It's been awhile since I've written. I got a job! The summer has been a fairly steady blur of work, which has been great.
Heading back to work after such a long break left me with all sorts of questions: whether I would adjust to working again being primary among them. Well, I did. It was actually really great to remember that my work ethic, though it had been sidelined for several months, was actually not impacted by the break in the least. In fact, I found myself more focused, determined, and sharp after some time to regroup. I can breathe a sigh of relief on that one. In conversations with friends who are similarly situated, this seems to be a shared concern.
But, like many people now, my job is contingent upon various projects, so there are breaks in between work. The flexibility is really great, and as I am currently on a break, I'm finding time to take care of all of the projects, hobbies, and volunteer activities that I cultivated when initially unemployed.
It seems that the face of employment has already shifted dramatically, which leaves me wondering how our attitudes towards employment will continue to evolve. I know that my has shifted drastically, from being willing to offer up my sense of individuality and freedom in exchange for the illusion of certainty that I'd have a job to not being willing to trade so much of myself for just money. It's a balance, for sure, but as I see people around me choosing to spend more time doing what they love and spending time with their loved ones, it gives me hope that, collectively, we can shift the emphasis from money as a means of self-definition to money as a necessary tool to live. Then we can get on with what really matters!
Until next time...
Showing posts with label unemployment. Show all posts
Showing posts with label unemployment. Show all posts
Wednesday, August 26, 2009
Thursday, June 4, 2009
Emergency Unemployment Compensation
For anyone who's run out of regular unemployment, the federal government offers up to 33 weeks of emergency unemployment compensation (thank goodness!).
How do you obtain this? Ideally, your state unemployment agency will send you an application for emergency unemployment compensation approximately two weeks before your regular unemployment runs out. However, I've been told that these forms can sometimes be sent out a few weeks after your regular unemployment runs out. Yikes! My advice: go to your local unemployment office and collect the form on the off-chance that you're one of the ones who falls through the cracks and has a few week gap in your unemployment benefits!
If your application is accepted, you can keep claiming unemployment benefits as you were before. The same number of employer contacts and job log recording is required. Reporting can usually be done online or via phone, depending upon your state.
It's great to have the additional $25 per week from the feds also; thankfully, many states, such as Washington, have increased the weekly benefit as well. How long will it take for this extra money to give our economy a small push in the right direction? Hopefully, this will allow more individuals and families to hold out just a bit longer until employment is found again.
Until next time, hang in there!
HD
How do you obtain this? Ideally, your state unemployment agency will send you an application for emergency unemployment compensation approximately two weeks before your regular unemployment runs out. However, I've been told that these forms can sometimes be sent out a few weeks after your regular unemployment runs out. Yikes! My advice: go to your local unemployment office and collect the form on the off-chance that you're one of the ones who falls through the cracks and has a few week gap in your unemployment benefits!
If your application is accepted, you can keep claiming unemployment benefits as you were before. The same number of employer contacts and job log recording is required. Reporting can usually be done online or via phone, depending upon your state.
It's great to have the additional $25 per week from the feds also; thankfully, many states, such as Washington, have increased the weekly benefit as well. How long will it take for this extra money to give our economy a small push in the right direction? Hopefully, this will allow more individuals and families to hold out just a bit longer until employment is found again.
Until next time, hang in there!
HD
Saturday, May 9, 2009
Scenic, quick, cheap getaway!
If you're still searching for that perfect job, or just any job for that matter, consider a quick trip to clear your head and bask in the brilliant spring of Portland, Oregon. Though the unemployment rate is high, so is the morale. For some reason, the many months of rain make optimists of nearly everyone when the sun comes out! Residents subsist on bargains and discovering diamonds in the rough is still possible in many of Portlands southeast neighborhoods. A quick jaunt may bring that much needed perspective without a hit to the wallet...
Check out this NY Times article for some great specifics: http://travel.nytimes.com/2009/05/10/travel/10Portland.html?em
Check out this NY Times article for some great specifics: http://travel.nytimes.com/2009/05/10/travel/10Portland.html?em
Thursday, April 23, 2009
The Job Search: Handling Rejection
Let's face it. No one likes rejection. It's not fun when trying to make friends on the playground in elementary school, and it's certainly not enjoyable when unemployed and searching for that next job. But, instead of crying to a teacher after recess, being an adult means (hopefully!) taking valuable lessons from the process and forging ahead with the quest for a job.
While some employers still send formal rejection letters ("after careful consideration, your qualifications do not match our needs, blah, blah, blah"), others resort to e-mail acknowledgment of applications with the notice that you'll only be notified if selected for interview. Apparently, it's a money-saving technique, but rejection e-mails would cost no more and be much more personal.
No matter the form of the rejection, what we take from it going forward may shape the future success of our job searches. If you have a contact within the HR department who seems particularly helpful, it wouldn't hurt to review with that individual the reasons that your application did not move forward. You can incorporate this information into your job search process moving forward. If you don't have a handy HR contact, I recommend taking some time to reflect on the jobs demands and your qualifications. Is there anything that you overlooked or could have changed? Debrief your application yourself, and check in with a trusted friend or family member for a reality check. Ultimately, it may be that your application was very strong, but they had someone who was over-qualified who took the position. Often, in recessions, the employment market is quite tight due to an overabundance of extremely qualified workers who spill over into positions for which they are over-qualified (read: it may have nothing to do with you).
Most importantly, no matter who rejects you and as tough as it may be, get up and dust yourself off. The perfect job may be waiting for you right around the corner!
While some employers still send formal rejection letters ("after careful consideration, your qualifications do not match our needs, blah, blah, blah"), others resort to e-mail acknowledgment of applications with the notice that you'll only be notified if selected for interview. Apparently, it's a money-saving technique, but rejection e-mails would cost no more and be much more personal.
No matter the form of the rejection, what we take from it going forward may shape the future success of our job searches. If you have a contact within the HR department who seems particularly helpful, it wouldn't hurt to review with that individual the reasons that your application did not move forward. You can incorporate this information into your job search process moving forward. If you don't have a handy HR contact, I recommend taking some time to reflect on the jobs demands and your qualifications. Is there anything that you overlooked or could have changed? Debrief your application yourself, and check in with a trusted friend or family member for a reality check. Ultimately, it may be that your application was very strong, but they had someone who was over-qualified who took the position. Often, in recessions, the employment market is quite tight due to an overabundance of extremely qualified workers who spill over into positions for which they are over-qualified (read: it may have nothing to do with you).
Most importantly, no matter who rejects you and as tough as it may be, get up and dust yourself off. The perfect job may be waiting for you right around the corner!
Tuesday, March 17, 2009
Pursuing Employment in These Tough Times: Instinct vs. Fear
Many sentences these days are preceded by "in these tough times," making each situation and seem that much more dramatic, that much more pressing. In reality, there are people who've been having tough financial times throughout the course of history, though those experiencing troubles are usually categorized as "lower class," which some have used to explain away the financial challenges of the lower class.
Now, foreclosure and bankruptcy are becoming common household words in homes of all income levels. Families in traditionally upper class homes are being forced to sell their homes out of necessity, not choice. All of a sudden, more individuals in each class are subject to the troubles previously only experienced on a widespread scale by those in the lower economic class.
Follow your bliss? Financial ruin and fear seem to be everywhere; they're spilling over into small, daily decisions, such as what brand of milk to buy, whether or not to have that latte, and which employment to pursue. Formerly, we were encouraged to "follow our bliss," but with the economic collapse surrounding us, following our bliss all of a sudden feels rather stressful. Following a passion does not often seem practical when bringing home money will save us from financial insecurity, we hope.
The job that doesn't feel right. Almost everyone has had a job situation in which they were not entirely certain, they had a bad feeling about a job opening, or they just plain didn't want to do it for some strange reason that they couldn't quite pinpoint. Before the economic collapse, some may have pursued these opportunities regardless. But many looked past them to new opportunities that made their hearts leap with excitement. Now, the fear that seeps into our common culture through media has ignited an almost fury of fear in which people are accepting a job, any job, just to have a job. Overriding your instincts on the basis of fear is not a new behavior; as children, we're taught to socialize and adapt to our surroundings, which often involves ignoring our feelings and instincts to fit in. However, instinct is a powerful force and one that, if ignored, can land us in a variety of precarious situations that do not fit us. In some cases, as I found myself in not so long ago, I found myself knee-deep in the quest for someone else's greatness. I tried it, it doesn't work.
Fear-based decision-making. So you've accepted a job that you know doesn't suit you, but you know will pay the bills for as long as it lasts. When acting out of fear, the world of possibilities shrinks away. Instead of expanding our individual and collective options, they decrease quickly. Decisions made out of fear hold us captive for as long as we let them. Until we decide to be through with this pattern and way of thinking, it will dominate our future decisions and transactions.
Changing the pattern. If, as individuals, we take responsibility for making informed decisions from an instinctive place, rather than one that is fear-filled, the direction of our society will change immeasurably. If we honor that feeling inside that this opportunity doesn't look quite right and trust that another one will unveil itself as we forge ahead on our own paths, it will appear. It sounds preposterous, but living with the trust that the next indicated step will reveal itself alleviates some of the pressure that we put on ourselves about getting a job, any job, just something that pays me some money so I can continue living. This type of thinking is pretty strongly ingrained in many of us, so overriding it can be quite challenging. First and foremost, the important thing is to stop, assess what you're feeling about a situation, and listen to the cues that you're kicking up about going forward. It may not be pretty and it may not seem rational, but listening to yourself is essential to re-focusing your life and reconnecting with your instintive nature. Above all, learning to trust yourself will serve you well in the long-run.
Do what you love! This is the best way to get in touch with your instincts. Go spend a morning doing what you love to do, whether its running, writing, reading, gardening. Do somethign purely for fun and look at the value of that activitiy. Observe how you feel when you do it. What kernels of wisdom can you pull out of this experience? See if any of this might translate into an occupation or activity that you can get paid for. It just might. Even if it doesn't, you'll have a better sense of how to tap those instincts. Doing this over time helps you tap in when you're in an emergency and really need to rely on them.
Now, foreclosure and bankruptcy are becoming common household words in homes of all income levels. Families in traditionally upper class homes are being forced to sell their homes out of necessity, not choice. All of a sudden, more individuals in each class are subject to the troubles previously only experienced on a widespread scale by those in the lower economic class.
Follow your bliss? Financial ruin and fear seem to be everywhere; they're spilling over into small, daily decisions, such as what brand of milk to buy, whether or not to have that latte, and which employment to pursue. Formerly, we were encouraged to "follow our bliss," but with the economic collapse surrounding us, following our bliss all of a sudden feels rather stressful. Following a passion does not often seem practical when bringing home money will save us from financial insecurity, we hope.
The job that doesn't feel right. Almost everyone has had a job situation in which they were not entirely certain, they had a bad feeling about a job opening, or they just plain didn't want to do it for some strange reason that they couldn't quite pinpoint. Before the economic collapse, some may have pursued these opportunities regardless. But many looked past them to new opportunities that made their hearts leap with excitement. Now, the fear that seeps into our common culture through media has ignited an almost fury of fear in which people are accepting a job, any job, just to have a job. Overriding your instincts on the basis of fear is not a new behavior; as children, we're taught to socialize and adapt to our surroundings, which often involves ignoring our feelings and instincts to fit in. However, instinct is a powerful force and one that, if ignored, can land us in a variety of precarious situations that do not fit us. In some cases, as I found myself in not so long ago, I found myself knee-deep in the quest for someone else's greatness. I tried it, it doesn't work.
Fear-based decision-making. So you've accepted a job that you know doesn't suit you, but you know will pay the bills for as long as it lasts. When acting out of fear, the world of possibilities shrinks away. Instead of expanding our individual and collective options, they decrease quickly. Decisions made out of fear hold us captive for as long as we let them. Until we decide to be through with this pattern and way of thinking, it will dominate our future decisions and transactions.
Changing the pattern. If, as individuals, we take responsibility for making informed decisions from an instinctive place, rather than one that is fear-filled, the direction of our society will change immeasurably. If we honor that feeling inside that this opportunity doesn't look quite right and trust that another one will unveil itself as we forge ahead on our own paths, it will appear. It sounds preposterous, but living with the trust that the next indicated step will reveal itself alleviates some of the pressure that we put on ourselves about getting a job, any job, just something that pays me some money so I can continue living. This type of thinking is pretty strongly ingrained in many of us, so overriding it can be quite challenging. First and foremost, the important thing is to stop, assess what you're feeling about a situation, and listen to the cues that you're kicking up about going forward. It may not be pretty and it may not seem rational, but listening to yourself is essential to re-focusing your life and reconnecting with your instintive nature. Above all, learning to trust yourself will serve you well in the long-run.
Do what you love! This is the best way to get in touch with your instincts. Go spend a morning doing what you love to do, whether its running, writing, reading, gardening. Do somethign purely for fun and look at the value of that activitiy. Observe how you feel when you do it. What kernels of wisdom can you pull out of this experience? See if any of this might translate into an occupation or activity that you can get paid for. It just might. Even if it doesn't, you'll have a better sense of how to tap those instincts. Doing this over time helps you tap in when you're in an emergency and really need to rely on them.
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