pre-interview phone calls.

In today’s job market, HR departments have to expect an overwhelming number of applicants for any open position. It’s their job to ferret out the qualified candidates.

In any job, there is always a learning curve for a new hire. But companies and supervisors are lazy; they don’t want to train new people. That’s just silly in my opinion. Even if a person has done the exact same job at another company, his or her new firm has different systems and procedures that must be learned by a rookie employee.

Another thorny issue is whether to include your salary requirements, thus taking the chance you may price yourself out of the job. Many times a company will not consider an applicant unless he or she includes a base salary. It's like the company is looking to hire the lowest bidder, not the most qualified.

As someone who has been looking for a job for nearly a year, I will send my resume to any job I think I have a good shot at getting, even if I don’t match all the requirements set out in the employment posting. I have nothing to lose, and quite possibly something to gain—a job.

Yet, over time, I have become more discriminating. Since most of my experience is in trade journalism, I avoid applying for jobs at consumer pubs, even though I believe there is no reason why I couldn’t work at a consumer magazine or website.

After all, I’m not applying to be a brain surgeon. Just someone who can report and write on a variety of topics. I have more than 20 years experience doing that, so why can’t I get hired?

First is Last

One supposed advantage of being unemployed is that scheduling a job interview—rare as that might be—is relatively easy. You don’t have to take time off, rearrange your work schedule or make excuses to your boss. My favorite was that I had a doctor’s appointment. I even used to come in with a Band-Aid on my arm to make it look like I had undergone a blood test. Pretty clever, huh?

But with no job or boss to answer to, I can come in for an interview as soon as the interviewer can see me. But I wonder if that is such an advantage. So far, coming in first has put me last on the hiring pecking order.

Being the first out of the gate can be disadvantage when the HR or the supervisor wants to see as many qualified candidates as possible. It’s hard to argue with the theory that a company shouldn’t hire the first person that comes through the door.

No matter how impressive your experience or how well you did in the interview, chances are slim that any company is going to hire the first person interviewed for a particular job. What’s more, you will suffer in comparison to those that come in after you. Yes, you were a good candidate, but the third-person interviewed was just as qualified and he or she is fresher in the minds of the HR executive when they decide whom to call back for a prized second interview.

Plus, the earlier you can come in for an interview, the more it appears you are an unemployed loser desperate for a job.

Causalities of Recession

Pick up any newspaper or scan any news website and you’ll frequently see articles on the causalities of the recession. Usually such stories focus on the effects of long-term unemployment on individuals and their families as well as society as a whole. Particularly hard hit are those jobless workers over 50, who, apparently, are on the “do not hire” list of nearly all companies.

There are really too many articles to cite. Saddest of all are the ones that tell the story of individuals who have been out of work for over two years: how they are struggling financially and the devastating impact their joblessness is having on their families. These heartbreaking stories indicate how the living standards of the middle class in this country are slowly eroding over time.

It’s not hard to imagine the long-term consequences the Great Recession of 2009-10 is going to have on this country. From what I can gather, there are three:

An Overburdened Social Welfare System. If Congress, now controlled by the GOP in the House, decides it cannot extend unemployment benefits a second time (it did so in July), then jobless people out of work for more than six months (like me) are going to be in deep trouble. What will we do if employers still refuse to increase hiring? Well, it’s pretty obvious we will have to seek financial aid elsewhere, such as food stamps or possibly welfare payments. So by not extending unemployment benefits, Congress will just be passing the buck to another social safety net.

Volunteer groups can pick up some of the slack. But such groups are already overwhelmed by the number of people in need and dwindling donations from formerly employed people.

And what happens if we get sick and are no longer eligible for COBRA benefits? We go to emergency rooms and taxpayers will foot the bill for our treatment. Hospitals will hike charges, pass them along to insurance plans that in turn increase premiums to still employed workers. It’s a vicious cycle.

Unemployment benefits may be the most cost- effective way to preserve the social welfare system now and in the future. Try to get the birdbrains in Congress to understand that.

Impoverished Retirees. Numerous articles highlight the growing ranks of jobless workers who have raided their 401Ks and retirement savings just to survive. It’s not difficult to see how this is going to overwhelm the Social Security program, if not bankrupt it, in the not so distant future. Some politicians talk about doling out Social Security payments on a need-based system, meaning, well-off seniors would not get their Social Security checks. Nothing wrong with that in theory. I have an aunt who collects and Social Security and she has millions in the bank. No lie. Fortunately for her, she does not depend on Social Security, but she gets it anyway.

However, over the next 20 years, very few seniors are going to fit in that category. The vast majority of baby boomers are going to need those Social Security checks because they will have little else to live on. And those checks will barely keep them above the poverty line. Where will they live? How will they pay for their healthcare?

Yes, their children can pitch in. But that means those people—theoretically in their prime earning years—will have less to spend on goods and services. And what if they lose their jobs?

Not a pretty picture of the USA in 2030.

The Loss of Creativity. Productivity may be high now, because still-employed workers are frantically working overtime to make up for the loss of their colleagues. They will do anything to keep their steady paychecks. But while they are working overtime to please their bosses, workers will not take any chances. And only by taking chances can true creativity thrive.

Creativity is also facilitated in a workplace where bosses and workers collaborate to devise new products and services. But when everyone fears the loss of a job, no one is going to rock the boat.

Further, in a workplace where managers are more concerned with protecting their own jobs and power bases, any subordinate who dares question their ideas or authority is sure to be the first to go when layoffs must be undertaken. When you mix the big egos of supervisors and middle managers with job insecurity, it’s look out below! Their underlings will take the fall before they ever do.

The bottom line is this: Workers afraid of losing their jobs are not going to take any risks. But risk-taking is necessary for creativity to flourish in the workplace.

Much has been said about unemployed workers striking out on their own and becoming entrepreneurs. Again, that is a big risk that requires a lot of cash needed more for home mortgages and children’s education. And will those ventures succeed? Will people spend money in a recession on fancy breads?

This recession is a great time for micro-managers for sure. They have their pick of acquiescent worker drones. But not so good for an American business culture that needs innovation to survive in a global marketplace.

Economists say the recession has officially ended. I’m not so sure, but what do I know? I’m not an economist, just an unemployed worker. But I do know this: The impact of this recession is going to be felt for decades.

A Dream Come True?

I went for a job interview this morning. I was there with another woman. She was applying for a graphic artist job; I was there for an editorial position.

We met the head of the department. I sat down on the floor during the interview. The other lady was told she had the job and left the room.

The head of the department told me the job was temporary to begin with, but there was a good chance of it becoming permanent.

The interviewer did say something odd. She said she could never lose weight unless she stopped eating.

She then told me I could start on Wednesday. Yay! I got a job!

Then I woke up. It was a dream. True story.

I’m beginning to wonder if my getting a job ever again is really just another dream that may never come true.

The New & Improved (Worker) You

It’s something I’ve been thinking about a lot lately: When (and if) I get another job, what kind of worker will I be?

It’s a question I’m sure a lot of unemployed people think about (mostly because we don’t have much else to do with no job). That’s because after a layoff, an extended jobless period and serial rejections, your perceptions of the workplace and your place in it are unalterably changed.

I’ve read articles quoting unemployed persons saying that when they get another job, they will be perfect employees, working overtime and doing everything that is asked of them.

Whenever I read a statement like that, I think to myself, “Well, you were a perfectly good worker before the layoff and where did it get you?”

If this recession has proved anything, it’s that no one is safe from a layoff. It doesn’t matter how long you have worked for a company or the quality of your work. If revenues are down and the powers-that-be decide you have to go to save the company or themselves and their handpicked puppets, you are gone.

At my prior job, I did no less than two jobs simultaneously within the company. I was the second most senior person in my department. I even came into work everyday while I was undergoing treatment for a serious illness. Many years I never used all my vacation days.

I always did what was asked of me, took work home on the weekends and helped out colleagues when called upon to do so. I got good performance reviews. I had never worked as hard I did in the two months before I was laid off.

None of that mattered. I was laid off anyway.

Yet, looking back, I was stupid to think my hard work and seniority would protect me from a layoff.

Despite articles that advise you how to avoid a layoff (http://finance.yahoo.com/career-work/article/111150/tips-for-staying-off-the-chopping-block?mod=career-worklife_balance), I’m not so sure there is anything you can do to prevent an involuntarily termination. If your company is downsizing or the work you once did for the firm is no longer considered vital, you’re a goner.

As my former boss told us in a meeting before I was laid off, there is no such thing as job security. Wow! What a stirring motivational speech! Surely that qualifies in the annals of great management practices. Why none of us didn’t run out of the door then still amazes me. Of course, by terminating any staff member that could possibly threaten his position, he certainly has managed to make his job secure.

But he is right. Job security in any profession is a thing of the past. The sooner we realize that the less heartache we’ll deal with later when we are told to pack up our desks and leave.

There is no way I’m going to be the same employee I was before my layoff. I’ve learned some hard lessons. But that’s not necessarily a bad thing. In a new job, you can use those lessons to become a better worker and colleague, or at least one with a healthier perspective on the workplace.

In the interest of full disclosure, yes, I‘ve made mistakes in my work. No one is perfect and I certainly am not. But I always owned up to my mistakes and try to make amends.

One of my biggest problems is my tendency to put my foot in my mouth. I sometimes think I was born with shoe leather between my teeth. Again, I always apologized and tried to keep my mouth shut. And if I ever overstepped my bounds, there was always someone there to put me in my place—and rightfully so.

Overall, I always strived to be a good, respectful co-worker. And I can say with assurance that I took more lumps from nasty workers and bosses than I ever gave out. If anything, I should have complained more about the abuse I received.

All this has helped me come up with The New Rules for the New & Improved (Worker) You:

Two Years and Out. Looking back in hindsight, I wonder why I stayed for 16-plus years at my prior job. What an idiot I was! I deluded myself into thinking I mattered to the company, when in reality, my bosses treated me horribly at times. I gave so much to the company and in the end I was just a deck chair on the Titanic to them, something that could easily be thrown overboard when they wanted to save themselves as revenues fell.

Before I took that job, the longest I stayed in any job was six years. I worked at one job for only two years and another one, four. Never again will I work for one company for an extended period of time. It’s certainly not to anyone’s benefit. Seniority doesn’t matter anymore, so why stay longer than two years at any one workplace?

Therefore, I would definitely think about leaving after two years. It could be sooner, or later. But two years is a long enough time to get a lay of the workplace and learn the skills you can transfer to another company. Two years is also long enough that hiring executives at other companies won’t see you as someone who is simply hopping from job to job after brief periods.

Now, any HR executive reading this might think, Why should we expend the time and effort training someone who will leave after two years? Well, my answer to that is: Can you guarantee me that the company will keep me employed for one year, let alone two years? Loyalty is a two-way street. If companies want the freedom to lay off workers at will, then we employees have the freedom to say, Bye-Bye at any time we choose.

Be Friendly, but Don’t Make Friends. Yet another trap I fell in to repeatedly. No matter how nasty co-workers were to me or how many times they stabbed me in the back, I persisted in thinking they were my friends. They were not and I was wrong to think otherwise. They were simply looking out for themselves and their own careers. Nothing wrong with that.

That doesn’t mean I will be nasty to co-workers. Just the opposite: I will be kind, cordial, respectful and helpful. I am not a backstabber and never will be. I just won’t be their friend. I won’t bring in bagels or candy. If you want to get a coffee and doughnut, go to the nearest Dunkin Donuts. It ain’t coming from me.

No longer will I generously give out birthday and holiday gifts to co-workers. If a loved one of a colleague passes away, I will be sure to give a sympathy card. But that’s about as much as they will get out of me.

It’s always tricky to make friends at work. Professional jealousy can make it difficult. If that person wants a promotion, and you are in the way, he or she will trample over you in a nanosecond. A few of my co-workers knew I as well as others in the office were going to be laid off. But did they try to save my job? Nah. They saved another colleague, but threw me under the bus. Gee, thanks guys.

One thing that you should never do is complain about a co-worker to a superior. Most bosses don’t want to be bothered. Even if you feel justified in your complaints, you will look petty by complaining to your boss. You will be seen as a troublemaker, a whiner, and the situation may not change. If someone is truly a lousy worker, he or she will eventually be found out without any help from you. In my experience, I've found whenever I complained about a co-worker, it backfired on me and I got screwed. And if you don't want colleagues talking about you behind your back, then don't do it to them.

Now, if someone is truly being abusive, then you can always go to the HR person for mediation. But always be professional and never make personal attacks. Yet be aware that your complaints may not alter the circumstances.

And how often after you have left a job do you keep in touch with former co-workers? Not very often, particularly when you live far away from each other.

Better to make friends out of the workplace. There is no professional jealousy between you. Plus, someone outside the office provides an objective sounding board for whatever problems you may be having in the office. And there is no danger of them tattling your comments to bosses or co-workers. Sweet.

In general, the best tactic is to be cordial and respectful to your colleagues, mind your own business and never discuss politics and religion in the workplace. If you do that, you’ll do fine.

Take Your Vacation Days! I was one of those employees who always had at least a week of unused vacation days by the end of the year. Since my company didn’t allow us to carry over more than three days and we would not be paid for unused time, I lost those days. On one hand, the company wanted us to use our vacation time, but trying to schedule days off was like planning a military mission. If the production schedule didn’t permit it or if someone else, like my boss, wanted to take that day off, I couldn’t take it. I was screwed. All I did was give the company more extra work for no reward. I'll never make that mistake again. Ever.

Never Make Your Office Your Second Home—Unless You’re Prepared to Get Evicted at a Moment’s Notice. How many of us junk up our desks with useless bric-a-brac? Although my brown thumb prevented me from bringing in plants, I was as guilty of desk clutter as the next person. Since I knew my layoff was eminent, I started taking my stuff home three days before I got the boot. Three days to clean out my desk! Really, I had too much junk on my desk, and I think by having all that stuff gave me a false sense of permanence. I’ll never make that mistake again. All I need is my coffee cup, a calendar and maybe one personal photo. (Okay, maybe a picture of Mark Sanchez.) That’s it. Next time I get laid off I’ll be able to take all my stuff home in one bag.

Always Do Your Best. This sounds simplistic, but it’s worth saying again. Do the best job you can, never complain, be respectful of bosses and colleagues. You certainly don’t want to get terminated for poor performance or silly tiffs with co-workers. But just be aware that good work alone will never save you from a layoff. Never. Yet at the very least, if you do a good job, you can hold your head high even as your superiors treat you shabbily.

Remember, work is work, it’s not your life.

The One That Got Away

My job search took an odd turn this week, one that underscores the main themes of this blog: the frustrations unemployed people confront, the emotional roller coaster we have to deal with on a daily basis, as well as the un-freakin’-believable incompetence of hiring executives.

Earlier this month, I went on an interview for a job at a health-related website. I spoke with the editor and the HR person, and if I do say so myself, the interviews went well. I took an editing test, which took me two days to complete.

So imagine my elation when I got an email inviting me back for a second interview. Wow! I must have done okay on the test. I might have a real shot at this job.

So I go to the office at the appointed time. The editor comes out to greet me and says, “Oh, I already spoke to you.” Uh-oh. This can’t be good.

Then she gets the HR lady, who tells me to sit in a meeting room. She then comes back and tells me, Opps, sorry, you were called in by mistake. I said I got an email from her and even confirmed it. She apologized—somewhat—and told me she would see if I was still a candidate for the job via email as I was quickly ushered to the door.

I, being the desperate job seeker, was polite and said it was okay. I didn’t live too far from the office, so it was no problem coming in for what turned out to be an unnecessary trip. Hey, money is tight and my gas tank was near empty, but no problem. I don’t mind wasting my time for a job I was obviously not going to get.

But that wasn’t the worst of it. When I said I didn’t have to drive too far, she said: “Well, at least it got you out and about.”

WHAT THE …!

Listen, honey, contrary to popular belief, jobless people don’t spend all day in their pajamas, eating junk food in bed and watching TV. (Well, okay I do watch some soaps, but most of the time, I’m actively looking for a job on the Internet, doing freelance work, running errands, visiting doctors, and yes, even going on interviews for which I’m not called in by mistake.)

Although I don’t rise at the crack of dawn as I once did when I had to commute into the city, I do get out of bed in the morning hours, exercise, shower daily and put on decent clothes.

What really hurts is that I wanted the job. The office was in easy commuting distance from my home and the job would have utilized my prior experience while giving me a chance to learn some new skills.

When I got that email for a second interview, I was so hopeful. And then….

So I waited a day, and finally wrote an email saying I was sorry for the confusion (although it wasn’t my fault) and reiterating my interest in the job.

After that, I got the standard “we are pursuing other candidates for the position” email from said HR lady. Never did she say she was sorry for calling me in by mistake, her mistake, by the way. Must be nice to be totally incompetent yet still have a job. Considering it was her mistake, she should have contacted me first, not the other way around.

I’m sure she is busy, but her only job is to schedule interviews. That’s it. And she can’t do that without messing up!

But I don't regret going after the job, despite the hurtful outcome. As any unemployed person would do, I pursued a viable employment opportunity and acted professionally every step of the way. The same cannot be said of the moron of an HR person I encountered. I lost out on the job, but the company also missed hiring a skilled, experienced, hard-working individual.

Yes, I’m disappointed, but more than that, I feel jerked around. Did it ever occur to her that my feelings might have been hurt by what she did?

It’s not like I have any recourse. I wasn’t hired at the company, so who do I complain to? To her, I’m just another unemployed loser not worth the most basic of common courtesies: an apology for hurting my feelings and inconveniencing me because of her mistake.

Alas, jobless people don’t have feelings or rights, according to HR people and most politicians.

I guess I’ll never know why I wasn’t chosen for the job. Did I flunk the test? Did I have too much experience for the job? Or too little experience for what the company was looking for in this particular position?

Unemployed job seekers face many disappointments and frustrations in their search for new employment. If I hadn’t been contacted—mistakenly—for what I thought was a second interview, I don’t think I would have felt so crushed. At some point, continual disappointment turns into despair. Intentional or not, what that HR women did was cruel, simply cruel, to someone who has been out of work for nearly a year.

And people wonder why it’s hard for unemployed people to feel optimistic. Try being enthusiastic during an interview while you are still trying to recover from the sting of another rejection email. It's not easy.

Most sinister of all, is she one of those HR people who reject applicants simply because they were laid off and are currently out of work? (See: “No Unemployed Need Apply.”)

Well, bitch, I worked at a company for 16-plus years. One day, I was taken into an office, told the company’s revenues were down (not my area of responsibility, but, hey, someone else has to take the fall for management’s stupidity); therefore, my position was being eliminated, so pack up your desk and leave.

I did nothing wrong. I was a good worker. But unlike someone who can’t make interview appointments correctly, I had to suffer the consequences of someone else’s incompetence.

People Say the Darndest Things!

Growing up, I remember a book we kept in our house. Put out by the same company that published Mad Magazine, it was titled, “Mad’s Snappy Answers to Stupid Questions.”

It went something like this: There would be a picture of somebody talking on the phone. Somebody else in the illustration would then ask, “Are you on the phone?” To which the person on the phone would reply, “No, I’m digging wax out of my ear with this lovely scoop.” In another one, a couple goes to a restaurant. The maitre d’ asks, “Table for two?” The man replies, “I don’t know. I can’t count that high either.” You get the drift.

I bring up the book now because I sometimes would like to have a snappy—okay, sarcastic—answer to some of the mind-numbing, un-freakin-believably stupid things people have said to me when I tell them I’ve been laid off.

Number one on the list: “When one door closes, another one opens.” Yeah, I know what you mean: When one opportunity comes to an end, another one will show itself.

True enough, I guess. But to a recently laid-off person, it sounds hollow, like a cliché is supposed to make us feel better about our situation. The door was unexpectedly, painfully slammed in our face and when another one will open is far from certain, especially with a near-10% unemployment rate and employers still not hiring.

So what’s my snappy answer? How about: “I sure hope that other door opens soon. Otherwise, I’ll be hitting you up for money when I’m homeless.”

Oh, all right, a bit nasty, I agree. But why do people who are employed throw clichés in our faces when we are facing financial ruin?

That’s why I talk to only those people who are also unemployed about my feelings. They understand, but they also urge me not to give up.

Yet in my experience, I’ve found that people rarely know what to say when someone has just told them of an unfortunate event. It’s like they want to separate themselves from the bad news lest it could happen to them. Case in point: I once told a co-worker my mother had been diagnosed with cancer. And she said—no lie: “Well, there’s no history of cancer in my family,” and walked away from me. Maybe she thought she would catch the disease from me. A bit cold, don’t you think?

Nevertheless, in this economy, I certainly can understand a person’s fear and need to distance him or herself from something as unsettling as a job loss, which could happen to anyone, at anytime. Just hearing about it makes them jumpy and tongue-tied, like they are thinking to themselves, “Oh, no! Let me get away from this unemployed loser before I get laid off too!” It’s like we’re lepers.

Speaking of tongue-tied, here are some more stupid statements…and the snappy answer I should have retorted.

“Everybody gets laid off.” Jeez, in that case, why work at all? Maybe I should start robbing banks.

“Most people are out of work for a year or more.” On that cheery note, pass me the razor blade.

“You’ll find something.” Will it happen before I’m homeless?

“They laid you off to save the company.” Call the Vatican! Since I no longer have a job, I want sainthood. (For more on that ridiculous response, see “Sacrificial Lambs.”)

Instead of stock clichés or some meaningless bromide, how about a little empathy? Why not say something like, “Sorry to hear that. It’s tough, but you are not alone. Best of luck in your search for a new job.”

Or better yet, rather than offering up some stupid statement, give a jobless person something concrete, like a job lead or help writing a resume. Tell them where they can go to get new training or help in their job search. In this instance, actions speak louder than words.

Ch-Ch-Changes

My current jobless state has me thinking a lot about the nature of change.

Ah, change. A small word with so many meanings.

Some look at a layoff as a path to reinvent themselves, find their true passion, learn a new skill, find a new career or even start their own business. For example, my sister has gone back to school to study culinary arts. Good for her.

Going back to school is an option I have considered. I just need to decide what to study, and, most important, if a new career will guarantee me a job that will be as fulfilling to me as writing. Oh, and how will I pay for it?

For now, I’m just trying to cope with being unemployed, and it doesn’t get any easier as time goes on.

To me, there are two kinds of change. There’s the kind of change that you make yourself, and there’s the change that is hoisted upon you through no fault or action of your own.

Within the latter category are such life-changing events as a serious illness, death of a loved one, divorce and yes, a layoff. You have no control, or limited control, over those changes, which makes them particularly stressful and frustrating.

It’s said that while you cannot change such events, how you react to them is within your control. You can either let them defeat you, or you can persevere.

In that regard, I admit I have not handled my layoff particularly well. So far.

Then there is the change you make yourself: finding a new job, or direction to your life, moving to a new city, getting out of a bad relationship—all worthy endeavors. At least you have control over your fate in those instances.

But sometimes I think our society pushes people to make a change for change’s sake. Anybody who appears contented with their routine in life is said to be a stick in the mud and boring. They are mocked and told to get out of their comfort zone.

Instead, it’s the person who makes a Big Change that is applauded, even if that change is rather risky, ill advised, not well thought out, or possibly even unnecessary.

Yet I’m being judgmental and I shouldn’t be. It’s a personal choice. Some people want stability and security; others crave drama and volatility. Nothing inherently wrong with either of those choices. All we can do is support those around us who are going through a major life change.

Whether to make a change or not also depends on where you are in life. When my mother was terminally ill, I visited her in the hospital every day after work. It was emotionally draining and stressful. Not only did I have to take care of her financial affairs, I had to watch her slowly die day after day for nine months.

When she passed, all I wanted to do was get back to my normal routine of going to work and coming home to eat my dinner. I needed that normalcy.

Now, after the upheaval of a job loss, I’m looking for the stability of employment, or at least some consistent routine or direction to my life.

Of course, nothing is set in stone. If someone is unhappy with a sedate life, he or she can always spice it up. If someone is tired of a chaotic existence, he or she can calm it. It’s up to the individual when and how to make that change.

The subject of change also brings me to the book and movie, Eat Pray Love. No, I haven’t read the book nor do I plan on seeing the movie. But I’ve read enough about the book and movie to get the gist of it.

The author, Elizabeth Gilbert, was unhappy after a divorce and decided to travel to Italy, India and Indonesia. Her travels were the basis of her book, Eat Pray Love. (So where do you think Italy is in that progression?)

From what I can gather, people either hate the book or love it. Some see it as a parable of an unhappy woman seeking spiritual contentment. Others say the book is nothing more than self-absorbed drivel.

Well, the argument is silly. We all want to be happy and have the right to pursue that happiness any way we choose. Just because she was able to finance her quest with a hefty book advance does not diminish her yearning for happiness, a yearning that is universal.

At the time she decided to go on her journey, she needed a change, to find peace of mind. But I find it interesting and instructive to note that she is now happily married and living—in all places!—rural New Jersey.

I guess what I’m trying to say is that are there are times in our lives when we need to make a radical change; other times, we need stability.

Right now, I’m look forward to the stability of a job, but also the opportunity to learn new skills in that job.

That is, of course, if I can get myself hired.

The Job Seekers Manifesto

Throughout my life, I’ve gone through some epic job searches. Searches that have lasted for a year, no lie. And that’s when I had a job. So it should be no surprise that I’m nearing a year with no job in sight after I was laid off.

But this experience has given me an interesting perspective on what it’s like to search for a job. We hear so much about what job seekers should and shouldn’t do. How we should dress and act, what questions to ask. Research the company first. What our resumes should look like, and on and on.

But no one ever talks about how the interviewer or the HR person should treat us, the poor, downtrodden job seeker. Of course, every HR person knows what questions are legally not permissible to ask. What I’m talking about is simply how those HR people treat us as fellow human beings.

Believe me, I’ve met up with some wackos during my job searches. Certifiable nutcases.

The first and worst one that comes to mind is the guy who literally starting screaming at me during the interview over what he thought were inconsistencies in my employment history. Hey, if he thought there was something amiss on my resume (there wasn’t; I’m honest to a fault), why did he call me in for an interview in the first place? Why subject me to his tirade?

I left that interview shaken. I had to sit down and compose myself for 10 minutes. I was younger then, so my self-confidence (never high to begin with) was completely shattered. I thought I had done something wrong, when, really, he should not have called me in if he only wanted to berate me.

What I should have done, instead of just slinking away, was contact his supervisor to complain about his behavior, which was truly unnecessary. I was there for a job interview, not to rob his wallet. Alas, I did not. It took me quite a while to feel at ease again in a job interview after that bizarre experience.

Speaking of bizarre, I once went to an interview where the lady who interviewed me said she didn’t have my resume. So she then proceeded to sit at her desk and stare at me, never asking me a question. Instead, I had to recite my employment history to her, while she sat there like a statue, seeming annoyed and waiting for me to leave. Oh, she told me a little bit about her company, but that was it. It was as if I had no shot at the job simply because she hadn’t taken the time to put my resume on her desk. What a birdbrain!

Yes, I should have brought a copy of my resume (and I might have; it was so long ago, I forgot if I did or not). But shouldn’t she have had a copy on her desk if she knew I was coming in for an interview? She wasted my time…as well as hers.

There’s more. I remember going on an interview where I sat in the waiting room while a company-wide gathering was obviously taking place in a nearby meeting room. What was said in that meeting I do not know. Was the company just sold? Was it downsizing? All I know is the woman who interviewed me afterward was downright nasty to me. Look, I understand if something in the meeting upset her. But she had no right to take it out on me, a perfect stranger whose only crime was that I happened to be the first person she encountered after the meeting. She could have rescheduled the interview or told me the position was no longer open. You know, treat me with a modicum of dignity and respect.

Then there are hiring practices that simply defy any rational explanation. Like the time I was told by a supervisor that I would not be hired unless the receptionist outside his door approved of me. Just to be clear, I did nothing more than pass by this woman and she gets to decide whether I was qualified or not for the position! Need I tell you how that turned out? I didn't get the job. Guess she didn’t like the clothes I was wearing.

Looking back, the thing that makes me most angry is that I sat there and took their appalling behavior without question.

Now, in the interest of full disclosure, I have gone on a couple of interviews where I was ill prepared and not at the top of my game. It happens, but in my case, very few times. I get nervous at job interviews and come off, in some instances, like a stammering space cadet. But never, ever have I been rude to the interviewer. I come well dressed and strive to act polite and professional. Wish the same could be said for the aforementioned HR people.

Think about it: If I blow an interview, I lose out on a job. If the HR person acts unprofessionally to an applicant, nothing happens to him or her. Where's the accountability?

Above all, job seekers do not want to waste time going on an interview where they have no hope of getting hired. That also wastes the time of the interviewer. So both sides have something at stake.

Speaking of a waste of time: I once interviewed for a job at a publication where they called me back twice and made me take a test. No problem with that. But then I get a letter saying that while I was an attractive candidate (God, I hate that phrase!) the editor decided to hire a former colleague. Well, if you knew you wanted to hire your BFF in the first place, why call me in for two interviews and make me take a test? And that was when I had a job, so getting the time off wasn’t easy.

And it’s not just me who has met up with unprofessional HR people. A former colleague told me of an interview she went on where the interviewer was quite rude. As my former co-worker was leaving the office, she asked the interviewer when she should expect to hear back. This is a rather innocuous question and one that the HR person usually answers without being prompted. Instead of being told in a couple weeks (again, a standard response), the interviewer pointed to a stack of papers on her desk and said with a sneer, “See all those papers. That’s everybody who has applied!” My former colleague replied, “Well, hire one of them.” She was a much braver person than I, but she was right to call out the interviewer on her unwarranted testy response.

I’ve read that we job seekers should not expect companies to inform us if we don’t get a job after we’ve interviewed for it. Of course, if we don’t hear from a company within a certain time period we understand we did not get the job. We’re not that stupid.

But sometimes it’s nice to get an email. If we’ve taken the time to travel to your office, sometimes taking off from our jobs, then the least you can do in return is send an email. It’s as if a near 10% unemployment rate gives HR people the right to forego common courtesy.

Sometimes, however, those emails can be a double-edged sword. Like when you find out the person they hired once worked for the New York Times. That’s right, the HR person sent me the hiring announcement. Wonderful, just wonderful. I am sooooo screwed if I’m going up against former NY Timers.

Other times, I found out whom the company did hire. In some instances, the person simply had the knowledge base they were looking for that I lacked. Then there was the intern right out of college they hired on the cheap. Oh, well…

To an HR person, we are just one more name on their daily to-do list. But for long-term unemployed, getting an interview is like winning the lottery. We get our hopes up, and to have them dashed in such a rude and unfeeling manner hurts.

So what is the right attitude a job seeker should take when faced with such blatant disregard for our humanity? What about what WE want and expect?

Here it is—the Job Seekers Manifesto:

• Don’t waste our time interviewing us for a job we have no hope of getting. You can see our experience from our resumes. I, for one, only apply for jobs where my background matches up as close as possible to what the company is seeking. Only call in those candidates who have a reasonable shot at getting the job, especially if we are forced to undergo numerous interviews and tests. We don’t like being disappointed any more than you like wasting your time interviewing us.

• Please don’t ask us stupid or silly questions that have no bearing on whether a person can do the job. Are we being interviewed for a job or undergoing a psych evaluation? My favorite: Where do you see yourself in five years? Well, in five years I hope to be alive. Is there any other answer to that asinine question?

• Be on time. Yes, I understand unforeseen meetings can delay you, just as traffic or other circumstances can delay an interviewee. But to be forced to cool our heels for 30 minutes or more in a lobby is unacceptable. Just because we are unemployed doesn’t mean our time is less important than yours.

• But most of all, show us respect. It’s not easy finding a job these days, and unemployed people face an uphill battle. If after meeting with me face to face, you do not believe I would be a good candidate for the job for whatever reason, that’s acceptable. What isn’t acceptable is rude and downright nasty behavior toward someone who simply wants to work.

In today’s job market, employers hold the upper hand and seemingly have the all rights. But job seekers still retain their right to be treated with dignity as human beings.

Down with “Up in the Air”

“Up in the Air” played on HBO the other night.

I didn’t watch. Why would I want to watch a movie about a guy who flies around the country firing workers when I’ve already experienced the shock of a layoff? Still living it, in fact.

True, the movie stars George Clooney, one of my favorite actors. But I just couldn’t bring myself to watch it. Too soon, too painful.

My sister saw it and told me the basic plot. It’s more a movie about the isolation of the Clooney character than it is about the impact of what his character is doing to the poor slobs he’s putting out of a job. Oh, yeah, they have some short interviews with just laid off people, but that’s about it. If the unemployment rate hadn’t reached such a crisis level, would the producers have added those segments?

Because Hollywood likes nothing better than to take a current social issue and gloss over it. To prop up unemployed people like so many circus freaks so the audience (and the cast and producers) can say, There by the grace of God go I.

We go to movies to escape, but with millions of people out of work, why would any of us want to see a movie about a guy who terminates employees on behalf of their companies? Do you think I want to be reminded of the day I was told to pack up my desk and leave?

If you want to see an escapist movie starring George Clooney, go see “The American.” I did. He and the Italian scenery look great.

And just how accurately will any movie portray the plight of the unemployed? How do convey emotional and financial stress on screen? Remember how movies and TV shows in the ’70s turned Vietnam vets into crazies. Will today’s movies do the same with laid-off workers?

But there could be some hope on the horizon. I saw the trailer for the soon-to-be released “Company Men.” The movie stars Ben Affleck as a thrown-overboard executive.

A couple of scenes hit home: There’s one in which the Affleck character complains about being an unemployed loser. Yes, it’s whiny, but that’s pretty much how all laid-off people feel.

In another, Affleck is seen shouting into a phone at the person who presumably told him to pack up and leave. He wants to know why he was fired. Yeah, I’m still waiting for that answer.

Perhaps “Company Men” will take a more realistic view of unemployment in 2010, the impact it has on a person’s psyche and family life. But will the producers tack on a happy ending just for the sake of having a happy ending? Will it be parable about what’s really important in life? Who needs a six-figure salary and a fancy car when you have your family? To me, that is just as unrealistic and frankly, insulting to unemployed people. Of course, family comes before any job. But we need a paycheck to keep a roof over our heads. And how often do we hear about a couple that broke up because the spouse—usually the husband—lost a job? Hard to support a family and have any sort of family life without a steady paycheck.

It’s easy for some rich Tinseltown producer, director or actor to preach to us about the goodness and supremacy of family life when he or she goes home to a mansion in the Hollywood Hills or a villa off of Lake Como with some sexy plaything. They are not facing the prospect of being homeless. And why “Company Men?” Why not “Company Women?”

Will I see the movie? I’m not sure. I really don’t want to go there again, and I really don’t think any movie can realistically convey the emotional depth and individual nature of what a person goes through after he or she has been laid off.

On the small screen, even Donald Trump has gotten into the act. This season of “The Apprentice” features mostly out-of-work contestants. I watched the first episode and I have to say, The Donald seemed somewhat sympathetic. But there is something a bit cruel about the prospect of telling someone they are fired when they have been, well, already fired. The whole setup smacks of desperation and exploitation. And it didn’t escape my notice that nearly all of the contestants are fairly young and good looking. I guess that means old and unattractive people cannot be hired. Ever. Again.

After the first person was fired, Trump did mumble something about getting her an interview at one of his holdings. And I thought to myself, well, if he really wants to help out unemployed people, why not just hire all of them? Why make them go through the rigmarole (and humiliation) of some silly contest? In his vast empire, there must be dozens and dozens of openings at any one time those people would be qualified to fill.

Because in reality, unemployed people don’t need a movie or TV show to tell them what it’s like to be out of work. We know.

We need a job.

The Point System

15,645

No, that’s not the number of days I’ve been out of work (although it feels that long). It’s the number membership reward points I’ve accumulated on my American Express card.

Why is that important? Well, if you are unemployed and looking to gain some extra buying power, cashing in those reward points on your credit cards is one way to do it.

With those points, you can obtain gift cards to stores like the Gap or Kohls or chain restaurants. Or you can get a prepaid AmEx card, which can be used anywhere and for anything. A $50 AmEx card can buy groceries for a week.

The dollar amount on the card depends on how many points you redeem. Cashing in those points came in handy during the ’09 holiday season when I got my niece a gift card to the Gap, her favorite store. I’ll probably have to do the same this year.

Admittedly, racking up charges on your credit card during a jobless period just to gain reward points is not advisable. Use your credit cards sparingly! But if like me, you used your card for traveling expenses on business trips while you were employed, now is the perfect time to redeem those reward points for gift cards or other items (small appliances, computers, clothing) offered by the credit card company.

This is just one way an unemployed person can ferret out some hidden cash and save money during a financially fallow period. But there are many others.

I won’t bore with the obvious, like buying only on sale and using coupons, or even eliminating unnecessary expenses, like newspaper and magazine subscriptions (you can see them online). Even before you were unemployed, you were probably clipping coupons. And keeping a close eye on your expenses is always a good idea, whether you’re employed or not.

Yet there are other ways to make it through a fiscal rough patch:

Negotiate. Speaking of credit cards, many offer programs to extend or suspend payment periods when a holder is unemployed. So why not call them up and ask if you can participate? Be proactive. It’s better than getting bombarded with calls from collection agencies and having your credit score plummet. Getting a job and regular paycheck won’t automatically raise your credit score if you allowed it to tank when you were jobless.

If you’ve been paying on time, but are suddenly getting behind in payments, the credit card company may be able to accommodate you. A while back, my credit card company called me, wondering why I was late on a payment. My balance was particularly high because I was forced to buy my new computer on credit when my old computer went up in smoke—literally, plumps of smoke came up from the keyboard. When I explained my situation to the gentleman, he offered to work with me, even voiding my late fee.

So I paid the minimum amount that month, and I’ve been paying as much as I can each month. But it’s nice to know the credit card company is willing to help me during my unemployment.

The caveat, of course, is that you must have a history of paying on time before you lost your job. The goodwill of a credit card company extends only so far.

Same goes for doctors and dentists. If you’ve been up to date with your payments in the past, they will allow you to pay over time for an expensive procedure while you are out of work. Again, explain your situation and they should understand. They would rather get a little each month than nothing at all. (I’m still paying off my root canal done in January.)

Use Up What You Got. This morning, I counted six lipsticks in my bathroom cabinet. So do I really need to buy another lipstick? No. Although it’s nice to have things in stock when you need them, it’s perhaps better to use up whatever you have in your home before you go out and buy more detergent, shampoo and cosmetics.

There are other small ways to save money. I only get my car washed on Wednesday so I can save $3 because it’s Ladies Day. And I can’t remember the last time I bought an item of clothing. Do I really need another T-shirt when I already have so many?

But the biggest money-boosting tip of all? Getting a regular paycheck.