Discussion: 7 Comments

• Posted by Norm Elrod on August 19, 2009 11:33 AM

  I was laid off from my last job in October 2008. It was my 4th layoff in 8 years. Given the company and the state of the economy then, I sensed it was coming. I’ve been looking for work and writing in my blog (www.joblessandless.com) about what it’s like to be unemployed ever since.

  I’ve had some interviews but no actual job offers. It’s really frustrating, since I went back to school for my MBA precisely to avoid this kind of situation. The blog has been way more successful than the job search. People respond to my posts and email me their own unemployment stories. It helps me remember I’m not alone, even as I sit alone in my apartment looking for work. I like to think I’m helping others as well.

  That’s my story, and it continues on. I trolled the internet this morning, much like I do every morning. All the talk of the economy beginning its recovery seems like a big farce. But it also makes me wonder why I still get little to no response to my resume. I understand that jobs growth lags economic growth. But the hope of a future paycheck won’t pay my mortgage.

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• Posted by Brian on August 21, 2009 12:05 PM

  I lost my Wall Street job in March of 2008. At the time I did not fully realize it but I was at the forefront of the downward sloping economic curve. I began looking for the next job in the Northeast but quickly got a sense that things were getting worse, not better. As the sole bread winner I had my share of pressure. I had a wife, two kids and a mortgage as I saw my bank account dwindle substantially on a daily basis. I did well at the bulge bracket firm I worked at but, like most that worked there, I was not one of the uber wealthy.

  Initially my goal was to obtain the same type of work at a in the Northeast. But the outlook for that result was consistently getting revised downward, not upward. With economic indicators getting worse every time I opened the paper, my wife and I made what I believe to be a relatively well-timed and critical decision. We decided to look at absolutely everything within reach on a global basis. I looked in my industry as well as just outside at public and private firms from London to Hong Kong. This all happened along a very quick timeline. We were very averse to moving but if it came down to panhandling in our home town or surviving somewhere else, we realized we may need to at least get to the point where we have those types of decisions to make.

  In July, 2008 I started to see some traction rather unexpectedly. I found opportunities ranging from working at a startup company, to a different type of investment job, to working at an established software company. All opportunities involved a pay cut and other sacrifices but we now had choices and that was better than most. After evaluating the offers, I moved my family several thousand miles away from our established New England lives. In hindsight the decision to be flexible, open-minded, and act quickly made all the difference. That said, I still find myself looking over my shoulder waiting for the other shoe to drop but who knows. A good number of the jobs I interviewed for (and several of the firms I interviewed at) in the Northeast no longer exist so I do indeed count myself lucky and thank my wife for being flexible with me.

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• Posted by Adam on September 14, 2009 4:45 PM

  Blame outsourcing. The evil CEOs and the urge to make the money with little cost is the reason to outource the jobs to India. But this model will fail because the 2/3 economy is consumer based and without jobs there won’t be any future. India should be listed as a terrorist country. A country which has terrorised the middle class American and killed them economically. A lethal enemy than the so called AlQaeda. It is the economy stupid! and any country which destroys the 2/3 of the economy is worst enemy. Think about it. Why we have jobless recovery b/c all jobs are gone to India.

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  Response to Adam
  Posted by Sam on October 10, 2009 2:21 PM

  I am surpised, people like Adam were sleeping for 30 yrs. when first manufacturing jobs to China and now, Service jobs to India was going on. I guess you should ask this question, why is this happening ? Informed citizen would have voted for politicians who would do something to keep jobs / create jobs in America.Using your justification, China and India should be in the same league. Ask these questions to your Senator/ Congressman and try getting an honest answer.

  My suggestion,is when you get a job, try saving more so that if you are in this situation, you have some money in the bank.

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• Posted by Leslie Johnson on September 18, 2009 5:21 AM

  I might only 12, but I know that the industries like ACORN that rips people off, and other people like that, are the ones who should lose their jobs. Both of my parents were cooks, they managed like 5 restruants, worked at maybe 7 or more, and owned one, I worked there too so they wouln’t be dept trying to pay the workers, and as soon as we closed the resatraunt, the recession hit at full force. My dad was out of work for 6months, my mom waited 2 so she could get a teaching degree. And India should be listed as a terrorist country the way it is right now. And I’ll tell you right now, people who like to use your money, gas, and water like it’s going to pop out of thin air into your hands, we don’t even ride our car, we ride our bike and we walk, so we can atleast save afew dollars so we could use it for something REALLY necessary. We are still poor, so stop taking the tax money from the poor and take it from the stinking rich people for once!!!!!! -Leslie Claire Johnson Savannah,Georgia

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  Response to Leslie Johnson
  Posted by Sam on October 10, 2009 2:08 PM

  Leslie,

  I would sympathize with you and your financial/work situation. Your rant against every thing in life is off target. Instead i would say, you start planning to make a fresh start, try learning a skill that would fetch you a job.

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• Posted by brennan m. on October 23, 2009 4:27 AM

  I’m 39, I haven’t had a real job since I was 20! love comes first!!! [no I’m not in any closet] I’m “useless”! If I had gone “to live” in an Atlantic State [ny, uk, irl, dut, chicago…] as a teen I might have the slightest grip on reality. I have a high IQ and am very handy, crafty, polite to charismatic [oh yeah] but JOBS are a bad joke when you can’t get a life or ESCAPE [with pride] from west america.

  I’m working on inventions and big things that are looked down on by “the natives”

  we need to find quantified talented “prime cases” like Kurt Cobain and send them as teens to U.K. and bring inn! exchange students to fill these high quality environment [niches].

  we desperately have to cultivate AMERICA and “no child left behind” is too publicly proud, and totally missing the critical 1% [the PRIME CASE] I’m WORKING! on making the very environment better… but it’s INVISIBLE and “unflippin believable” manifest faith. I’m all alone intellectually, my family are the reef I crash into repeatedly. socialvaccine.gather.com ANNYT!!!

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