15 Weeks in the Unemployment Line…and Counting

It’s now been 15 weeks since I was laid off by my previous employer (along with an additional 20% of all staff at corporate headquarters), but even after 112 job applications and 20-some-odd interviews, I remain without a job or very much hope.  With each passing week my frustration grows and morphs into despair.  Dozens upon dozens of jobs for which I applied, but was never interviewed, keep being re-posted to Monster and HotJobs, leaving me to wonder why those employers think so little of me they’d rather re-open the cattle call than even bring me in for just one interview.

I’ve been through a lot in my 41 years, but absolutely nothing has been so spirit-crushing as the repeated kicks to my ego I’ve experienced during the past four months.  Time and time again I’ve had what seems like a great interview — often multiple interviews — and am led to believe a job offer is imminent, only to have the rug yanked out from under me.  The hardest part about being rejected like this is never actually being told why.  It’s always just really generic HR-speak, like “We’ve decided to go in another direction.”  I have no clue as to what I’m doing to cause things to go awry, which leaves me unable to fix the problem, because I don’t know specifically what needs to be addressed.

At this point, I’m seriously considering obtaining the state’s teaching certification, in order to possibly get a job as either a Jr. High or High School teacher.  And while that is certainly a noble profession, it most definitely is not a lucrative one.  I’m by no means expecting any sort of high-paying position, but it’s next to impossible to support a family of four on a teacher’s salary.  So while this avenue might get me out of the unemployment line, it’s not going to solve all my problems.

I wish there was some way I could put a positive spin on this, but things just look really bleak for the foreseeable future.  Brother, can you spare a dime?

Blogged with Flock