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The Unemployment Counselor DOESN'T GET IT (a rant)
"Have you researched any companies?"
Uh, no? How do I pick a company? I could spend DAYS doing that. Shouldn't I have a particular opening in mind first?
"Have you applied anywhere?"
Also no, because I haven't found anything that I qualify for that I can actually GET TO. There was one opening that I would have applied for but apparently the BUS COMPANY DOESN'T GO THERE.
"The bus company website is great for finding out how to get to a place."
NO IT'S NOT. If you can't figure out EXACTLY how they word a particular location or address, you get an error message (and I always get a thing asking me if I'm looking for someplace in Niagara Falls. Why N.F., I have no idea). I just Google the address and the info I get there is usually better, except that they often overlook the easiest and fastest way to get to a place, and give some goofy convoluted route that involves two buses, a train, 15 minutes of walking and a yak.
But hey, dude who drives to work knows better than I do, right...?
Oh, and suddenly, I'm required to PUT IN 3 APPLICATIONS PER WEEK. Excuse me, where does it say that on your site? Because that's not what I remember reading. It said 3 job search activities per week, done on 3 different days. That's not the same thing.
Also, NO, I cannot apply for the sales job at [local IT company] because, contrary to your poor reading comprehension skills, it does not say "Bachelor's Degree preferred...which means they don't require it"....it says "Required: Bachelor's Degree, preferably in [blah blah 3 specific fields...]"
It's very easy for someone who HAS a job to say that I need to look outside of my old job criteria, and take anything that's offered regardless of how much it pays. I already know I need to look at different types of work, but I have no idea WHAT KIND of work, and I can't accept a job that pays, say, $10.50 an hour because it won't pay the bills. How am I supposed to replace the $200-$300 a week I'd be losing?
There is this ridiculous concept of putting in applications just anywhere, just to fulfill the requirements of the work search. But then after a certain amount of time passes, the site says you are required to take any job you're offered. So it doesn't make sense to put in for a job that you know you can't do (something the job counselor last week specifically said not to do) or one that pays significantly less than you can afford to live on.
I didn't bother certifying for benefits for the last 3 weeks because I know I didn't fulfill the requirements. This week I had the one meeting today, and there's a job fair at the library on Wed. I can also go back to the career center for resume help, because that counts toward the required activities. But I still have to find 3 jobs that I can at least partly qualify for, that I can get to, and apply for them. I will probably not even bother trying to get unemp. benefits for this week, either.
I know I have to apply in order to get a job. I just feel really, really lost.
TL, DR: Job searching is a major PITA esp when you haven't done it in 40 years.
Uh, no? How do I pick a company? I could spend DAYS doing that. Shouldn't I have a particular opening in mind first?
"Have you applied anywhere?"
Also no, because I haven't found anything that I qualify for that I can actually GET TO. There was one opening that I would have applied for but apparently the BUS COMPANY DOESN'T GO THERE.
"The bus company website is great for finding out how to get to a place."
NO IT'S NOT. If you can't figure out EXACTLY how they word a particular location or address, you get an error message (and I always get a thing asking me if I'm looking for someplace in Niagara Falls. Why N.F., I have no idea). I just Google the address and the info I get there is usually better, except that they often overlook the easiest and fastest way to get to a place, and give some goofy convoluted route that involves two buses, a train, 15 minutes of walking and a yak.
But hey, dude who drives to work knows better than I do, right...?
Oh, and suddenly, I'm required to PUT IN 3 APPLICATIONS PER WEEK. Excuse me, where does it say that on your site? Because that's not what I remember reading. It said 3 job search activities per week, done on 3 different days. That's not the same thing.
Also, NO, I cannot apply for the sales job at [local IT company] because, contrary to your poor reading comprehension skills, it does not say "Bachelor's Degree preferred...which means they don't require it"....it says "Required: Bachelor's Degree, preferably in [blah blah 3 specific fields...]"
It's very easy for someone who HAS a job to say that I need to look outside of my old job criteria, and take anything that's offered regardless of how much it pays. I already know I need to look at different types of work, but I have no idea WHAT KIND of work, and I can't accept a job that pays, say, $10.50 an hour because it won't pay the bills. How am I supposed to replace the $200-$300 a week I'd be losing?
There is this ridiculous concept of putting in applications just anywhere, just to fulfill the requirements of the work search. But then after a certain amount of time passes, the site says you are required to take any job you're offered. So it doesn't make sense to put in for a job that you know you can't do (something the job counselor last week specifically said not to do) or one that pays significantly less than you can afford to live on.
I didn't bother certifying for benefits for the last 3 weeks because I know I didn't fulfill the requirements. This week I had the one meeting today, and there's a job fair at the library on Wed. I can also go back to the career center for resume help, because that counts toward the required activities. But I still have to find 3 jobs that I can at least partly qualify for, that I can get to, and apply for them. I will probably not even bother trying to get unemp. benefits for this week, either.
I know I have to apply in order to get a job. I just feel really, really lost.
TL, DR: Job searching is a major PITA esp when you haven't done it in 40 years.
If you feel like going into actual debate and/or politics territory (as opposed to venting, which we welcome), take it to Fratching and drop a link in here.
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