Laid off for second time in two years--depressed Hi all, I am in the SF Bay Area and was on this board often last year in 09 when I was laid off from Jan to June. Found a job in July, then worked for 11 months and was laid off again this June. I am getting tons of interviews actually--averaging about two per week (phone and in person), but either the job pays barely above from what I am getting in UI benefits, or I meet 99% of their qualifications and then don't get the gig because I did not have the other 1% of what they are looking for. I know I shouldn't whine at all because I only have been looking since June and I am getting interviews, but for me, it is a fear of the unknown like: when will I get a job? What if it doesnt pay enough for me to get by? etc. etc. What does everyone here do to stay motivated? I am finding its hard to be upbeat and positive and again I know I shouldn't complain but in my entire work career of 20 years (I am 43), I have never experienced a job market like this. Seriously years ago, I would apply for one or two jobs, and then voila! I would get an offer. Ah the good ol days. I am single too, so no rich spouse or anything like that to support me.

laid off ...--depressed I am in NH and wa laid off myself in May. be thankful you are getting interviews. I am sending out 4-10 resumes a day and not getting much in the way of interviews. I suppose I am getting about 1-2 s a week. I agree with you that for the most part employers do not want to pay for what they are getting. But here's the thing - you and I will get better jobs with better benefits because we are worth it. I have decided that I will find a craft to do to keep occupied to beat the depression - lets face it TV sucks to battle depression - everyone is gorgeous and loaded... unless you watch Springer... Good Luck with your search and know that you have support on the east coast!

Thanks for your thoughts! Nice to have some support! BTW, one of my friends on the east Coast was just laid off a job in NY and had to move back to NH with her parents. The job market is just sucking in all corners of the country!

It will be 2 years for me next month the depression has turned into to a kind of numbness.

Sorry to hear that, Rusty. What industry are you in? I am in marketing and advertising, but since I also have retail and administrative experience, I apply for those gigs too.

Sales in the hotel industry.

Rusty!!! I have a connection for you. A good friend of mine works in a managerial position in security for a very high end SF hotel. He has lots of hotel contacts and has worked and been offered hotel jobs all over the place. I will talk to him tonight and ask if he can keep an ear to the ground for sales gigs in that industry. Promise I will do this. Thats what this forum should be for--to help each other!!!!!!!!!!

Thx, you must be new here??? LOL!

How do you get by financially??

some of it might be your age I was laid off at the end of June and I am getting s, but the last phone interview I had I could tell I knew more about the job than the person interviewing me. That can be threatening to a potential boss. It's a fine line-- show you know the territory without scaring a boss who might be younger and less experienced than you. That is hard to read on the phone and I only realized it in retrospect that I probably freaked out the interviewer. I'm sure if I follow up I'll hear that old standby "overqualified".

Aaaaaaarrrgghhhhh!! My-eyes-!!

i am curious how he is able to goof-off so much. i might want to get in on that action.

what are you talking about?

that was a system glitch. wasnt meant as a response to your post.

More like user error :)

Are you doing fun, spirit-building stuff in your free time? Working or not, life can be challenging. Sounds like your mind's dwelling on the fears, rather than the joys of life Figure out what you enjoy doing (that's free or doesn't cost much) and DO IT! Just go for a walk everyday, get some endorphins flowing Guess I'm not all that fearful because I've actually lived on the streets a few times, literally, even though I have a 4-year degree, and I didn't find it awful and actually enjoyed aspects of it So I'm not afraid of losing all my material posessions You've got UI coming in, simplify your life if you need to so you can get by on that Some people have worked full time their entire lives and would love some time off for a change Good luck to ya

Thanks! Free time drives me crazy! I need to work just to feel productive. I guess I should look into volunteering.

I've been there, free time is hard because I kept thinking that I shouldn't be taking time off, I should be trying to get a job. I got laid off once and the emotional roller coaster was brutal. One thing I did to keep busy was to try to set daily and weekly goals for my job search. I figured I was out of work so my new job was looking for a new job. I had a goal to have at least one interview every day. Whether it was an actual job interview or an advice interview I wanted to have 5 a week minimum. Advice interviews are where you make a list of all the people you know and you them and ask if you could get together for a few minutes to ask them for their advice. I didn't tell them I was stressed out because I was laid off, I told them I was in the middle of a career campaign and was exploring different careers and wanted their advice. Nobody turned me down. At this "Advice Interview" I would start off asking them to tell me all about what they did in their position and how they got into it, what their goals were, etc. If I was interested in that I would ask how someone like me could get started in a career like that. Or, if I knew them pretty well, I would tell them the careers I was considering and ask for their advice about whether they thought it was a good fit for me. While they were giving me their advice, I was actively listening. But I was also planting seeds with each contact, letting them know I was looking for a job or a new career WITHOUT SAYING THAT OR ASKING THEM FOR A JOB OR IF THEY KNEW OF ANY OPENINGS. Most people will offer you advice and want to help and they'll have an idea of what you're doing. At the end I would always ask if they knew anyone else I could talk to about the career I was interested in and get a referral from them to keep my advice interviews flowing. Hope this helps. I would love your input on a new course I'm putting together to help people with questions just like these. If you could ask a former CEO one question about the inside secrets to getting a job, what would it be? Post your question to www.resumetriplesinterviews.com and I'll try to answer for you. Best of luck to you in your job search.