My Story of Unemployment

The following is a story submitted by someone who has experienced the cycle of unemployment. Maybe some of this might hit home with you. Athough the story has a happy ending you will note that many of the highs and lows that he addresses were mentioned in a previous blog about how to deal with the stress of unemployment. It is important to talk with your spouses and family and to network with friends and coworkers. If they know that you are looking many times they can help keep an ear out for jobs you might like and offer a supportive ear when you need it. I hope you find his story helpful, if for no other reason then to know you are not alone. Here it is:

"Being unemployed is usually not a place any of us would like to find ourselves in. As someone who has been unemployed for almost 9 months, I can certainly relate to this. There are so many different waves of emotions you go through, and a rollercoaster ride of stress levels too. This is especially true when you’ve been out of work for as long as I have.

Fortunately when I was let go, I knew it was coming and was able to beef up my savings. I was also compensated with a severance package that included several months pay. So even though this happened during the holidays, it wasn’t as big a disappointment for me as it might be for others. After all, my career expanded almost 15 years in the same profession, so I felt quite confident I would be finding a new job relatively quick.

Since it was the holidays, I took the time to enjoy it without any concern for being jobless. I knew the percentage of hiring during this time was very low, and was certain any suitable job would sort of be put on hold anyway. So after the New Year I started reaching out to all my contacts and posting resumes on the job boards. I also worked out a budget with my long time girlfriend so we had an idea of where we stood financially, and how long before we were in serious trouble.

During the first few months I was not really concerned, and was being select of interview opportunities to try and find a comparable job to my last. I played golf, visited friends and family, and did things around the house. I didn’t want to be stressed out and negative about something out of my control, and I definitely didn’t want it to reflect in any interview possibilities.

The next few months my concern only mildly started to climb, however I noticed my personality starting to change. There was a lot more self-doubt, and I could tell a little depression was starting to set in, especially when I didn’t hear back from the interviews I had been too. A couple of these interviews were even through some of my contacts, and the process appeared to me that I was going to receive an offer. But with no offers, the self-doubt was really starting to kick in. I started thinking with unemployment so bad was it really possible there were others more experienced then I was for these position? I found myself starting to become more lazy, watching more TV, doing less chores, and could generally see the depression in myself.

The last few months have just been a jumbled up wave of emotions. The savings was starting to run out, my 6 ½ months of unemployment compensation ran out, and the extended benefits was being delayed. I didn’t really have any good leads, and realized trying to stretch my experience into other job opportunities wasn’t working out either. Even though I recognized my own depression, I didn’t really do anything to change it, and was just sort of going through the same mundane processes each day. I referred to my unemployment as ‘semi-retired’ and definitely realized my sanity was starting to go during this time.

Fortunately, just this week I received an offer letter from a company after several interviews. After so much time, I'm kind of in shock, and know it will take a little bit to get back in the routine of the work world. I’m hopeful this will be my chance to lose the rut I’ve got myself in, along with losing the weight I gained, and bring back the confidence I should have never lost. I can only say to others in a similar situation to work on not losing your confidence, do something active every day, learn all you can about unemployment benefits, and never stop looking for a job! Good luck, Leighton"