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.