Discussion on:

Tips for staying positive when facing unemployment

Its not suprising that the support was moved from the Bay area to somplace cheaper. Most support and call center functions have been moving to lower wage areas of the country. When you look at $25/hr minimum in the Bay area compared to $9/hr in a third tier city or $10/day in Philippines, its not suprising that companies are making it happen. Many other catagories of work will also be priced out by the high costs. Make sure your job search does not focus on jobs that will not make economic sense in that part of the country.

I got my layoff notice August 28th, and the second week in September, I was in class. I've found that by doing something positive, like upgrading my skills, I've faired better than many of my former co-workers.

Use your time wisely. If you can't afford training, get some materials and study on your own. You can get a lot of good cert books pretty cheaply on ebay, even the latest stuff.

During my company-imposed 4 month vacation, I managed to get my A+, Network+ and MCSE. I think those really helped me get another job. But I'm not slacking, I'm working on CISSP now!

Thanks, Tim.
I was encouraged by your article.
I trust others will be helped by it.
Regards, Jim Harris

I appreciate the tips in the article. The best part is that these tips can be used even if you are currently employed in a bad situation. Sometimes a bad work situation can be as difficult as being unemployed.

Well written, and very helpful. (yes, we all need to hear that sometimes)

Great points to stay positive - and the last one is the best of all. Be willing to do whats got to be done...

I was laid off after 20 years, no severance pay - and unemployement wasn't nearly enough. So took a job as a Paramedic ($20k) and Walmart ($7.25 hour) to keep family clothed, fed and sheltered... You got to be willing to do whats got to be done.

And your "have to have that positive additute" is so important esp. during interviews - if you walk in with a chip on your shoulder - you mit as well turn around and walk back out.

Very good and Coodoos - to you Tim a well done article -

I was laid off on July the 27th. The market was already slowing down then the tragedy of 9/11 hit and as many of you know the job market bottomed out. Although I have sent numerous resumes out I have heard from only a few companies who said the weregetting hundreds of resumes per job. I have noticed that things are picking up and I have had several very good interviews in the last week. One thing that I have noticed though - I have been in the computer/IS/IT industry since 1978. I only show the last 15 years now and I feel that I am getting a better response. I have spoken to many other "techies" and there does seem to be a problem with us "40 Plus" guys being overlooked due to our (OLD?) age. Attitude is everything and being prompt, energenic, and friendly during the interview will make us old guys look better.

I got laid off September 1st and have still not gotten a job. I've used that time to set up a home business which is at least earning me more money that unemployment would have. I've made a few discoveries, including that I'm not cut out to be self-employed-can't stand the suspense time between invoice and payment. But I've also set up something that will be a useful part time job so that I can afford to take a position because of other factors than money. Now I'm looking in the public sector for a job with benefits, retirement and security where my age will be seen as maturity and my experience will be seen as a proven track record. Do people think that you can get 20 years of experience in a field without getting 20 years older? Now instead of talking about my experience, I talk about what I'm learning and what I want to learn--NOT "oh, I already have done that." I'm an old dog learning new tricks. Thanks for the encouragement-I'll take it wherever I can get it.

Good advice, and timely as I woke up this morning thinking " not another day without a job ".
I have just come of a very long contract and did not expect the job market to be this bad. I am a contractor and was expecting a quick turnaround on the job front. Word on the street here is that we are at the bottom of the cycle and things will turnaround March, April, or May. It's tough waiting.

I am a female who is 59. I have been laid off since the end of April 2001. I have sent out many resume and received many declinations. It is extremely frustrating since I am extremely knowledgable and have associates and bachelors degrees. I am current through W2K in setting up servers and clients. I have gotten a few interviews which appear good on the surface but always end up with 'thanks but no thanks'. I really believe at this point that age and gender are a factor. Do you see this in any comments that you have received and do you have any advice on this.

I just read your article on how stay 'up' when you're unemployed. I hope I can heed your advice. I currently work for Qwest Communications Inc. and we are gearing up for a big lay-off in Minneapolis. On April 8th there will be a couple hundred Technicians out of work or forced to move to another state to keep their jobs...and even if they move there's no guarantee another lay-off won't hit them after they've moved. Myself, I'm looking to refocus my career goals toward the IT Industry and get out of the telecommunications business altogether...at least for now. I would like to get an entry level-to-intermediate level position as a Helpdesk Tech or a Desktop Support Tech. How do you see the economy affecting my chances of getting a positionin this field? I do have some training in troubleshooting Windows 95/98/2000 and am in the process of getting A+ and Network+ certified but, am I too late in getting this training? Should I even waste my time trying this? This field is really something I want to do, very badly! I'd be interested to hear your opinion....Thanks,

Frank T

This is a short but effective summary of what you will go through and in some cases must go through as you work out of unemployment. A MUST READ for everyone!

Very good advice in this article. I have worked as a contractor(Project manager/Business Analyst)for 7 years and it goes with the territory to have gaps. 3 months between assignments is not unknown, 200 c.v.'s sent before the contract is signed and started. For 'permies', without the cushion of the higher rate for the job this could be devastating. This is the worst I have experienced in terms of the vacancies are just not there and agents are receiving over 1000 responses to each job placed.
So be positive by sending your c.v. and then phoning to talk through the job, differentiate yourself. Agents cannot and do not look through 1000 cv's. Communicate and then follow up. Do the agent's work for them, but pleasantly!
Jobs are like buses;they often come in threes and then the dilemma is which one to take!
Whilst waiting, remember all the good things you have been involved with - and can be again.

I've been laid off since July of last year from the telecommunications field. Luckily, the state I live in, provides funds for retraining to get the unemployed working again. So they've paid almost $8000 for my MCSE training. The training has been ongoing since October and has kept me busy, with studying for exams. So far, I've got my MCP and this accounts for my downtime for resume purposes. If there's not a similar program in your state that affords you these training opportunities, try self-study and get some of the quicker certs, like A+. You're making yourself more marketable in the long run, it keeps you busy, you can network with others in class, and you have plenty of time to study while you're unemployed. It's really helped me to keep my head up. And by the way, I have to promising job offers lined up to start in a couple months, one of them thanks to my MCP!

Hope this helps.

First of all, Tim, good article summarizing what everyone should do. I am following the first three items, though it took a while before I realized I should be working on an MCSE. Sorry, but I'm still not mentally able to take a busdriver or cashierjob. It took me months before I realized I should take almost anything IT-related at any salary. At fifty, I need to minimize any more wasted time that does not directly help me start a new career.

I am a twice-decorated dot.bomb victim just "celebrating" one year of unemployment. I was totally unprepared for the "new" job market environment. Previously, I would get a couple of leads from friends that always turned into a job offer. The last job didn't even require a resume! However, all my networking has resulted in few leads. Most of my friends are just thankful they're still working.

I was able to get a couple interviews immediately on my own, but both ended up w/ the "Thanks, but..." letter or email that's become all too familiar. I've only had two more interviews since then. I tried working w/ three recruiting firms; two interviews that went nowhere and nothing else. In my experience, unless you contact/bug/annoy the recruiter, they do not do anything. Even then, they appear to just want to get you off the phone.

What's especially frustrating is *NOT* knowing what I'm doing wrong. The "we've decided to hire someone who more closely meets our qualifications" doesn't help me know what to do to become more marketable, especially when the job description sounded like it was written for me. There were two times the hiring manager provided feedback; in both instances I agreed completely w/ their hiring decision and thanked them profusely.

Anyway, thanks for letting me comment and vent.

Pete
Jobless in Seattle

I read this article about 3 days after I almost gave in to a total nervous breakdown...along with many other things going wrong in my life I also lost my job of > 20 years. After reading this, (esp. the part of realizing my positive traits besides that of my job accomplishments) things became clearer and I was able to make the proper decisions. Thank you for the article. I have to rate it a 5.