Triumphant return
It has been over a year since my virgin blog post, and I have been inspired to give it another shot, if only as a sort of diary to sort out my own thoughts Doogie Howser style. As such, there may not be much in the way of theme or consistency for some time, so Absit Invidia but keep your comments to yourself unless you know me (in which case lack of organization will not surprise you).
It seems that I was somewhat prescient about the job market last year. I ended up staying at my store until about a week after it closed mid August. Since then, I have been searching for a job with varying levels of effort. I have discovered that the unemployment agency considers 5 per week an acceptable “search,” where I find it hard not to submit 5 per day when making a concerted effort. Given that only a small percentage of resume submissions/applications will even generate an interview in the first place, it is no longer a wonder to me that so many people remained unemployed.
In the months I have been sans job, I have learned that one might indeed not be hired because one is overqualified (a fact which I find disturbing). I am convinced that one manager who interviewed me did not hire me specifically because I could be easily promoted to replace them should they screw up. This is, of course, the exception to the rule. I have invested a large portion of my efforts in an attempt to attain a job which offered me a stable schedule (for those of you who are unaware, retail schedules are often described as “flexible,” which is the polite way of saying you will work whenever and wherever asked, with little to no consideration to your personal needs). I always did my best to accommodate the needs of my employees the (admittedly few) times I wrote a schedule, and tried to be fair when adjusting one someone else designed, but have learned not to expect the same treatment from those who employ me.
Just before the holidays, an old friend suggested I look into an opening with his firm. Sonoran is a government contractor, and in this particular case is functioning as sort of a staffing agency for GSA. While the pay is somewhat lower than my last salary working for LNT, the required work week (day shift, no weekends if you can believe it) more than makes up for the difference. As a government related job, I am hopeful that the benefit package will be substantial as well. The only snag seems to be that something happened internally which prevented me from starting full time in January as initially planned. As it stands now, I will start preliminary training this Wed. and may still have significant time to wait until I can begin regular work. Due to my decision to take several weeks off before beginning my job search (back in August), I have a little leeway with how long my unemployment benefits will last, even assuming I remain unable to secure full time employment in the interim, and the maximum benefit has been extended once already, but the length of the delay is of concern to me. Given the difficulties I have had in procuring even an entry level position in the mean time, it seems obvious that our economy fares worse even than the news anchors allow for.
I am not alone in experiencing difficulties on the job front. Few people I know who became unemployed in 2008 has managed to land a new position yet. Of those, many have taken pay cuts, or were forced to take jobs which were only part time positions. One friend, who has a career in a relatively stable sector, was recently told that there was a moratorium on salary increases. Many others report a hiring freeze, salary cuts, or workforce reductions which continue to increase their work load while simultaneously threatening their positions. It seems like the only people who are thriving right now are the ones who work for store liquidation companies.
Paradoxically, my time spent unemployed has greatly reduced my stress levels. I am no longer subject to 2am alarm calls at the store, though many of the night shift Skokie police still recognize me on sight. Additionally, I have discovered that, while I still dislike driving, I am far more willing to do so to visit friends than to “do something.” What this says about me could be debated, but I hope to make it a non-issue soon (by moving to an area where I may rely even more heavily on public transit).