Showing posts with label unemployed. Show all posts

Job Search

I want to talk about my job search. Many of you know I was let go from my office manager job in October, 2019. It has almost been a year now and I still have not been able to land a job. I’m frustrated. I feel let down, I feel bitterness from my past job. You see, I worked there for 26 years, I took pride in my work and gave it my best. I was the only female on the payroll. I felt important. I was dedicated. I was there every day unless I was on vacation in which I would still have to log in and work as no one else could keep it together. I even came in before and after family funerals. Then the day came when the Boss came in and told me he had sold half the business, assured me that I was his favorite employee (BS), gave the other employees a raise, said he can no longer afford to pay me and just like that, I was unemployed relying on a two week severance pay and 12 weeks of unemployment checks.

Fast forward to now. 

I am struggling to find work. I was making really good money for years and now I have to accept a job making less than half what I made before. I am willing to accept that. I can do it. I want to work. I have never been without a job since the day I turned 16. I am now 51. I am getting really sore sitting around the house all the time except for our couple of beach trips. We do not have the money to do home repairs, or take fun outings like I would like to do while I have all this time together. 

I am getting tired of people questioning why I haven't found a job yet. It’s quiet embarrassing too and I feel like hiding under a rock. 
Finding a job is like winning the lottery. Without any education or training, I get beat out of every position. No one will give me a chance. I have learned that to get a job, you have to personally know someone who is hiring. Now this pandemic has hit and it seems everyone is on a hiring freeze. I have visited my community college but I learned quickly that I can not afford it and can’t get financial help due to the amount of money I made last year. 

I have applied to at least 211 jobs and that does not count the many I applied for before I started keeping track. Out of those jobs I have gotten 5 live interviews and 2 phone interviews. That’s as far as I can get. I do not hear back from most and the others send an email denying me. I am turned down mostly due to not having the education, training or that I am not bilingual. 


I did land one job as a phlebotomist at a plasma center. I was so excited, but within one week, they lost my file with all my personal info, there was poor leadership, I saw a lot of unprofessional things and the clientele that came in to donate plasma were mostly the kind of people my daddy always warned me about. I found it best to quit and not waste any more of their time. I decided to let my phlebotomy certification expire and stick to office work. I can always renew it if I change my mind. I would still love to be a phlebotomist. 

Friends try to help me and give me advice but none that I have not already tried. Nick wants me to keep my job search kept within a 10 mile radius and that puts a burden on my search. He looks at the milage I would take to and from work, the wear and tear on my car and my over all safety. I refuse to work in a restaurant or grocery store. Those are both great jobs and I did both when I was younger but I want a job I will enjoy with regular day time hours. 


My last resort will be to check with a temp service but I am putting that off as long as I can. Nicks says we are ok on monies right now to survive but I am getting desperate to find work. I hope something will come along. I have been praying about it but sometimes I feel like God ain't listening. I have cried a lot and I feel like I’m loosing communication and social skills. I have days where I feel useless and worthless but as an optimist, I can usually pull myself out of the funk. If you pray, please keep me in your prayers that something will come along and I can get back into the working world. I need it. 

First Week

Well I made it through my first week of being unemployed (post). I got up each morning as usual. My body is so used to getting up at 7am that I do not need an alarm clock. I decided not to try to sleep in. To me, sleeping is a waste of day. I like to get the day started early.

It was an emotional week for me as I would go back and forth from feeling free to feeling helpless. I didn’t know what to do with myself. One thing I decided was to stay busy. I started working on some things around the house that normally I would not have time to do. 

At the beginning of each day I would make a “to do” list.
The first day, it did not work too well as I only completed 2 out of 5 things on my list. I did better as the week went on.

Here are a few things I did and learned throughout the week. 

I found the bottom of my laundry basket.
I cleaned my craft closet. ( yes, I have a craft closet, not a craft room)
I cleaned out my clothes closet and took 2 bags of clothes and shoes to the Good Will.
I tried really hard not to eat everything in the house. 
Dishes really do not do themselves. (My husband does them before I can get to it).
I was able to enjoy some girl talk with neighbors. (Do they not do Tupperware parties anymore?)
I wore yoga pants and tshirts all day.
I realized I didn’t need a bra after all.
My face detoxed by not wearing makeup all week.

Something else I did was visited the local college to check on taking some classes. WOW there is no way I can afford college. I do not qualify for any assistance because they go by your last years income. And if I could afford to go, how could I work and go to school at the same time? 


SO, I decided to register for some CNA classes that will start in January. I have always wanted to be a nurse. They are quick and affordable. I could be done with both CNA1 and CNA2 in 36 weeks. 
BUT....I changed my mind the next day. This is a low paying job for the work that it would involve. Not physically, but mentally. I heard too many stories on how CNAs are treated and the crazy hours they have to work. It did not take much for me to decide against it. However, I have thought about renewing my phlebotomy license. 

I’m back to square one but I did apply to 27 jobs online. Maybe I should take some Spanish classes because it seems like everyone hiring wants someone that is bilingual. 
This week we will head to the beach for a while so I can do some thinking. I need to sit back and relax for a week and get my thoughts together. They have just been all over the place. I have moments I feel like I’m gonna explode. 

It will be nice to actually enjoy the beach without worrying about catching up a work load when I get back. 
I’m pretty excited about that.