Recently laid off - bored and frustrated

[Elodan]

Well, good luck.

As an aside, I thought Kool-Aid mix was sugar-free and you had to mix in your own.

As an aside answer. There is unsweetened Kool-Aid where you add your own sugar. Splenda can be used instead but Splenda in granulated form is expensive. There is a Sugar Free version with the asperatime (sp?) already mixed in (a lot more bang for the $ ).

 

[TarionzCousin]

Hey, you guys in Massachussets can have my job! It's moving there in early April! To Canton, actually. :\

 

[bento]

When it comes to nitty-gritty details of a job, most HR people can be pretty useless. It really takes talking to the hiring manager, and HR always tries to be a barrier to them and you.

Don't be afraid to turn them down if its not right, and even to assert yourself in the interview by saying, "hey, I do this and that, but I'm not interested in this other thing."

Go with your gut - it rarely proves you wrong!

Good luck with the kool-aid!

 

[Einan]

Good luck with the job hunt. I remember being out of work... Darn that felt like crap. I found it useful to make myself a routine, similar to the one I had while working and stick to it. It made being out of work less of a shock.

Also, as a duly appointed representative of the non-profit world, you may try that route. While your specialized tech skills may not be exactly what's needed, databases are a basic part of the donor/fundraising trade and there might be a position in that arena. Also nonprofits find it extremely difficult to often find anyone who has any highly technical computer skills; it might also be an avenue to consider while you search for something else. Good luck with whatever you decide to do!

Einan

 

[ssampier]

As an aside answer. There is unsweetened Kool-Aid where you add your own sugar. Splenda can be used instead but Splenda in granulated form is expensive. There is a Sugar Free version with the asperatime (sp?) already mixed in (a lot more bang for the $ ).

Oh, I haven't purchased Kool-Aid in 15 years (a long time considering I'm only 26). I'd imagine you could purchase it online, but the shipping costs could be prohibitive.

 

[LightPhoenix]

Good luck with the job hunt. I remember being out of work... Darn that felt like crap. I found it useful to make myself a routine, similar to the one I had while working and stick to it. It made being out of work less of a shock.

I'll second that. Routine is good.

Oh, I haven't purchased Kool-Aid in 15 years (a long time considering I'm only 26). I'd imagine you could purchase it online, but the shipping costs could be prohibitive.

I'm more impressed you bought it at 11.

 

[Sidekick]

I feel your pain about the recruiters mate. The thing is with them they’re really good at getting accountants, HR, lawyers, web developers and the like jobs. Those are easily definable and sortable skills.

Other positions recruiters arent’ so good at. When I came to the UK I signed up with about 8 recruitment companies. I only ever had interviews with three of them and only 2 of those put me forward for appropriate positions.

In the end both jobs that I’ve had on a permanent contract I found myself without the Recruiters.

So don’t give up hope and keep on trawling through the internet job adverts. It’s hard I know but you keep the faith in yourself and your abilities.

Like someone else said - it’s not about what you DID do but what you CAN do. Emphasise skills and what your past experience demonstrates you are capable of doing and you should be fine.

Good luck with the job hunt cuz.

 

[Elodan]

It's been a while since I updated this thread. I find it therapeutic to put this stuff into words. Long story short, still searching as nothing has either panned out or the commute was too much.

Every so often I find I've done nothing job search related for the day. It's real easy to say, "I'll take care of this tomorrow" or make other plans which you expect to only take a hour or two but consume a whole morning or afternoon. I'm really surprised by how exhausting the process can be. Dealing with all the recruiters. It unbelievable how many contact you with jobs that are not even closely related to what you are qualified or say you want to do. There have been plenty I times where I've explained exactly what I'm looking to do, only to have that recruiter call me again about a job doing specifically what I told them I do not want to do. Working your way through the various job search sites is no picnic either. Even with daily emails, there's a lot to weed through. This generally kills my mornings.

On the plus side, I have my friends who have been extremely helpful during this time of work inactivity. The other cool thing I've found is that the Massachusetts's Employment and Training Resource Centers have a lot of useful things. There are career advisors you can meet with who will help you with your search. They also present seminars on a multitude of job hunt related topics. So far I've taken the 'Managing your job search', 'Ace the interview' and 'Networking Works' workshops. They've all had something I useful. The staff is incredibly friendly as well. They even have a person who can help you manage stress during this time. This is such a huge difference on how the state used to treat you the last time I was unemployed, 15 years ago. I also have a small group of head hunters who have been good to work with.

I think I may have had my 1st (or 2nd) ever panic attack during this time. Every once in a while, even the best of us has a rough patch. Luckily, my wife has been my rock, foundation, steady hand, etc. (my friends have been of help as well). I really need to get back to exercising, this summer of George hasn't been good for my waistline.

I've had a lot of time to work out exactly what I'm looking for and I think I've gotten to the basics of what I want to do at my next place. I want to do database design and hands-on development at a place where I can pick up VB.Net (I'm on chapter 4 of an intro to VB.Net book) or another coding language to complement the database skills. The most important thing is that I learn something new.

It's just a matter of time.

 

[The Grumpy Celt]

They did so by letting 10 of us go...

I "lost" my last job do to the BRAC (Base Realignment and Closure) List. I was a civilian contractor working with the U.S. Navy. The office I worked at closed, the Navy personnel were reassigned and the civilians given a goodbye and good luck.

That was last May. In the time since then I sent out close to 300 hard copies of my cover letter and resume, to apply for other jobs. I applied via e-mail or the internet to that many jobs as well.

Today I was offered a position at Auburn University, in Alabama. So, 10 months elapsed between leaving my old position and getting my new one. During that time I was making more from unemployment than I would have earned flipping burgers.

But I hated every day of it.

The only good time to come of any of it was I worked on my fiction writing. I did it as much to keep myself occupied, to keep my mind working, as for any other reason.

How some people can spend the balance of their careers unemployed and/or on welfare is beyond me.

Best wishes to you man – I am apparently leaving what you are going into. Based on my own experience all I can say is, fight depression, get a constructive and cheep hobby, and keep trying.

 

[papastebu]

I have been out of work since August due to injury and subsequent surgery. Yesterday I was released from total temporary disability. My wife was happy to hear that i could at least look for a job, now, even though she was the one that suggested I quit and take up writing for a year. :\
My problem is, far from being bored, I have become addicted to this freedom. I have realized that what I've been doing all of my adult life, just working for other people/companies, ad infinitum, is not for me. I have often wondered at my inability to be in one place, job-wise, and also wondered how I might "fix" myself.
I think that I need to do something that does not involve--except, possibly in the broadest sense--anybody telling me what to do. The very thought fills me with a joy that I don't ever remember feeling.
This forced hiatus might be just what the doctor ordered for you, Tom. Right now, you have the opportunity to look around and see what's what. Make the most of it.
Best of luck with everything.

Steve