I am a 37 year old from Southern California who had so much going on in life that I never expected to fall into the position I am in right now. I was a hard working Executive Assistant who was living the American Dream. I was married, had a beautiful home and was taking care of the ones I loved. Little did I know that my life would go into a 180 and I would lose it all. I worked in the Housing Industry for 10 years and had every plan to retire with the company but unfortunately the real estate market took a turn for the worse. I was laid off my job and ended up on Unemployment for the first time in my life. I lost my house when I was not able to maintain the mortgage payments, lost my car as well when I exhausted my 99 weeks of unemployment. That’s right I am a “99er” and believe me it is not something I am proud of, I would give anything to have my job and life back. Not everyone understands what we as unemployed Americans know how it can affect our lives unless of course you have walked in our shoes. My marriage took a strain and ended as a result of the stress and pressure. I have tried everything to seek new employment but I can’t seem to catch a break with anyone. I have literally applied at over 1000 places everywhere with only getting 1 call back and interview only to be told I was over qualified. I would like to start my own business but I have no means to fund it and no one I could ask. I have now found myself back at home with my mother who is on Social Security and things are really tough, she can barely get by herself so having an extra mouth in the house does not help the situation. I am thankful to have such a loving mom who would not ever turn her child away but it breaks my heart knowing that at my age I am back in her house instead of being able to be that independent woman she raised. The job market in California is very scarce not to mention the city I am in has a worse unemployment rate than the entire state of California. I want nothing more but to have a job rather than an unemployment check but considering the amount of jobs that are being created so to speak out there verses the amount of people out of work it seems unrealistic. all I want is to live the American Dream once again but it seems so out of reach. I will continue to hope and pray that life will get better and I will once again be a contribution to society.

Lets stop writing about the story’s of ‘jobless, homeless next’. It is not next anymore, it is true. However, when that happens, all people seem to fly away from their friends.( Face Book and other people in denial ignore those who are actually homeless)! When will you get it? Stop talking about it and do something or GO AWAY! SHUT UP!!!!!

I HAVE BEEN UNEMPLOYED SINCE 02/24/2010 HAVE BEEN LOOKING AND LOOKING EVEN TOOK A BARTENDING CLASS 04/2010 STILL NO JOB
IN AUGUST I WILL BE A 99ER

I don’t think you want to hear my story and I doubt if you will publish it. The reason is because I believe that unions are part of the problem and not a solution. In spite of the fact that my husband and I have both been unemployed for over two years and ran out of our UI benefits in January, I am still a capitalist.

Governments don’t create jobs, they either destroy them or at best give businesses the freedom to flourish and create jobs. Don’t get me wrong, I’m scared a lot of the time. Today and tomorrow we are okay, but we’ve had to make drastic and I mean DRASTIC cuts in our lifestyle. We are both degreed professionals, I used to drive a Jaguar and paid lots of taxes. Now we live in an RV and the few belongings we kept are in a fully packed 10X10 storage room.

Since our UI ran out, we’re living on savings. It’s a big question whether or not the savings will last long enough to get us to early SSI, and that’s a big IF. Long ago we ceased applying for just jobs within our respective fields, I’ve applied for day care center jobs and he’s applied at Lowe’s and Home Depot. Even got a couple of interviews there, but who do you think probably got hired, the younger applicant of course.

If the government is going to continue to over-spend and over-tax and drive our country further into debt, why doesn’t it do something productive? I don’t want my UI benefits extended, I don’t want to be on food stamps. I WANT A JOB!
Let’s try this: Have the government give tax breaks to companies that will 1)Hire workers over 40; 2)Bigger breaks for hiring workers over 50; 3)Hire long-term unemployed, the longer the unemployment the bigger the tax break. And they could combine tax break packages. Or, this: quit giving tax breaks for outsourcing and offshoring jobs to India. Instead of tax incentives, penalize companies for shipping jobs overseas. Provide real incentives in the form of loans and grants and patent filing assistance for people who have been unemployed to start their own businesses.

Look, it’s horrible watching the balance go down everyday, wondering if you can make it to 59 and 1/2 so you won’t incur penalties for taping into an IRA or annuity. (That’s another thing, quit taxes UI and don’t penalize people over 50 for liquidating 401K’s and IRA’s to live on.) But continuing to rack up the national debt by extending benefits it’s not going to help in the long run.

I have been looking for a decent job for a year now. I am lucky that I am still receiving UI benefits and I have been getting calls for interviews and there has been an uptick, so I am hopeful that something will come through soon.

I left my job voluntarily due to health concerns in the building I was working and believe me, I made every attempt to resolve the problems. I had no idea that it was going to be this difficult to get back on my feet.

Below are a few of the frustrations that I have been feeling:

1) There are those who will judge you because you are not taking a $9 an hour job because you have chosen to continue searching for a job that pays more than a living wage that will allow you to keep your home and attempt to live the life you lived before your job search nightmare began. Once my benefits run out, I won’t really have a choice, but for now I am very grateful to have them.

I have even been judged by my own family. What we all need is unconditional emotional support from our friends and family, not judgment.

2) I have been on about 20 interviews in the past year. There have been several occasions where I thought that I was going to get the job, only to find out that the job was given to an internal candidate. When you spend hours on an application, get an interview and it goes well, you have to wonder why they put you through this when they already knew who they were going to hire. This is especially prevalent when trying for state government positions.

I want to share something I wrote recently after finding out that I had, once again, been turned down for a job I really wanted.

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Please Show Support for the Unemployed:

Undoubtedly you have heard this many a time: finding a job is a fulltime job.

To that I say: yes, finding a job is a full-time job. Sounds cliche, but it is very true.

And undoubtedly, you may have heard some who say that those who collect unemployment benefits are lazy and do not have the incentive to find a job.

And to those who believe this cruel and insensitive cliche, I say: You could not be more wrong.

Those of us who are collecting weekly stipends from the government are doing so under duress. We are humbled to be in this situation and we are working very hard to re-join the work force. If you have never been in this situation, I beg you to show some empathy to those of us who are currently unemployed.

To share a bit of my own personal story, after almost a full year of applying for jobs in county, city and state government as well as non-profits and the private sector, I believe I am covering all the bases, and yet, I still have not landed a job that will allow me to continue living comfortably in my wonderful little house in this fabulous town.

Through all of this I have learned what really matters to me, and that is finding a job that makes me happy.

And, although I have been down, I have not lost hope. Sadly, many have, especially those who have been out of work for over a year.

Myself, I am fortunate that 1) I am receiving UI benefits and 2) I continue to get calls for interviews which gives me hope that there is indeed light at the end of this dark and dreary tunnel.

Over the past year I have been on approximately twenty interviews and it’s not that I’m not employable. The problem is fierce competition for the jobs that pay more than a living wage.

You may have read that for every job there are at least five unemployed seeking that job. In reality, that number is closer to eight, after you factor in the folks that are working part-time and still seeking a full-time position. Granted, there is something to be said for polishing one’s interviewing skills and in this market, it is a necessity.

I have been fortunate enough to receive constructive feedback from several of the folks that I have interviewed with, and with each of these interactions I bring something back with me that helps me in the next attempt at dazzling a future employer.

Wouldn’t it be grand to find that dream job that pays you well enough to live the American Dream while doing a job you actually love? Isn’t that what we all seek? Many of us who are unemployed have had to put that aside for the time being, but that does not mean it is out of reach.

I just went through a pretty grueling interview process for what would have been a dream job for me, but alas, I was not selected for the position. Will I give up??? Absolutely not!

Please folks, if you know someone that is unemployed and has been looking for months on end for a decent paying job, please reach out to them and give them your support.
I’m not talking about financial support, I am talking about emotional support.

It is a blow to ones self-esteem to be caught in the unemployment hamster wheel, continually being turned down for positions that you know you are more than qualified for, so please, reach out to those you know who are caught in this vicious cycle. Offer them your support, and if you can, help that person network and find that dream job that we all know exists out there, somewhere.

Thank you for listening.