In spite of the results so far… finding a job this time around has been quite difficult – and without falling into any form of woe-is-me statement… it is interesting, this whole not being able to find a new job. In fact, even though I was let go on August 27th, I’ve been searching for a new job since the middle of May, a few weeks after we got back from our April trip to China.
So it’s been almost 5 months without any success in finding a new job. And sure, it’s definitely easy to fall into that trap of blaming other things like the economy and general state of everything – but apparently (and I already knew this) I’m not the only one. There are people much more qualified than I am, and in other industries that are having a considerably difficult time finding new employment.
You’d think Michelle Brown could find work.
“I have a Master’s Degree and I do have some credits towards a PHD,” she says. Yet she’s been out of work for months.
“I’ve got a Bachelor’s Degree from the University of Illinois,” says Chaz Mitchell, who also hasn’t worked in months. “I worked at Citizen’s Trust Bank as a financial service manager and also as a residential loan officer.”
Two executives with sterling resumes and solid educations, but they’ve lost their jobs and can’t find another. Brown can’t understand why.
“Between education, professional experience, practical experience and level of communication, it’s mind boggling ,” she says.
Brown worked as a controller at the Georgia World Congress Center before being laid off. If you had told her at that time that she’d still be out of work at the end of October, she’d have thought you were crazy.
“It’s very frustrating,” she says, “because, not only is it my story, it’s a lot of others who have the same story.”
Oct 27th, 2008 -Georgia’s New Unemployed – WSB News Radio
Reading all of those ‘tips’ that job sites and news articles print off are either redundant… or just get to the point of being… well they’re really annoying actually. Sure, okay, most of us can benefit from some of those tips – but that doesn’t make them any less annoying to read when you could feasibly do the best you can do during an interview – and something beyond your control keeps knocking you out of the running. Granted, some jobs I’ve applied and interviewed for were either beyond my true scope of experience and expertise – but I wouldn’t say that I couldn’t do any of those jobs well. I wouldn’t say that I wasn’t an absolutely viable choice for any of the positions I’ve applied or interviewed for. And even if I did have a job specialization instead of being some sort of Financial/Business Analyst with Database admin/analysis skills – I might actually still be in the same position.
Yet there is some hope. With new interviews on the horizon and even set for this week – it’s always optimistic. Even after the general erosion of faith after the position disappears (due to the company not offering it anymore) or I’m simply not ‘right’ for the job – there’s still hope. Even if I don’t want to hear ‘words of encouragement’ from anyone else because they don’t make me feel better – and I would rather not have any mention of it when I see people in person – I still say it to myself. I fall back on that delirious voice inside my head that is sickeningly optimistic, but more importantly, not afraid.
* We took these ourselves. My point and shoot camera + Tripod + lots of running back and forth to press the button. 
2 Comments
I’m sorry you’re having trouble – hopefully something will come around soon.
As someone lucky enough to have found been offered a NEW opportunity in this environment, I can tell you that there are opportunities out there. Realize that the projects you spend your personal time on (like blogging, for instance), demonstrate skills (creating compelling web content, web 2.0 implementation, etc.) that are in demand at many companies right now. Sell that!
Hey there! Just found your website today (as so many others have) by googling “Unemployment in GA.” I’m the newest member of the “Unemployed Atlantan Club” (OK, technically, Loganvillian…just east of ATL, lol) and am quite freaked out about it. Have been sending out my resume since early September (they told me two days before I had knee surgery that I’d be laid off in October) and have found nothing yet. Really scary, as my entire household depends almost completely on my income. No pressure there, lol. *rolling eyes*
Anyway, glad to have found your blog, best of luck to you on your job hunt! (and when ya find a job, if you need a most excellent Administrative Assistant… I know where you can find one, lol).