We tend to go out more when we're unemployed. Ride bikes, check out free art events and shows, have picnics, all of that. When we're working we're too tired to do anything cool on a regular basis. If it weren't for the whole "no income" thing we'd do it more often.

And sometimes, with all that time at home, you lose touch with reality (new window)

When I lost my job which had me at work + commuting for 15-16 hours a day I enjoyed staying home and just being able to SLEEP for 8 hours again.

Yep, I can confirm it. It's kinda nice, at least if you have something else lined up while collecting a severance. Nice vacation at home.

severance + unused vacation + crappy job market + unemployment?

Yeah, fark it...I'll stay home for awhile.

soze: We tend to go out more when we're unemployed. Ride bikes, check out free art events and shows, have picnics, all of that. When we're working we're too tired to do anything cool on a regular basis. If it weren't for the whole "no income" thing we'd do it more often.

Become a bank holding company. It is a one page form, but you need to be politically connected to get it approved. Write loans to shell companies which then pay you a consulting fee. Shell companies go bust, bank goes bust, FDIC picks up the tab if not the Federal Reserve. Double bonus if you set your shell companies up to have PBGC insured pensions.

Any business that relied on credit to finance its sales will be getting bailouts as well, second only to the financial / insurance / real estate industries. Might as well buy a furniture company at liquidation and then get the Federal Reserve to buy your short term commercial paper. Get a Bush sibling on your board, and you can write the check for any amount you like just like the S&L scandal. That kind of connection is good for a get out of jail free card for anything up to and including treason during war.

Been laid off since May, the only time I leave the house is to buy beer.

I just lost my job on Friday and I can attest to being too embarrassed to go out or even be in contact with anyone but my closest family right now. I feel cut off from a large group of former co-workers, and that an admission that I am no longer working will seriously impact everyone's view of me professionally and socially. This is made worse because I work in Social Services in a medium size city and therefore have a very limited network to try to get back into. I am just hoping that the crushing humiliation and depression will abate soon so I can go back out and hold my head high while looking for another position.
Any advice from other Farkers who have been there is most welcome right now. Especially related to how to handle updating my resume and handling the inevitable questions that will come up in an interview.
/I do have a BA in my field and have established a fairly solid network prior to this latest position, which lasted 6 mo.

What's next? Does the ground get wet when it rains? They'll never prove it.

shizbgby_v2: When I lost my job which had me at work + commuting for 15-16 hours a day I enjoyed staying home and just being able to SLEEP for 8 hours again.

Yes, this.

That's right,...stay home in the sense that you don't have to drive to work.

Paris1127: What's next? Does the ground get wet when it rains? They'll never prove it.

with that support they wont

The military is always hiring.

/Job security FTW

Its_A_Tarp: The military is always hiring.

/Job security FTW

i'd rather remain amongst the living

/personal security FTW

Its_A_Tarp: The military is always hiring.

/Job security FTW

Not people with my medical condition. Some criminals still OK.

/discrimination FTL

I got laid off in February.

This has been, by far, the best year of my life. And the best part is, because of the economic issues at the moment, my unemployment doesn't run out until mid-August.

Wrong_Intentions: Its_A_Tarp: The military is always hiring.

/Job security FTW

Not people with my medical condition. Some criminals still OK.

/discrimination FTL

Me too, which I've always viewed as a ripoff. I could do anything that the broads and fat slobs that they take nowadays. I would have been retired by now.

Leashlaw

Any advice from other Farkers who have been there is most welcome right now. Especially related to how to handle updating my resume and handling the inevitable questions that will come up in an interview.


I have been there; it is no picnic (as you've probably noticed).

Two points, somewhat related:

1) In the current economy, I have to think that employers won't be surprised to hear about other layoffs (yours, specifically). Being laid off isn't the same as being fired for cause.

2) Do your very best to get around (not necessarily over) the embarrassment and other negative feelings: interviewers will certainly pick up on them. Help yourself believe that this is only a minor setback and that you will be back on the horse in no time. Interviewers will also pick up on confidence. :-)

Good luck!

Its_A_Tarp: The military is always hiring.

/Job security FTW

Just like house prices always rise continuously

foil helmet guy: Been laid off since May, the only time I leave the house is to buy beer.

Dude... don't you have a Peapod or something? Or maybe an extra fiver for the kid next door to do your dirty work?

Leashlaw: I just lost my job on Friday and I can attest to being too embarrassed to go out or even be in contact with anyone but my closest family right now. I feel cut off from a large group of former co-workers, and that an admission that I am no longer working will seriously impact everyone's view of me professionally and socially. This is made worse because I work in Social Services in a medium size city and therefore have a very limited network to try to get back into. I am just hoping that the crushing humiliation and depression will abate soon so I can go back out and hold my head high while looking for another position.
Any advice from other Farkers who have been there is most welcome right now. Especially related to how to handle updating my resume and handling the inevitable questions that will come up in an interview.
/I do have a BA in my field and have established a fairly solid network prior to this latest position, which lasted 6 mo.

Lie. Lie on your resume. Lie in your interview. Any company you're applying to work for would do the same for you.

Great! Now I know how to get more time at home!

When Red Foreman was laid off, I liked his answer to the question "What do you do."

"About what?"

/

Leashlaw: I just lost my job on Friday and I can attest to being too embarrassed to go out or even be in contact with anyone but my closest family right now. I feel cut off from a large group of former co-workers, and that an admission that I am no longer working will seriously impact everyone's view of me professionally and socially. This is made worse because I work in Social Services in a medium size city and therefore have a very limited network to try to get back into. I am just hoping that the crushing humiliation and depression will abate soon so I can go back out and hold my head high while looking for another position.
Any advice from other Farkers who have been there is most welcome right now. Especially related to how to handle updating my resume and handling the inevitable questions that will come up in an interview.
/I do have a BA in my field and have established a fairly solid network prior to this latest position, which lasted 6 mo.

Have you thought of moving to greener pastures??

Yes yes. A groundbreaking new study.


Still no cure for cancer.

Interesting.

In related news: Do cars really have four wheels?

Leashlaw: I just lost my job on Friday and I can attest to being too embarrassed to go out or even be in contact with anyone but my closest family right now. I feel cut off from a large group of former co-workers, and that an admission that I am no longer working will seriously impact everyone's view of me professionally and socially. This is made worse because I work in Social Services in a medium size city and therefore have a very limited network to try to get back into. I am just hoping that the crushing humiliation and depression will abate soon so I can go back out and hold my head high while looking for another position.

Dude, I lived through the dot com bust. I know guys who were CTOs one week and then pushing carts at Target the next. I ended up laid off out of my consulting position and working at Blockbuster for a while. Life goes up and down and any employer you want to work for recognizes that.

Take a couple weeks off, unwind and destress and futz with your resume, then start looking in earnest. If you've got your chops and a couple of years under your belt you'll be fine. Don't limit yourself to what you think your degree says you have to do, look at jobs that interest you and that you can tailor your resume and your strengths to the requirements.

Everyone gets laid off once in a while. Don't sweat it so much. It's how you come back from it that counts; the snooty MBAs call it "failing forward" but it's just a catchphrase that means you should look at every setback and find an opportunity in it.

/now an analyst working on green power products at my local global megacorp

Not to threadjack with my own problems, but I can't find a job for the life of me. The employer (a gov't agency) I'd been working my ass of to get hired by and really want to work for just announced they're suspending all hiring operations til Jan 2. I can't afford to have a life or even a car. Already said above the military doesn't want me and I'd love to serve. Can't afford to go on a date even though I've got somebody I'd really want to do that with. Yeah, life kinda sucks and I'm whining about it.

eff ewe: foil helmet guy: Been laid off since May, the only time I leave the house is to buy beer.

Dude... don't you have a Peapod or something? Or maybe an extra fiver for the kid next door to do your dirty work?



Have my beer delivered, genius!

I have been SELF-UNEMPLOYED for over 2 years now. No way I'm going back.

/and that's CAPTAIN Obvious to you

Hiro's Protagonist: Its_A_Tarp: The military is always hiring.

/Job security FTW

Just like house prices always rise continuously

lol wut? They don't?

Wrong_Intentions: Not to threadjack with my own problems, but I can't find a job for the life of me. The employer (a gov't agency) I'd been working my ass of to get hired by and really want to work for just announced they're suspending all hiring operations til Jan 2. I can't afford to have a life or even a car. Already said above the military doesn't want me and I'd love to serve. Can't afford to go on a date even though I've got somebody I'd really want to do that with. Yeah, life kinda sucks and I'm whining about it.

Been there, done that...keep your head up and try to be positive, things will change. Good luck.

Good thing no one around here likes working nights and weekends. Think I'll be safe for awhile

Unemployed with short periods of employment for three months now.

Mostly underemployed the past 2 years.

Started as severe depression and substance abuse, then just as I got a handle on that this summer and was diagnosed Bipolar I was divorced, that led to me moving to ATX, that coincided with the economic toilet flush, then I was in a wreck and had four weeks of concussion.

Yeah, I stay in a lot. If I go out it costs money. I've already sold about everything (truck became a scooter, guns became rent, xbox360 became food etc) and now I am moving in with a really cool friend who needs my severe OCD influence on her mess of an apartment and I need her compassionate nature influence on my self-loathing esteem issues.

But there's still a lot to do at home, like looking at the depressing job opportunities on Craigslist, reading Fark and seeing how much the dollar has slumped against the GBP today and wondering if I really should go home...

All, don't worry, I'm sure will fix all this before his term is up next month. He's on this motherfarker.

/wut? A farker with emotional/psychological issues? How can this be?

All, don't worry, I'm sure Bush will fix all this before his term is up next month. He's on this motherfarker.

FTFM

Wrong_Intentions: Not to threadjack with my own problems, but I can't find a job for the life of me.

What skills and experience do you have? Where do you live? The answers to those questions will determine what it is that you do next. (If you live in Michigan, the first thing you do is farking move somewhere where there are jobs, for instance.)

The employer (a gov't agency) I'd been working my ass off to get hired by and really want to work for just announced they're suspending all hiring operations til Jan 2.

Back in March, I handed a resume to the Thousands Standing Around (yeah, I was desperate.) They never got in touch with me, except for an e-mail they sent me 15 minutes ago saying, "We're not hiring anyone until Jan 2." It would not surprise me if the freeze was government-wide.

I can't afford to have a life or even a car.

Wait... you need money to have a life? If you don't have a car already, you probably live in a large city. Which one? The answer will determine a lot about your job search.

What helped me a lot when I was laid off in Feb. 2008 was being active on the local Linux user mailing list. Clueful employers looking for Linux people tend to pay attention to the local Linux user mailing lists for reasons that should be obvious. It took several months for one of them to get in touch with me, but I did get the job. Modify the mailing list type for whatever it is that you do, and it could be one more weapon in your job search arsenal.

danceswithcrows: Wrong_Intentions: Not to threadjack with my own problems, but I can't find a job for the life of me.

What skills and experience do you have? Where do you live? The answers to those questions will determine what it is that you do next.
I've got my A.S. in Criminal Justice, currently in school for my Bachelors and no real experience. All the security agencies need employees to have their own cars.

The employer (a gov't agency) I'd been working my ass off to get hired by and really want to work for just announced they're suspending all hiring operations til Jan 2.

Back in March, I handed a resume to the Thousands Standing Around (yeah, I was desperate.) They never got in touch with me, except for an e-mail they sent me 15 minutes ago saying, "We're not hiring anyone until Jan 2." It would not surprise me if the freeze was government-wide.
It is the TSA with me too. (Strictly for the CJ experience while doing school.)

I can't afford to have a life or even a car.

Wait... you need money to have a life? If you don't have a car already, you probably live in a large city. Which one? The answer will determine a lot about your job search.

Worcester, MA. I've been doing the job hunt thing for months to no avail. Transit around here also sucks.

Thanks for caring.

John Buck 41: severance + unused vacation + crappy job market + unemployment?

Yeah, fark it...I'll stay home for awhile.

Me too

John_Rat_Safari
... now I am moving in with a really cool friend who needs my severe OCD influence on her mess of an apartment and I need her compassionate nature influence on my self-loathing esteem issues.

Never underestimate the generosity of good friends at times like these - I'm glad your friend is willing to help. And if you can harness those OCD talents of yours, why not consider becoming an informal house cleaner? Perhaps your friend knows other people who would like their messes cleaned and would be willing to pay you for it. Housecleaning is most definitely a task to be proud of, if you do it well.

Leashlaw: I just lost my job on Friday and I can attest to being too embarrassed to go out or even be in contact with anyone but my closest family right now. I feel cut off from a large group of former co-workers, and that an admission that I am no longer working will seriously impact everyone's view of me professionally and socially. This is made worse because I work in Social Services in a medium size city and therefore have a very limited network to try to get back into. I am just hoping that the crushing humiliation and depression will abate soon so I can go back out and hold my head high while looking for another position.
Any advice from other Farkers who have been there is most welcome right now. Especially related to how to handle updating my resume and handling the inevitable questions that will come up in an interview.
/I do have a BA in my field and have established a fairly solid network prior to this latest position, which lasted 6 mo.

I feel for you - just was laid off myself. It sucks...it hasn't been a week yet, so I'm still letting it sink in. So far, me no likey. As far as I can figure out, my identity /= equal my job or title.

/although I can live off the severance for a few months, I kinda like having somewhere to go everyday....

EmployeeOfTheMinute:
Wrong_Intentions: Not to threadjack with my own problems, but I can't find a job for the life of me. The employer (a gov't agency) I'd been working my ass of to get hired by and really want to work for just announced they're suspending all hiring operations til Jan 2. I can't afford to have a life or even a car. Already said above the military doesn't want me and I'd love to serve. Can't afford to go on a date even though I've got somebody I'd really want to do that with. Yeah, life kinda sucks and I'm whining about it.

Been there, done that...keep your head up and try to be positive, things will change. Good luck.

And ask your prospective date out for something cheap/free. And be honest about why. Honesty will, for one thing, let you know if she is interested in you or just having someone to buy things.

John_Rat_Safari:
truck became a scooter, guns became rent, xbox360 became food etc

If you'd played your cards right, the guns could have "become" the contents of a bunch of late-night bargoers' wallets ;)

Laid off in August, I hope the market will pick up next year, so I can find SOMETHING.

Leashlaw: I just lost my job on Friday and I can attest to being too embarrassed to go out or even be in contact with anyone but my closest family right now. I feel cut off from a large group of former co-workers, and that an admission that I am no longer working will seriously impact everyone's view of me professionally and socially. This is made worse because I work in Social Services in a medium size city and therefore have a very limited network to try to get back into. I am just hoping that the crushing humiliation and depression will abate soon so I can go back out and hold my head high while looking for another position.
Any advice from other Farkers who have been there is most welcome right now. Especially related to how to handle updating my resume and handling the inevitable questions that will come up in an interview.
/I do have a BA in my field and have established a fairly solid network prior to this latest position, which lasted 6 mo.

I'm an IT weenie with a BS in EE, but had been out of the workforce for several years. I'm also old and a woman which makes me almost unemployable. I took a job doing maintenance in a gas plant. After 6 months when an IT position opened up I was a shoe-in because I did so well in maintenance. There were a lot of naysayers that told me it was career suicide, but with a disabled husband, a little kid and a mortgage, I couldn't afford to be picky. So I picked out the company I wanted to work for and just laid it all out for the recruiter. I'm now back to being an IT project manager, which is what I was before.

I was made redundant, collected a huge pile of cash and spent six months up to my arse in booze and whores. It was the best of times. Then I accidentally got a job despite my best efforts. The Smiths sum it up nicely:

I was happy in the haze of a drunken hour,
but Heaven knows I'm miserable now.
I was looking for a job and then I found a job,
and Heaven knows I'm miserable now.

I've been laid off since October, with payroll until Nov 24th and severance that will come in on a regular basis until about the end of the year.

I barely do anything anymore. It's pretty much killing me.

REPENT! QUIT YOUR JOB! SLACK OFF!!

michaeld5: Leashlaw: Blah, blah, blah...
/I do have a BA in my field and have established a fairly solid network prior to this latest position, which lasted 6 mo.

Have you thought of moving to greener pastures??

I am looking at Grad school programs, it is not the right time of year to get into most of them, but I think it may be a sign that I need a few more letters behind my name. The hard part is finding something I want to get out of bed and go do for the next 10-20 years. Something I thought I had found already.

Gramma: Leashlaw: Blah, blah...

I'm an IT weenie with a BS in EE, but had been out of the workforce for several years. I'm also old and a woman which makes me almost unemployable. I took a job doing maintenance in a gas plant. After 6 months when an IT position opened up I was a shoe-in because I did so well in maintenance. There were a lot of naysayers that told me it was career suicide, but with a disabled husband, a little kid and a mortgage, I couldn't afford to be picky. So I picked out the company I wanted to work for and just laid it all out for the recruiter. I'm now back to being an IT project manager, which is what I was before.

It is good to hear that someone who felt as trapped as I do made it work. I am not relishing the thought of sucking it up and working at some factory or going back to cooking (as I am not physically able to do much anymore), but I have a mortgage and a toddler and life must go on, even if I end up temping. Thanks for the encouragement, and good luck to you!

I've been out of work since May. It would be one thing if unemployment and my wife's salary covered the mortgage and bills but it doesn't. We've already borrowed out of her 401K and they won't let us take out a second loan.I've sent out over 250 resumes and applied for jobs ranging from in my field to fast food positions.I spend my days sitting around worrying about having no money, waiting for the phone to ring and once it does, that it's an interview or job offer and not another debt collector. Even though there's plenty of yard and housework to do I feel too chewed up and stressed to motivate myself.On a positive note, though, I did have a positive interview on Friday, so I have my fingers crossed.

It's good to see that in this economic slowdown, Ric Romero still has a job to do.