Lengthy Job Search: Words of Caution

When I first began my job search in November of 2005, I thought I’d land a job no later than mid-November. By the time New Year’s Day rolled around, I was starting to sweat.
When life forces you to live on a completely fixed income, any major changes and/or sudden loss of income can be devastating. Those changes can mean the difference between treading water and sinking to the bottom.
To make matters worse, people who have jobs or have never been in your situation just don’t get it. “They’re hiring down the street,” is a popular phrase to many job seekers. What these unknowing people who say that simply don’t get, is that there are probably 40 to 100 or more people applying for a few, or even just one, position. As I’ve stated before, today’s employers have much in common with Morris the cat: they are very finicky. If you can’t get a job, virtually no one who hasn’t been there will sympathize with you. It sounds harsh, but unfortunately, this is a part of the new American reality.
If I sound bitter, yes, I am. I try not to feel this way, but I’m only human. I’m literally about to lose everything I own/care about, for no other reason than being unable to secure employment. So yes, I am angry, depressed and frustrated. What I don’t do is let employers or (usually) the public see this side of me–ever. I try to remain upbeat and hopeful, even though I literally feel doomed. I also make a genuine effort to keep a sense of humor, because once I’ve lost that, I’ve lost not only the battle, but the entire war. I make a point everyday of reading, listening or watching something funny, because laughter is genuinely great medicine.
It is important though, to face reality, well into the job hunt. I try not to let employers sense how desperate I really am, which can be a challenge–especially when they start talking about odd shifts and low wages. When you get to end-stage job searching, you’ll take anything that comes along. Right now, if someone wanted to hire me to stand on my head and sing the National Anthem backwards, I’d…consider it.
A word of caution here: when you’ve reached the point where you’ll gladly take anything, start thinking about worse case scenarios. I mean, seriously begin looking for financial assistance, food stamps, HUD assistance, whatever is available in your area. You will most likely find social workers to often be indifferent, unsympathetic and sometimes downright hostile, but you’ll just have to bite the bullet. Also try faith-based charities and non-profits for help and advice. Don’t wait until the eviction/foreclosure notice arrives, you have no heat or you completely run out of food for the rest of the month. You may not qualify now, but you can always ask about financial guidelines. These are guides that social workers use to determine what, if any, assistance would be available to you. Finding these things out is a time-consuming process, and you will need documentation of your income and utilities, checking account information, and so forth.
Don’t fool yourself into thinking the financial support you have today, will be there tomorrow. God willing, it will be. But things happen to the best of us, such as medical illness or a major repair bill. It doesn’t take much to pull you down these days. Unless you have a generous family or friends, or few major expenses, plan now. Tomorrow could be too late.