Category: Long-Term Unemployed

Journaling the Long-term Unemployed experience

Depressed and Disappearing

~ gannebassett ~ 1 Comment

The report of Robin Williams death from suicide rocked the world.

Depression sucks.

Too many people find it easy to pass judgment, making shameful accusation and calling the victims of depression “cowards” for taking the easy way out. Anyone who has walked the path of depression knows every step takes courage. You don’t wake up sad one day and say “I’m sad, I think I’ll commit suicide.” It’s a long journey of weight and pain and melancholy. It’s an hourly battle that never lets up; a fight with a dragon whose talons are so deeply imbedded in your skin every move creates a deeper cut.

Robin made people laugh. He was generous with his time and his heart and his gift. He chose to put others before himself most of the time. That’s not an uncommon approach. Helping others gets your mind off the pain for a few minutes at least. But in the darkness of night the demons are restless. In the quiet places, there’s a cacophony of hate and shame. In the mundane tasks of life, there is a rhythmic pounding of a pressure cooker in the soul. The silent places are torture chambers for the depressed.

I was never a depressed person. I had moments of sadness, sometimes even melancholy, but for the most part I had a faith that carried me into a space of peace. I had my faith, I believed in myself, I made people laugh: it helped me rise above circumstance.

But earlier this year I had thoughts of suicide.

A few days after my birthday, during a long drive home, I internally collapsed beneath the pressure. Too long carrying the burden, too long alone, too many life blows and relational disappointments, a failed support system: I was too weak to take another step.

Clinical depression and situational depression are two very different entities, but the emotional distress and the altered vision is often very similar. Both situational depression and clinical depression share a common bundle of symptoms: Feeling the blues, loss of appetite or increased appetite, change in sex drive, trouble sleeping, lack of energy, apathy, problems concentrating, feelings of guilt, physical pain, agitation, feelings of hopelessness. However, the length of time for situational depression symptoms usually coincide with the duration of the stressful event(s).

This is where it becomes difficult for the long-term unemployed.

You see, situational depression is quite normal for the unemployed, but it is important to note, the unemployment itself is often only one of MANY stressors causing depression. Life happens regardless of job status. There will still be problems with the children, there will still be deaths in the family, miscarriages, and accidents; natural disasters and the world economy will still create anxiety and fear. Ironically, some of the most common stressors that bring about situational depression often accompany long-term unemployment, such as relational strife, divorce, loss of income, failure of goals, loss of self-esteem and physical illness.

The normal response is to grieve over these situations, knowing the depression will typically remit once the stressors are no longer present, or it will decrease as one learns to cope with the disturbing situation. For the long-term unemployed, the stressor doesn’t go away, it remains a catalyst for more stress, for more symptoms and more situations. Normal coping mechanisms, such as exercise, good diet, taking a break from negative input, and changing your world view, simply do not work. Coping takes a backseat to survival.

The job hunter faces rejection every day, hopelessness every day, judgement and shaming every day. Lack of income results in limited food options, and the pervasive sadness makes exercise almost impossible. This kind of situational depression is very debilitating, and all too common for the long-term unemployed.

So on that long drive home, I thought about accidental death, which would be easier for my family to mourn, would relieve their burden and certainly end my pain.

I found myself dictating a letter to my family and friends. I was angry at myself for planning it, ashamed I’d sunk so low. Those emotions only fueled the defeat. I just wasn’t strong enough to go on. I was tired, exhausted, bone weary from a journey that had me traveling the river Styxx, battling giants and demons and Satan himself. It hadn’t been a brief detour. It hadn’t been a small mishap down the mountain, or a pothole in the road. It had been years of one blow after another without any time to heal or recover. I had been bleeding out, hemorrhaging internally, and now I had gone into shock. My systems were no longer working properly, and I was alone.

When I had felt the weakness overtaking me, I had reached out for help. It wasn’t easy. It’s never easy to be so humbled; it’s never easy to admit you’re broken. I wasn’t asking for monetary assistance. I have never asked for that. I know that without a job, without an ongoing plan of action, any financial assistance is just using a teaspoon to ladle the water from a sinking ship. So, when I reached out, I was asking for an ear, a shoulder, perhaps even a creative brainstorming session. Mostly, I just needed hope.

I wanted to make certain I was concise with my words; my humor has a tendency to hide or override the severity of what I am feeling. I told my small group of friends: “I’m not doing well; I can’t take any more; I’m breaking.” I tried to be clear it wasn’t just the job loss, or my mother’s illness and death, or the miscarriage, or even the loss of friends. It was the systematic breaking down of hope and faith and self-worth. Five years of life-altering events. One was enough to justify grief and depression. The compounding events were crushing.

Comfort didn’t come as expected. Life has a way of bringing biting flies, stinging scorpions, and vicious scavengers before a good Samaritan can arrive.

I remember the Saturday I received a call that proved to be that start of a new blow. I was placed in an impossible situation. In the end I had to remove all emotion and view the situation from a lens of honesty and integrity, in truth and obligation.

When I hung up the phone, feeling trapped and defeated, I knew I’d done the only thing I could do. The wheels were already in motion: evidence had been viewed, and action was already being taken. Denying, hiding and protecting would only ensure I would be sucked into the storm as well. It would devastate me.

As it turned out, the chain of events that followed almost did. You see, the day-to-day dramas and annoyances feel insurmountable when you carry the lead skin of depression. Personal attacks, faulty assumptions, accusations, gossip, social freeze-outs: these are intermittent storms of destruction to an already beat and battered emotional landscape. People rarely understand this aspect of the long-term unemployed experience. The things considered trivial, small pebbles thrown at the “average” person, are crushing boulders to the long-term unemployed.

I felt like Wiley Coyote, crushed beneath the Acme weight and a mountain of rubble and debris. The world moved on: Beep! Beep! It would continue to move on.

After the long drive, I walked in the house and looked through the mail, numb but resolved.

The box I opened that day would change everything.

To Be continued

How It Happens: The Downward Spiral Part 2

~ gannebassett ~ 1 Comment

Your realtor tells you to talk to a lawyer who specializes in foreclosures, who can advise you properly. She has the name of someone who’s helped quite a few of her clients.

How will you ever pay for a lawyer?

You call and leave a message, then wait the nail-biting two days for a response.

The mortgage company is still jerking you around about the loan modification papers, asking for clarifications, letters and signatures to back the information that has already been certified.

And they continue to return your payments.

You talk to your roommate, guilty and sad that it is going to affect him, too. It doesn’t matter that he knew the situation going in, that you kept him abreast of the job search and the uncertainties you were facing. You still feel like you’re letting him down.

You start cleaning house. There are things you don’t want to risk losing. Mostly your mother’s things. You stopped being sentimental about your own things when you were forced to start selling them to make ends meet.

But her life mattered. Her memory matters.

Remembering how she loved you, believed in you brings more shame.

What a disappointment you are.

And yet even now you hear her voice. She would never be ashamed of you. Not even now. You know beyond any doubt, her love for you never wavered. She would cherish each shattered piece of you. It somehow brings comfort.

People tell you to be strong, go to church, stand on the Word. Some pray, some cross their fingers, some send good wishes. Mostly people feel afraid because they don’t know what to say, so they disappear. You’ve been there before; it’s not an unusual response. The friends who say “I don’t know what to say” then talk you to distraction are a relief. For a few moments, you can feel normal. For a few minutes you have a place.

The lawyer says to take a deep breath, it’s going to get worse before she can step in and hopefully make it better. There are no guarantees.

You’re barely treading water. That means you’re going under. The “deep breath” is good advice.

She has a plan, though. You have no choice but to trust her.

Trust is hard. Faith is harder. You remember when they use to be so much a part of your being it felt like they were part of your name. That was years ago. Before the disappointments. The miscarriage. The loss. That was before death had taken its toll and life had pummeled.

“If you need to talk…”

You don’t want to talk about it. You don’t want to think about it anymore. But it’s taken over your mind.

The light is getting dimmer every day. You’re not sleeping well and it’s hard to get out of bed. But you force yourself. You have to move. You have to keep trying, keep pushing. That’s what’s expected; that’s what you do. You may fail at life, but it won’t be because you slept through it.

More phone calls. More applications. More resumes. The only thing darker than the black hole of the job search is the black hell inside. That’s where demons reside. They have talons of humiliation and fangs of shame. They peck and bite and sneer. They mock you for believing you have something to offer, for thinking you still have value.

“Being hopeless won’t get you a job.”

“You need to think positive.”

“Every day is a new opportunity and you’ve got be be excited to embrace it.”

You feel the bitter shroud closing over you. The cliches are slaps when you need a soothing touch.

A friend from France calls. She sounds happy just to talk to you. You cling to the knowledge that it’s real. She’s too blunt to patronize. Besides, she happily gives you hours of her time. She doesn’t have to.

Another makes contact to tell you people only speak the best of you. She insists you are more than the circumstance.

You wish the voices across the ocean could mute the voices in your head. The ones that say “People are talking about you.” You can sense it, feel it in every interaction, see it in their pity-filled eyes, hear it in the judgmental counsel.

You find yourself raging on the inside, desperate to be free, to have the chains of bondage broken.

You think about the homeless you’ve seen under the bridges and along the sidewalks; their animated talks make sense now. A frightened soul can’t stay silent; a broken heart needs a voice to survive.

Your voice carries a pen. So you write.

This is how it happens.

Quickly, but in slow motion. Each step to the gallows accompanied by whispers.

I understand.

Today I gave John my granola bar. He’s a veteran, and homeless. For a little while, the voice he heard was mine. I hope he heard: “You matter.”

Click here for Part One: http://wp.me/p3HHLR-9g

Leonardo di Vinci’s Resume

~ gannebassett ~ Leave a comment

20140506-063315.jpg

There has been some talk in HR and resume forums surrounding what we can learn from Leonardo di Vinci’s letter of promotion and interest (resume of the time). It has been suggested such an approach would set an applicant apart from all other job seekers and result in a successful hiring. I wonder if it would be received or rejected. Would it be considered a creative, standout approach? Or rejected for the length? Wordiness? Arrogance? Is it really a model? Or is it just another retrospective glimpse of the era?

Perhaps I should test the approach out on my next cover letter:

Most honored hiring manager,

Having sufficiently examined this synopsis of anticipated tasks and duties, and the expectations for an applicant, bearing in mind expectations and need are not equal, and personality with possibility exceeds skill without character, and dutifully weighed the totality of my offering against the considerations of potential contenders for the same position, I submit to you without prejudice, but in truth, the outline of my accomplishments and the transferable skills therein defined that would be most beneficial to the goals of your organization, the mission of your project and the functionality of your team., notwithstanding the pleasure to be derived from partnering with personality.

I have depreciation schedules with profit and loss spreadsheets that lift the burden of tracking and solicitation to encapsulate and reflect through pivot tables and illustration financial stewardship of million dollars budgets within a 5% margin…

What do you think? I bet I get an interview. Or at least a RT on Twitter.

Below is a translation of Di Vinci’s letter, certainly fascinating, and perhaps a bit insightful. He did know how to sell his skills for a specific need.

“Most Illustrious Lord, Having now sufficiently considered the specimens of all those who proclaim themselves skilled contrivers of instruments of war, and that the invention and operation of the said instruments are nothing different from those in common use: I shall endeavor, without prejudice to any one else, to explain myself to your Excellency, showing your Lordship my secret, and then offering them to your best pleasure and approbation to work with effect at opportune moments on all those things which, in part, shall be briefly noted below.
I have a sort of extremely light and strong bridges, adapted to be most easily carried, and with them you may pursue, and at any time flee from the enemy; and others, secure and indestructible by fire and battle, easy and convenient to lift and place. Also methods of burning and destroying those of the enemy.
I know how, when a place is besieged, to take the water out of the trenches, and make endless variety of bridges, and covered ways and ladders, and other machines pertaining to such expeditions.
If, by reason of the height of the banks, or the strength of the place and its position, it is impossible, when besieging a place, to avail oneself of the plan of bombardment, I have methods for destroying every rock or other fortress, even if it were founded on a rock, etc.
Again, I have kinds of mortars; most convenient and easy to carry; and with these I can fling small stones almost resembling a storm; and with the smoke of these cause great terror to the enemy, to his great detriment and confusion.
And if the fight should be at sea I have kinds of many machines most efficient for offense and defense; and vessels which will resist the attack of the largest guns and powder and fumes.
I have means by secret and tortuous mines and ways, made without noise, to reach a designated spot, even if it were needed to pass under a trench or a river.
I will make covered chariots, safe and unattackable, which, entering among the enemy with their artillery, there is no body of men so great but they would break them. And behind these, infantry could follow quite unhurt and without any hindrance.
In case of need I will make big guns, mortars, and light ordnance of fine and useful forms, out of the common type.
Where the operation of bombardment might fail, I would contrive catapults, mangonels, trabocchi, and other machines of marvellous efficacy and not in common use. And in short, according to the variety of cases, I can contrive various and endless means of offense and defense.
In times of peace I believe I can give perfect satisfaction and to the equal of any other in architecture and the composition of buildings public and private; and in guiding water from one place to another.
I can carry out sculpture in marble, bronze, or clay, and also I can do in painting whatever may be done, as well as any other, be he who he may.
Again, the bronze horse may be taken in hand, which is to be to the immortal glory and eternal honor of the prince your father of happy memory, and of the illustrious house of Sforza.
And if any of the above-named things seem to anyone to be impossible or not feasible, I am most ready to make the experiment in your park, or in whatever place may please your Excellency – to whom I comment myself with the utmost humility, etc.”

Fat Words Do Not Equal Wisdom

~ gannebassett ~ 1 Comment

“She can’t be that bad off,” he says. “Look how heavy she is.”

It’s just another head-to-desk moment in the face of ignorance. Such words do not reflect reason or rationality, much less wisdom.

Let me start with a disclaimer: I am not on food stamps, nor do I receive any subsidies, TANF support or temporary crisis relief from the government or any affiliates. I have, however written grants for a food bank organization that provided me as a “thank you” two months of the standard monthly food supply box they issue program participants. I have also volunteered with several organizations, packing said boxes and preparing fresh food (I use the term loosely – no, in fact I use it in error) for the needy. Since my current job involves cooking for the less fortunate, and part of my pay includes the food prepared, I have a unique perspective

As I hear such comments it only reveals to me the level of ignorance pervasive in our society.

Let me tell you the contents of my last food box:

• 1 – 2.5 lb. Bag Chicken Nuggets (Fully cooked processed meat for your convenience)
• 1 – 5 lb. Bag Potato Wedges (So you always have a starch)
• 1 – 8” Frozen Pizza
• 1 – Bag Totinos Pizza Rolls (For your quick lunch needs)
• 1 – Box Spaghetti (In a brand unknown to man)
• 1 – Can Spaghetti Sauce (A Mexican brand for authenticity)
• 2 – Can Cream Style Corn (Additional cream in your starchy vegetable is a must)
• 2 – Can Green Beans (with 413 mg Sodium, for added supplementation)
• 1 – Bag of Onions (1 rotten in the bag)
• 1 – Jar Peanut Butter (Likely made from the shells and not the peanuts)
• 3 – Boxes of Cream Cheese (Frozen, and therefore adequately separated)
• 1 – Bag Powdered Donuts (For a healthy breakfast alternative)
• 6 – Croissants (only hardened on the corners)
• 6 – Bagels (Rock hard and ready for weapons)
• 1 – 12-Pack Hot Dogs (A value brand with more chemicals than rejected meat parts)
• 1 – Frozen Apple Pie (With more apple filling than apple)
• 1 – Box Fig Square bars (An experiment on the Fig Newton)
• 4 – Bars of Soap (unboxed and loose in the bag)
• 1 – Can Pork and Beans (Van Kamp is to be commended at this point)
• 1 – Bag White Rice (Good Choice)
• 1 – Bag Dried Pinto Beans (Another good choice)

Now, in reviewing this list there are two very accurate statements to be made: 1. This amount of food will really help a hungry family and is a blessing, and 2. The contents of this box contributes to weight gain, diabetes, high cholesterol and an overall lethargic state of health.

Now, if you fall far enough below the poverty line, you can also get an EBT card as part of the SNAP (Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program). This will allow you to purchase breads, cereals, fruits, vegetables, meats, fish, poultry and dairy products at the grocery store. That certainly helps balance the scales (no pun intended) a bit; except in reality the amount on the EBT card when applied to current grocery store pricing results in really only a week’s worth of “healthy” food supplementation. And, if you are even 5 dollars above that set poverty line, you do not qualify for the card, and therefore will be dependent on the content of the box alone.

I’m not knocking the Food Banks and Charity organizations that are so graciously providing food for the community. Not at all. They are a Godsend and are doing amazing work. These food boxes mean Americans who have fallen into adversity are not going hungry. This cannot be disputed. I’m only speaking against the judgmental attitudes of those who make ignorant attacks against the unfortunate, making statements that are counterproductive to the system and to any steps toward improvement.

It’s no secret the United States is known for their unhealthy food choices and lifestyle. Even the richest in our country fall victim to the processed and fast food epidemic. But a family in poverty, dependent on the provisions of charity and subsidy programs, without the choices available to most, the quest for health is close to futile.

I have travelled a lot throughout the years, and every time I am out of the country for more than a week, I can count on losing 8-10 pounds at a minimum solely based on the surrounding food philosophies. This isn’t just me talking, either. It’s a reported fact that the American way of processed, chemically manufactured and hormone-supported food is counterproductive to health and weight management. With obesity directly tied to these issues, is it any surprise the group without choice would fall privy to this issue?

I can tell you, I’ve never seen a food drive that produced organic donations. The possibility for fresh produce is non-existent simply based on the procedures within the system, and frozen vegetables are a rare donation since the average American family depends on them to meet their food pyramid demands. Additionally, real meat products are more seasonal than standard. On special occasions, such as Easter, Thanksgiving and Easter, a special meat will be provided in a food box, such as a small ham, a whole chicken or a roast. These generous gifts are from grocers who have overstocked for the special occasion and certainly not reflective of a scheduled supply.

The weight of a person is no indication of need. Can’t you see the problem?

Before you pass judgments on the true need of the less fortunate, why not think about the facts and do the math as you eat your second organic muffin and drink your grande macchiato?

A Week in the Life of the Lazy Long-term Unemployed

~ gannebassett ~ 1 Comment

My friend Max Weiss said I should blog about the long-term unemployed experience.

Who’d want to read about that dreadful, depressing journey? And why would anyone dealing with the day-to-day struggle want to spend even more time in the drudgery talking about it?

“It’s relevant, timely, and insightful; it challenges the narrow-minded thinking of the right wing. And it could be cathartic.”

She’s a magazine editor. Surely she knows.

A Week in the Life

Have you heard? The long-term unemployed are lazy, lacking drive and motivation, and entitlement programs discourage recipients from finding work.

This week, I applied for the following positions:

(4) Facilities Manager
(2) Project Manager
(1) Administrative Facilities Support
(1) Non-profit
(1) Teaching (TESOL)

For those of you who haven’t had the pleasure of completing online applications, correcting erroneously populated data fields, taking mandatory tests, personalizing the cover letters, and completing questionnaires specific to the company and job, the process is much longer than simply forwarding your resume.

Additionally, I signed up with an International Recruiting Company for opportunities in the US and abroad, resubmitted my Peace Corp application, signed up for the Foreign Services testing in June and worked on ramping up my LinkedIn Profile.

I spent two hours in a mandatory debt counseling class before I could talk with a lawyer about the bullying I have received from my mortgage company. After determining I had cut back expenses in my life more than most people, and had actually come up with quite creative ways to reduce costs, they forwarded me to another organization. I spent another two hours going through their process. I then spent an hour compiling the paperwork they requested.

In an effort to make a little extra money, I trained two people in a software program, created a database, pitched an article idea to a newspaper and a magazine, and sold a sketch. This was in between the time I caulked and painted around the top of the chimney, mowed the lawn, provided a statement to an insurance company regarding an accident I witnessed, assisted a stranded motorist in getting her car to the garage, completed two modules in a French course, participated in a conference call on networking in the FM industry, and had my car repaired when the gasket leaked.

Of course, this is all above and beyond the time spent doing laundry, cooking, cleaning, attending small group, and the other day-to-day responsibilities so often taken for granted.

I’ve been considered long-term unemployed for two years now, and yes, clearly I’m lazy (spoken with abundant sarcasm).

Here’s the thing. I’m busy trying to rebuild my life in a system that is blocking my every move. I’m engaged in a war that most people only peripherally know is being waged much less understand what it’s like on the front lines. Perhaps if people would put away their judgments and preconceived notions and actually do the work involved to understand what’s happening, they wouldn’t make such unmerited, foolish statements. But stepping outside your comfort zone takes work; it demands time, patience and attention. It’s a challenge, and more often than not the results of enlightenment are a whole lot of disappointment and hurt. It’s much easier to sit in the lap of luxury and call the less fortunate lazy.

Cheers! May you never face adversity.

The Caregiving Resume Gap

~ gannebassett ~ Leave a comment

They tell you to be honest when addressing gaps in your resume. Specific to caregiving, explain to the hiring manager why you made the decision, and assure them that the necessity has ended.

People are confused by caregiving. They see it as a noble effort; they respect you for the decision. They even admire the character that drove you to such selflessness. Sadly, many people still see themselves placing their parents in senior-living homes because the responsibility seems just too impossible.

In the end however, most hiring managers still see the justifiable gap in your work history as a negative. Being out the workforce for a long period has resulted in irrelevance, even if you’ve maintained certifications, taken courses and worked to stay abreast on industry news. It’s as if people see the caregiving experience as inconsequential.

It’s clear there is a general ignorance surrounding the work and skills involved in caregiving.

* Scheduling (multiple doctors, PT & OT, medicine)
* Biohazard clean-up and control
* Insurance negotiation
* Accounting
* Research
* Advocacy
* Professional corresponeance and reporting

These are transferable skills that are fundamental to any number of jobs and careers. So many people don’t seem to understand it goes beyond holding hands and providing emotional support, though I’d be lying if I didn’t admit this was the most meaningful aspect for me.

I can talk about the experience and the skills I developed during my time as a caregiver. I can use them in my day-to-day life; I can advise others. I can feel confident that I have grown and developed both personally and professionally. I can also watch people sit with eyes wide in shock and horror as I detail the battles, celebrate victories and acknowledge lessons learned. None of that matters as much to me as the memory of my mother’s hand caressing my cheek and thanking me for loving her so much.

I became long-term unemployed during my time as a caregiver. I have been penalized ever since.

The prejudice and stereotype surrounding the long-term unemployed is humiliating. It undermines who you are, diminishes your value and significance, and attempts to discredit the very real and valid experiences that brought you to this place. The real shame is on a system that places more importance on a resume timeline above character, a professional title above heart and perseverance, and experience at a corporate task above experience on the front lines of a battlefield. And make no mistake, caregiving and patient advocacy is a war. I hope you are never drafted.

What’s in a title?

~ gannebassett ~ Leave a comment

There comes a time when you have to start looking for jobs in areas that may not be your so-called area of expertise. I actually reached that point long, long ago, but today I had an interview that placed a spotlight on yet another level of insanity in the job search.

The interview was for a Customer Service Representative.

The job description explains the position would be in a call center environment, responding to new requests, complaints and service orders from established accounts. Systems furniture experience a plus.

I come from a Facilities Management background. For those of you who don’t know what that means, I have explained this further in a previous blog: http://wp.me/p3HHLR-7M. Relevant to this current job opportunity, I have been the person employees call when something environmental is preventing them from being functional and productive in their positions.

For the general “worker bee,” a colloquialism often used to describe the staff you find in support areas (such as the mail room, copy center or reception desk) and in the sea of standard cubicles, the requests would involve a wide range of issues. Fedex didn’t pick-up the packages, there’s no diet coke in the vending machine, there’s a foul odor coming from the drain in the restroom, the flourescent light is flickering, a power outlet doesn’t work, the cube isn’t set-up for a left-handed person, the copy machine is jammed, the keyboard tray is causing carpel tunnel syndrome, someone cooked fish in the microwave and the smell is causing mass nausea, the courier stole my honey bun…

Middle manager calls are geared a little differently. Their calls sound more like this:

* My team needs to be seated in the same cubicle cluster so they can effectively brainstorm
* We don’t have a departmental printer
* Our system needs UPS backup
* The A/V system in the conference room doesn’t work
* There aren’t enough filing cabinets
* It’s always cold
* It’s always hot
* Why don’t we have a bigger breakroom?

Then there are the executive calls. Mission critical resources need to have generator back-up, what are the disaster recovery plans, our competitor has Kate Spade chins, raised flooring is required, the caterer needs a serving area, the flower arrangement in the lobby is hideous, I’d rather have a cheery wood desk, someone is stinking up the executive restroom…

Yes, clearly the Facilities Manager job involves a great deal of customer service. Since it also involves space planning and the build-out of cubicle spaces using systems furniture, I’d be a great fit for this position. Right?

“I don’t see your Customer Service positions on your resume.”

There’s a reason the “experts” tell you to go with a functional resume when applying for jobs involving transferable skills rather than title matching for the position. It’s so you can see the actual “customer service” that has been performed. You can see the skill at work.

I point out the Customer Service section outlining this specific experience and my career successes.

“But you haven’t actually been a Customer Service specialist.”

I discuss how Facilities Management is by definition a customer service specialist, regaling him with a few stories of customer service scenarios and the aligning procedures. We talk about difficult situations and positive outcomes. We discuss systems furniture, the job specific requests and how I would approach the customer. He is clearly impressed.

Or is he?

“We’re looking for someone who’s been an actual Customer Service Specialist.”

Ummm…Forty minutes into this interview and it’s become clear experience isn’t as important as title.

Note to self: Next time don’t waste time on that “functional resume.” Just be creative with the job titles; it involves less editing since the experience remains the same. And if they call to check references, don’t worry about the lie. You can always say they did a re-org and the position titles changed. After all, what’s in a title? A title by any name is still the same.

And to the college kid who had Customer Service Specialist experience from his fast food service days and therefore got the job, but now has no idea how to handle the customer who just went ballistic because her ped drawer locked on its own and she can’t get to her cell phone: Congratulations.

Thinking about one battle in the war on poverty

~ gannebassett ~ Leave a comment

They’re at it again.  Our politicians are arguing over the war on poverty, or rather what causes the failure of this war on poverty.  They call it the downside to the recovering economy: the rich get richer and the poor get poorer.  Economic inequality is the downside of any economy.  It’s just felt more during a recovery because the “new” poor don’t recover as fast, if at all.  They haven’t grown accustomed to navigating a broken system and enduring the inevitable prejudice.

The parties agree we have a problem, but where the Republicans feel we cannot extend employment/welfare benefits and further increase the national deficit, the Democrats believe unemployment insurance actually helps the economy and therefore reduces the deficit in the long run.  This is the same old argument.

You know that old saying about the definition of insanity: doing the same thing over and over against but expecting different results.

Why can’t our leaders begin to think outside of the box? Better yet, why don’t they get out of the rich seat of clueless patronization and work with the poor to find a solution? Perhaps even try to break it down a little more like the average American, or foreigner for that matter?

Unemployment is an issue.   We have standard unemployment insurance guidelines that work during a healthy economy, but seem to fail during a depression and the recovery that follows.  Why?  The length of unemployment extends beyond the standard timeline.  That seems to be understood since the usual response is to provide benefit extension (additional 16 or 21 weeks) in tiers based on the unemployment level in each state at the time.  So the problem is understood, but the standard response to that problem – unemployment extensions – are not working and further strain the budget.

Here’s something else that’s common knowledge and proven through research.  The long-term unemployed, defined as anyone who had been out of work for greater  than 6 months, face discrimination in the workplace.   Experience and skill level takes a back seat to that timeline of joblessness and the stigma it carries.  So, at a time when unemployment benefits are set to expire, it becomes exponentially more difficult to gain employment.

The traditional answer, to extend benefits, addresses the need for money to survive, but doesn’t address the root of the problem: joblessness.  Job growth initiatives address the overall numbers (e.g. this many new jobs = this many off unemployment docket).  Yet that doesn’t appear to be impacting the social program dollars as much as the reporting numbers themselves.  Why?

Just a thought.  New jobs go to newly unemployeed.  The long-term unemployeed remain in the system, and begin accessing other programs the longer they are jobless.  They also cease to be strong contributors to the overall economy.  It’s logical really.  The person who is recently unemployeed is using the funds of a working system, the standard unemployment measures.  They haven’t started tapping into their savings to survive (yet), haven’t fallen short on payments (yet), haven’t downsized (yet) and aren’t living on a shoe string budget (yet).  It’s the long-term unemployeed, those surviving on the benefit extension programs while facing all of these additional burdens, that start signing up for food stamps and other subsidies.  The long-term employment issue is a larger problem than the actual unemployment percentage.

So here’s a thought.  Why not offer incentives to companies who will hire the long-term unemployeed?  Why not help break the discrimination that is such a handicap before benefit extensions and other government subsidies are required?

Why not offer incentives to partner with their state department of labor to a greater level?  Instead of using it as just another posting board, use the department as an interactive recruiting and development forum?

Why not upgrade the set-up of the department of labor so it actually is functional and not preaching impossibilities instead of teaching how to overcome the reality?

How about incentives to corporations that provide grants to be issued through the department of labor to train long-term unemployeed on jobs specific to their business?   Or perhaps a program that provides priority treatment to the unemployeed who spend volunteer during their difficult time?

Why not actually start an education campaign – something real and felt, that touches the heart and opens the mind –  so we (and I’m including the President of the United States here) are not always reminding the policy makers that the unemployeed are not lazy?

Wait, why not create a War on Poverty initiative that actually involved the impoverished in the research, studies, policy and procedure creation and in building a new infrastructure?

Just as you can’t bring about change by making the same failing moves over and over and over again, you can’t manufacture a solution for poverty from the rich seats far from the problem, separated by a clouded, glass dome of delusions, lies and misinformation.

Unemployment isn’t the only issue.  Lord knows we’ve got a myriad of misconceptions and missteps to correct, and a stagnant system to completely revamp, but as our political leaders are pecking away at these problems can they at least try to approach it from a different side of the coo coo nest?  America would appreciate it.

Do you have creative ideas for turning the tide on the battle of unemployment in this war on poverty?

The Long-term Unemployment Crisis

~ gannebassett ~ Leave a comment

A recent article in the Atlantic reported on a study that examined the callback rates to interviews for a set of fake resumes where the only major difference was the duration the candidate had been unemployed.  The results weren’t surprising, and yet they do reflect a prejudice that may be setting up a snowball effect for future economic challenges, or at the very least a slower economic recovery.  It seems the biggest predictor of employment success for the job seeker is the length of time since your last job.  The invisible line of demarcation? Six months.

It’s not as if this concept hasn’t been around for years.  Explaining and underplaying these “gaps” is taught in almost every unemployment class and by recruiters and other advisors everywhere.  But in a time when economic crisis has pushed so many people beyond that six-month line is this a realistic demand for a hiring manager? Has this ideology become a prejudice that doesn’t only hurt job seekers, but the overall economic employment structure?

There are currently an estimated 4.6 million long-term unemployed in the United States, and 66% of those have been unemployed for over a year.  Did you process that?

To be counted as one of the long-term unemployed, an individual needs to have been out of the workforce for 6 months or more, be immediately available to start a job, and be actively pursuing employment.  Actively pursuing employment means sending out resumes, manually completing applications, interviewing or engaging in some activity that has the potential of actually gaining employment; simply searching job boards does not qualify as actively pursuing. There are 4.6 million people who meet the criteria, and according to many analysts that number is grossly underestimated.  Sixty-six percent, over 3 million of the “long-term unemployed,” have more than doubled the industry accepted amount of time to still be a viable candidate for employment.  Do you see the problem here?

These numbers increase monthly.  As new jobs open up, those people newly unemployed get the interviews, which logically results in the long-term unemployed continuing to be, well, unemployed and increasingly less viable.  Just to put numbers to this mayhem: 7.6% of the working-age population is unemployed and 40% of those have already reached the long-term unemployed status.  Every month those numbers increase as the number of new jobs reported are taken by the newly unemployed and the 3% of the working age population who are currently unemployed face a well-documented prejudice that will prevent them from obtaining employment.

Many analysts have started estimating the number of people dropping out of the workplace as a result of the long-term unemployed dilemma, and it is significant.  These numbers include the people who have chosen to stay-at home and adapt to becoming a one-income family, the people (usually those in their early 20s) who chose to go back to school for additional degrees, and those baby boomers who took an earlier retirement, electing to live beneath the level they originally worked to achieve, as well as those who have just given up and those who continue to look but are now requiring welfare assistance. The result of this exodus: the number of people in the workplace currently equates with the number of people in the workplace in 1980. That means the population increased, industry expanded with a burgeoning of hiring opportunities, and the number of college graduates increased exponentially and yet the workforce is smaller.  It also means there is a strain being placed on the system that weighs heavily against any job growth activity or economic initiatives.

It would seem some people are starting to think of the snowball effect beginning with continued foreclosures, reduced spending, and ending with an inadequate workforce as the jobs are created, but it doesn’t seem to be changing the attitudes in the workplace.  Hiring managers are stuck in the mindset they had during a good economy, not only regarding the 6-month demarcation, but also the notion that those long-term unemployed have not done their due diligence in remaining relevant to their industry.  The number of people seeking new certifications, joining networking groups, attending conferences, new trends/regulation downloads, etc. has remained the same even though the workforce has reduced.  How do you account for that if not for the unemployed staying firm in their goals and agendas?

There needs to be a paradigm shift, a real change in the ideologies and approaches to hiring.  The government initiatives for job growth are primarily geared toward the blue collar sector.  The stalemate is with the middle-management jobs and the white collar long-term unemployed who don’t have enough opportunities and aren’t considered for the few out there.  Even if they choose to “go where the jobs are” they need to first get trained in the blue collar sector.  They need training and certifications to work in the manufacturing and/or technical arenas that are opened.  That requires months and sometimes up to two years of training.  In the meantime, what do they do?  There’s not much they can do at this point.  They are caught in this Bermuda Triangle of a Long-term unemployment.  I wonder how long they will be lost in a system that has not adapted to the current crisis before change happens.