Check out the decline letter I got...what stands out to you?

[lifesbeautifulmagic]

Names removed to protect the innocent -- Is anyone in Washington DC paying attention to this.

"Dear xxxxx ,

Thank you for the time you invested in applying for the Administrative Specialist II opening with thexxxxxxxx Our staff have now completed their review of all 792 resumes we received. Unfortunately, they have determined you won't be among the nine candidates invited to interview.

I do wish I had better news to send you. Based on the high level of skills and experience possessed by each of the interviewees, it's clear the job market is extremely competitive right now. Again, we appreciate your interest in this position, and wish you well as you pursue your career goals."

Folks, my unemployment is about to run out. I have burned through my savings, and I expect if this keeps up, there is no happy ending for my family.

[Buzz Clik]

1. The part you put in bold?

It's rough when that many people are in the market for one position.

[shadowknows69]

20. No doubt. I've gone out for things that I'm probably in the top five qualified in this town for.

And not gotten even an interview. Friends and family being pushed to the top of the resume pile always helps, and I guess I don't know enough people.

[Samantha]

31. Are you over 50?

Did you command top dollar in your field while you held your previous job?

Sam

[shadowknows69]

36. No to both at the time. And the top dollar around here is pretty sad anyway.

They were jobs that weren't hard, but required "niche" skills, that not too many in the area had (IE. Media, advertising, communications and audio/video production). I suspect in a couple cases with my resume they may have thought I'd ask for "top dollar".

[deaniac21]

2. burned threw

[AspenRose]

5. Psst....this person just got turned down for a job.

Now is not an appropriate time to be a spelling Nazi.

[teenagebambam]

12. Not to mention

that "through" is correct in the first place

[Deja Q]

46. Not necessarily -- for unlike web discussion forums and sexting,

Companies are damn particular about ANY omissions, mistakes, you name it.

Want to call people nazis? Then get make the proper accusations to the proper people.

His criticism was somewhat harsh, but completely valid.

[AspenRose]

51. DU isn't a company.

Compassion. Get some.

[lifesbeautifulmagic]

10. changed it, thanks, posted haste and all that

and you must be employed, must be nice....not have all that worry, fear and stress

[SammyWinstonJack]

22. .

:hug:

[AspenRose]

3. :-(

I am so sorry.

792, my gosh...

[Serial Mom]

4. Aww, good luck - almost same boat here...

for a part time Admin Assistant, 202 applications were received at one of the jobs I applied for - long story about how far I got. Sad thing is they are looking for lots of experience, have lots of applicants, but now are paying on the LOW side!

Hope you find something - we have our house up for sale unless something comes for us!

[lifesbeautifulmagic]

9. yes, that is the big decision we keep putting off

the house we raised our child in, and have so much emotion vested in....praying things turn out better for both of us.

[Serial Mom]

14. so both you and husband out of work?

It's tough out there - we both are!

[lifesbeautifulmagic]

15. yes, totally different industries, different companies

lay offs within 6 months of each other, took us both by complete surprise, never thought I would be 50 and in this situation.

[stopbush]

21. And yet you've got the commitment to DU to have made a 3rd quarter donation.

I salute you!

[SammyWinstonJack]

23. Maybe some kind DUer donated for her?

:shrug:

[lifesbeautifulmagic]

25. YES, someone DID just donate for me....

the kindness of this place just amazes me, in a good way.... :)

I am not sure the appropriate forum to send thanks, but my day was just made.....

[stopbush]

32. Yeah, that's possible. Forgot about that.

[Serial Mom]

34. OMG same thing with us...

husband end of March - me end of June and both us in our 50s - too early to retire mainly becasue of health care costs, and can't go thru our savings this soon!

And never did we dream we would be in this position now, at this point in our lives!

[prolesunited]

6. At least you got a letter

All I hear is crickets chirping. I'm soon to be in the same boat. It sucks. I have a college education, worked hard all of my life and want to work hard now. It's insane.

[lifesbeautifulmagic]

13. A job, all I want is a job....

even the throw away places (Target, Walmart) are not hiring...

[Enrique]

7. the fact that they sent you one

to any employers out there, those letters help.

[lifesbeautifulmagic]

11. you win.

:)

[dixiegrrrrl]

8. Nothing I can say will be of comfort, I know.

My 40 y/o son is hiding out in part-time collge, part-time job, but has no dependents.

I do know that word of mouth and being extremely assertive was helpful when I faced the same situation. But, the job market then was not the job market of today.
And I survived only because I could share a house with others and have very very low rent.

All I can do is send positive thoughts your way.

[lifesbeautifulmagic]

16. Thanks, having people listen when you vent

sure helps...

[flvegan]

17. I'm sorry to hear of both this recent denial

and the current situation you are in. I hope things turn brighter for you and your family very soon.

[county worker]

18. What part of the country are you in?

The reason I ask is that in Santa Barbara County we have a web site where you check boxes listing your skills. When an opening comes up you are notified and can apply.

http://www.sbcountyhr.org/

We are still hiring for open positions that have been identified in the County's FY 09-10 budget. When there is an opening for a budgeted position the notices go out to those who check appropriate boxes.


Other counties may have the same thing.

[lifesbeautifulmagic]

26. pnw

I have been trying to focus on fed, state, city and county jobs. I never want to go through this again, although I do understand that government entities have lay offs as well, but it just makes me feel more secure...Thank you, that is very kind of you, and I hope that someone in my situation notices your post.

[county worker]

40. We do have layoffs but it depends on where your funding comes from.

I work in Alcohol, Drug and Mental Health. Most of our funding comes from Fed and State Grants, Medicare and Medical, and sales and vehicle license tax. We get little money from the general fund. When the general fund (mostly from property tax and permits) is going down the departments funded by the general fund lay off people.

We will probably have furloughs but the lost of income is spread out over the year so it isn't such a big hit. Plus we get good benefits.

So if you can get a county job in your area it may be a good thing. Also apply at temp agencies if you haven't already.

[wolfgangmo]

19. That sucks dude.

Seriously.

I do remember that I was once a professional musician and I used to play symphonic music. For every job that came open (which happened about once every year or 2) there were an average of 10,000 positions. I imagine that number is even worse now.

I know that factoid doesn't help you but I do understand the frustration. Keep your chin up --- you don't spill as much beer that way.

[lifesbeautifulmagic]

30. oh, those happy days when I could afford

a nice pale ale...

[Manifestor_of_Light]

37. Another classical musician!

I was a violin major in college and decided I didn't want to hide in a practice room for four hours a day and compete with the kids who went to Juilliard and Curtis and NECM.

Besides, I played all the classical repertory in high school and college, and it would be like being part of a human jukebox. It is not creative when you get to that level.

I ended up with a biology degree that never got me a job. And a law degree that never got me a job.

If I had it to do over, I would have gotten a BFA in painting, since none of those degrees helped me get a job.

I still enjoy my piano playing, though. :D

[bigmonkey]

41. Take up the fiddle!

Play for dances!

Sorry, I'm just always so envious of the apparently huge number of people who play classical violin. I'll never have those chops, I'm just a middle-aged guy who took up the fiddle late in life.

[Greyhound]

24. I'm very sorry for you, many of us have been down the road you're on.

Please, don't try to hang on too long.

[GoCubsGo]

27. Welcome to my world...

My unemployment benefits rain out almost TWO YEARS AGO! I was laid off of a job I was in for 20 years. I have a Masters degree. My savings are gone, too. I have managed to stay somewhat afloat in thanks only to some sporadic temp jobs, along with some loans and gifts from family member. My current temp job ends Sept. 30th. I have no replacement job of any kind in sight. I have been getting letters like yours all the time. Many came AFTER interviews. I am single, so no spouse to help pay the bills. AT 48-years-old, I'm looking at being forced to move back in with my parents. No happy ending here, either. I am sorry you were placed in this position. I know how much it sucks. I hope you have better luck getting out of it than I'm having. I am about ready to give up.

[lifesbeautifulmagic]

28. DO not give up....

we must stand together in this, my whole purpose of this post was to highlight the need for jobs. Personally, I feel that a jobs creation bill is as important as single payer or public option, and they both work together. We must continue to press and shout for both. Sending positive vibes for all of us in this horrible situation.

[lunatica]

29. This is just so sad!

All I can say is hang in there. You will abide.

[DU GrovelBot]

33. ## PLEASE DONATE TO DEMOCRATIC UNDERGROUND! ##

This week is our third quarter 2009 fund drive. Democratic Underground is
a completely independent website. We depend on donations from our members
to cover our costs. Please take a moment to donate! Thank you!

[Froward69]

44. The origional poster

sounds like he is in more desperate need.

[ayeshahaqqiqa]

35. so sorry for you

Don't know what your field is, but here's some ideas for a stop-gap measure. Hope some of them can help you.

1. Learn Quick Books. This is what I did after I was dumped from my last teaching job when the program didn't need me anymore. Quick Books is the accounting software that most small businesses use. I was able to talk my way into a position with a small business, and others I knew just did payroll for several businesses.

2. Do repairs. What are you handy at? My neighbor repairs computers, including taking off viruses, etc. Another neighbor does small remodeling jobs, mostly for the elderly, and keeps busy.

3. Provide services. Pet sitting, house sitting, picking up groceries for a homebound person--all sources of income. Home health around here is also always training folks, as is Special Services--a friend of mine stays with a mentally challenged woman a certain number of days a week, and makes a living wage doing it.


Hope some of these ideas help you.

[lifesbeautifulmagic]

38. Girl! you are like a mind reader

I have been taking classes since this happened, am signed up for quickbooks at the local community college, it is an intensive 5 credit course, starting in Sept. I want to take spanish as well, I have always wanted to learn to speak another language...

I love to sew and have been thinking about trying to turn that into a source of income, mending and custom sewing, so I do agree with you, and I haven't been sitting around eating worms, I am trying to be proactive. Still, I would rather have a regular job.

I realize after I re-read this thread that I sound like I am whining, and I guess I am, but really, it is not just about me, it is about those 700+ other that are out of work, who knows, my situation is bad, but theirs could be even worse. This country needs jobs, in a bad way.

[ayeshahaqqiqa]

49. since you sew,

check with local boutiques and health food stores, and make rice and millet bags. Simply sew a square or rectangle of plain cloth, fill with rice (I buy mine on sale at a salvage grocery for about a buck a pound or less) or millet, and perhaps herbs. Hand sew the gap. Then make a cover with a drawstring. I've done mine with patchwork or flannel scraps and have sold them with some success. Smaller ones with millet or other small grain can be used for eyes or sinuses. These bags can be heated in the microwave or placed in the freezer and are wonderful cold/hot packs.

[mascarax]

53. You are *not* whining!

Seriously.

I wish I knew someone who sews! I would definitely pay rather than drop off my need-to-be-hemmed pants and wait and wait because that's the level of service I've found.

I know 5 neighbors (including a husband and wife) who were laid off in the last 8 or so months...all still looking.

[drmeow]

39. I got an interview for a position

where they got about 900 applications. Again - somewhat specialized position (clinical research coordinator)

I was/am WAY overqualified for the position and they said that when they called for the interview but they wanted to talk to me about other options. I went into the interview and basically said, "Here's what I can do for you." The woman interviewing me kept saying, "I never thought about having someone in this position who could do that." We agreed that I wouldn't want the job as written (I would have been extremely bored after a few months) but she was going to see about revising the job description. Haven't heard back from her. The question of salary never came up but she may have assumed that I would want a higher salary than I'm willing to accept. Fortunately we can live without my salary.

[lifesbeautifulmagic]

42. I hope something comes of this for you

my husband is having similar problems, every place he even gets close too, keeps telling him he is over qualified, and "would be bored after a few months". My husband, who has been looking for work for over a year now, just keeps thinking "try me".

[drmeow]

43. I'm in a better position than you

If you were in my neck of the woods, I'd give up a job offer for one of you guys. My husband's job is secure (he's a tenured biology professor) unless the university closes completely and we've always budgeted as if I could lose my job any day (I've always been on annual contracts which might not be renewed).

[RubyDuby in GA]

45. There is a Kia plant opening in GA soon. I heard on the news yesterday that over the next 5 yrs

they will be hiring around 15K people. That is a huge amount, but the thing that stuck out was that over 40K people have already applied.

[Deja Q]

47. I've been uber-qualified for many jobs and can't get anywhere either...

This is a first; being told how many applicants there were.

:hug:

[nightrain]

48. re-train? nt

[midnight armadillo]

50. I have two jobs. Want one?

Ugh. 60-70 hour weeks are seriously burning me out. I need to keep it up until we are debt-free, then the main job working in the defense industry (killing my soul) will be enough.

[backwoodsbob]

52. it's bad right now

where I work it's decent pay but HARD labor and we have lots of white collar types applying just hoping to make a living