Entering Week Three

Unemployment in the dead of winter could be incredibly depressing and yes I've had those days where I don't get out of bed.  But on my good days, I have been able to register with three staffing firms, had two full-time permanent job interviews, and am set up with an outplacement agency.  That creates glimmers of hope on the horizon.  I'm also really lucky to have a severance package so money panic isn't too high right now.  It will kick in around May if nothing has panned out.

Right now, I am focusing on finding a full-time permanent accounting/finance position.  I was a Staff Accountant this past year and the years before that I was a Financial Analyst.  Just give me a desk, an ERP system, and loads of data in Excel, I'd be happy.  Since I've been laid off from huge corporations three times, I'm looking at start-ups, non-profits, or higher ed as possibilities.  I'm also thinking of setting up Microsoft Excel training through a couple local charities for job seekers. It will be something to do and will keep me sharp.

On the bad days, my thinking goes to really dark places like how I can't envision a future for myself. Basically feeling like if I can't work, I'll be in my fifties on the streets. I also wonder if it was easier to lay me off since I self identified as disabled.  The other day, a guy offered me money to blow him (oh Quincy, I love thee) and I said no since it isn't May yet.  I kid!  I kid!

It is interesting to notice what I enjoy/respond to changing now that my life is in flux.  I don't think it's a coincidence that I devoured two seasons of House of Cards.  Come on, if I was Frank Underwood I would not have been laid off. Two other people would be and there might be a dead body somewhere.  

When I saw the play Coriolanus, my crush on Tom Hiddleston could not alleviate my disgust for Coriolanus the character. Ugh, if he mentioned his wounds one more time... Actually, I don't know if that's a combination of Tom doing a great acting job and me being a plebeian newbie wanting her grain.  It is a great production BTW and you can still see it in the U.S.

I do have to say my friends and family have really rallied around me which helps my spirits and broadens my network with job leads.  Feeling like a connected human being not a patient with the unemployment plague makes me a better interviewee at least!  The cats are loving having me home so much.  There is a lot more snuggling nowadays.  I'm getting through my Netflix queue as well (Bad Milo - dumb, Drinking Buddies - good but not fulfilling, and Crystal Fairy - really good).  The apartment is cleaner.

Make Ourselves Miserable or Make Ourselves Strong

I had an epiphany today.  For the last couple of years, I've had to deal with chronic pain from the car accident injuries.  I had trouble with daily tasks and went to physical therapy 3 times to address the muscular skeletal issues.

Guess what I did today?  I shoveled a good third of my apartment's driveway.  I am not lying prone on a heating pad or popping pain pills.  Sure, I'm sore but I'm not this fragile pain-wracked shell anymore.  I made sure I was smart about the shoveling and man it's so nice to be surprised by your own strength!

Hmmm... could that become a metaphor for my current job situation?  Yesterday was the day I let myself cry and feel emotions about the lay-off.  I got two phone calls from recruiters yesterday and since I was in my feely space, I wound up crying on the phone with them.  One gentleman was quite simply amazing.  He told me that it's okay to be upset and that I have an amazing background with a lot of experience.   I told him that I needed that recorded so I could play it on repeat and thanked him for his kind words. I have an interview with him tomorrow.  The human touch helps so much in these situations!

And since I am a numbers gal, I find a lot of comfort in analysis.  So, I developed a breakdown of my days of employment versus unemployment by company since my first lay-off in 2007.  The most recent is on top.

So, from the above you can see I have two recent jobs that have lasted for quite some time (with the 63 day blip in between).  And the most recent span of unemployment is just two months that happened in 2012.  So, the job market is probably not back at 2005 levels but there is improvement and you can see it from my experiences.  

I'll weather this latest challenge and let's say my goal is to land a job that lasts more than 611 days?  Since my body can heal and get stronger, my career can too!

Same Song, Different Verse

This morning I was laid off from my job due to a departmental reorganization.  All of us knew that there would be changes happening in our department.  From what I understood, the focus was outsourcing functions and moving people around.  The general timeline was April for when the big changes would happen.  I was the only person laid off today but my manager let me know that more will come.

Of course I'm shocked and upset.  But I was given a nice severance package so the panic isn't too severe.  Also, I am coming off of a year as a full-time permanent employee so I don't look like this unhirable temping flake. As part of the severance package, I will have 3 months of outplacement counseling.  I am going to make full use of that!  My health benefits run out at the end of the month and then I have the option to use COBRA.

I also have to say, being let go at this company was handled really well.  My direct supervisor is new to his role so I dealt with his manager who I had worked with often.  She actually cried as we discussed next moves so that made me feel weirdly better.  Also, rather than have me say goodbye in people's cubicles, she brought people in one by one to an empty conference room so I could say goodbye.  I really appreciated that and some people were more upset than me!  The manager also helped me pack up my cubicle.  So, I left the company feeling sad but very supported emotionally.

My plan is for the next two days to be my recovery period - let myself cry, freak out, and get angry.  Then, it's time to work on getting a new job!  How is the market out there?  I've been out for two years.