LJ Idol -- re-inventing the wheel

[unmowngrass]

“Hi, I’m Katie and I’m unemployed.”

***
That’s how it feels sometimes. A furtive, shameful secret that I know will lessen me in your eyes once I’ve confessed it. I wish it wouldn’t.

For the most part, people actually aren’t that bad and no one has deliberately looked down their nose at me because of it; for the most part people try to be supportive,

Comments

[shadowwolf13]

I've been looking for a job for 4 years now. I'm now starting my second business, just to get some money coming in.

[unmowngrass]

Good for you! Good luck with it! The idea is very daunting to me, at this time. I wouldn't mind working in a partnership or even for myself in general, but I am not sure that it would be a good idea in accountancy - there are lots of accountants, after all.

[shadowwolf13]

It's not easy, and certainly something that requires a lot of thought and planning, not to mention work. For me, I know I'll never make it rich with my knitting business ... but it's a labor of love.

[unmowngrass]

Well I can knit too, and I can understand the labour of love thing, but I think I'm a bit too slow to try to make it as a business ;) As I say though, good luck to you.

[pixiebelle]

I understand this all too well. I'm gainfully employed for the first time in my life. I hate the job, but it pays the bills and I've had it for longer than 3 months, so that's a good thing. Being unemployed is difficult, and part of the reason I stay in my horrible job is because the job search is so daunting. It is hard to convince people you are qualified when your resume doesn't back it up.

Sending good vibes your way.

[unmowngrass]

Thanks. I hope this will be me soon too, gainful employment is gainful employment, afterall, and there are always further steps after that. It's just that first one.

Thanks for the good vibes though chick.

[xo_kizzy_xo]

:nodding: My husband was laid off a few months after we married -- this was about 8 years ago, btw -- he started his own business, which went belly up when the recession hit. Other than the occasional contract job, he hasn't been able to find any FT employment in his field. I had to convince him to interview for a PT evening job so at least he would have a little money coming in. The job has nothing to do with his field, has nothing to do with his schooling, but as Pixie said above, it helps pay the bills.

It sucks. It really does. And I'm sorry you're in that same predicament :(

[unmowngrass]

Thank you for your empathy, it does help, although I am sorry that you and your husband have been through it too.

[lawchicky]

I totally understand. I'm self-employed, but with the economy so bad, I've had periods where I didn't think I'd survive on my income and tried looking for work. I went months and months of sending out resumes with no response. It seems people look at "self-employed" and figure I'm just hanging out watching tv all day or something. Good luck with your search!

[unmowngrass]

I like the idea of being self-employed, but currently it seems more petrifying than enticing, so until I hit the point where that balance swings, I don't realistically think I could do it.

Thanks for the good luck, though, and the same back to you. I hope either you find something, or your self-employed business picks up.

[halfshellvenus]

I have been the treasurer of a small church for twelve months and have been running a drop-in aimed at homeless people since May 2010, running it single-handedly for the past 18 months.
To me, this IS real progress. These are useful skills, and provide some experience (very important when you don't have it).

Are you enthusiastic about the job when you interview? Do you ask questions that show your interest?

Because realistically, just as some interviewees have the rapport of dead slugs... so do some interviewers. So this might help, especially if you're meeting a lot of them.

I do know how this can wreak havoc with your self esteem, and I wish you luck in finding a job!

[unmowngrass]

Thanks for the vote of confidence!

Err, actually I get very, very nervous in interviews; stammering, palms sweating, dry mouth, needing the loo a lot, the works. It's as much as I can do to look the interviewer in the eye, I think. It's even starting when I write it down like now. It improved a bit when I started taking notes the same as they did, but I still have to force myself to remember the phrase "You've already covered the answers to every question I was going to ask, thankyou" when nerves have driven anything useful completely out of my head and I just want to literally run away! Of course, 30 minutes later that statement becomes a falsehood when I think of LOTS of questions, but it's too late by then.

Thankyou, though, for your good wishes and empathy, you are very kind.

[halfshellvenus]

Oh, that IS tough!

I always had that problem doing orchestra auditions (what we used to call 'performance anxiety' in the old sense). It's just maddening.

If you get desperate enough, you could talk to your doctor about trying beta blockers for those occasions. They don't impair your alterness, but they do keep your heartrate down and stop the adrenalin feedback from taking over and amplifying itself through your system.

There's also role-playing, with friends or family. I know it can feel silly, but it does help.

I'll keep my fingers crossed for you!

[unmowngrass]

Yeah, I loved acting in the school plays when I was younger. Just thinking tonight about how great it would be to get on stage once more, actually, but I don't think it's a realistic possibility any more