I had a job. The company didn’t realize that they actually had to sell product to stay in business. Almost all of the workforce was let go or furloughed. I’ve been unemployed for over a month now.
I’ve filled out dozens upon dozens of job apps, starting even before I lost my job. I have my resume public on job listings sites for employers and hiring agencies to find, and I’ve sent my resume to employers and hiring agencies directly. I look through the listings on job boards for each day, mostly limiting my search to a wage that would allow me to make ends meet at home. I’ve solicited and implemented advice from resume design experts. I’ve had one in-person interview, a few preliminary phone interviews, and a couple of message conversations between recruiters and myself. The one in-person interview I had would not have paid enough for my monthly expenses and I was overqualified for the position; they decided against hiring me. I had another interview scheduled and confirmed via a hiring agency’s AI text bot and a human agent’s text; I drove to the scheduled interview place and time and they had no idea that I was supposed to be interviewed. All other communication has either been flat-out rejection or just left me hanging.
I have a Bachelor’s of Science degree from a top 25 ranked university in the US. I have no criminal record. I do have multiple disabilities but they are generally mitigable enough to not affect my work. I have references of my (now) former boss and a (now) former coworker who both praise my impact and aptitude in the factory and office workplace. I’m evidently overqualified for positions that don’t require higher experiences and I’m underqualified for nearly everything else; I can’t get experience in most niche or broad fields because nearly every position requires these experiences to have already been met. I try to follow all the invisible rules of applying and social etiquette. I am too physically ugly to sell my body. It feels like there’s always been a magical aura about me that makes people dislike me no matter how much I try to do the ethically or socially right thing. How am I supposed to get an income to survive?
This year in particular has just been a fucking awful job market. I lost my job in January and had severance last a couple months, but even after spending every day reading job boards and filing job applications until I was emotionally exhausted, I had zero callbacks for seven months. It was only a few months ago that I got two interviews, and I got offers from both. As soon as I accepted, I had some other companies suddenly crawling to me with offers. I’m still recovering from my debts accrued in that time, but I’m finally in a much better place now. Keep going at it, and I promise something will crack.
I will say in advance that I’m sorry this won’t help you and it might make you feel worse, so don’t read on… when I was in high school back in the 90s, we had a regular substitute teacher. Dr. Bronk. Dr. Bronk had a PhD in some very obscure area of botany and couldn’t get a job in his field, so he was a substitute teacher. Even back then I felt bad for him.
What is your degree in?
Which city are you from ? How much money do you have to spare ? How risk taking capacity do you have ? How old are you ?
Sell feet pics on only fans.
How do you know if your feets are sexeynuff?
If you’re a man willing to make gay feet content, then your feet just need to be sweaty or dirty, not sexy. Hairy helps too.
do clicky-length toenails add or detract?
just wondering… uh, academically…
I don’t know. I actually hate feet, but I get the content sometimes in my feeds. Hopefully someone else will come along and answer you.
nah just being silly. good luck man, I think feet are pretty gross too.
That last bit about your unlikeable aura, you should get someone to give you honest feedback on what you’re doing wrong.
The thing is, once you’ve been stuck in it for so long everywhere, you don’t know how the few people whom you find judicious and honest and whose general input you respect and appreciate can also somehow be sane and in-touch if they are the anomalies who think the same of you. You question if praise and affirmation from them is just an overly polite way of hiding pity and disdain. Even if their analysis says all is good, does that really mean all is good? That’s why I described it as magical, because it’s internally contradictory and independent of social setting. Since I can’t even get to the interview stage, then the text of the resume as approved by others becomes a conduit for the aura to affect the potential employers simply because the resume is mine. That’s the conceit I mean when I say it’s like magic.
Not trying to be a dick. But if this is the way you write and communicate to recruiters this is the issue. I have to read your paragraphs multiple times to just figure out what the hell you are trying to convey.
It’s overly dense, you sound like you have your first thesaurus, and you write to much unnecessary filler. It’s incredibly hard to digest.
That comment was an explanation of layered figurative language. It was given artistic flourish to convey the emotion and situation in experienced subjective depth rather than the objective and literal point of view of an outsider. I am more succinct and linear in settings for which I have to communicate professionally.
I have to agree here.
You need a sense check on your comms.
Possible Autism or not. You alluded to it in another comment about you possibly being mistaken for AI in your letters.
Sadly, masking may need to be a strategy you play here, for a while.
https://www.tiktok.com/t/ZP8NJHMJy/
Respectfully, the above meme is how every single word you’ve typed in this thread sounds and I imagine your conversations go.
Again, not trying to shit in you. But if this is even remotely how you communicate everyone thinks your autistic. Not in a mean way but your intonation and detail scream autism.
And I’m not a doctor when any qualifications or trying to diagnose. But I can tell you right now you need to practice how to be less precise and err on the side of brevity.
I sure hope you’re not trying to shit in anybody. (⊙_⊙;)
I was going to make fun of that but realized it’s probably a kink somewhere…
Are you autistic? Not meant as an insult, but a genuine question. You write very verbosely and might benefit from working on being more straightforward.
I’ve not been diagnosed but I wouldn’t be surprised if I were. I think the verbosity and run-on sentences are coming out strong right now since I’m stressed over the job stuff, it’s late at night, and Lemmy is a fairly casual forum. As William Shakespeare said, “Brevity”.
You just have to keep applying until you find something.
Also, have you applied for unemployment? If not, do so immediately.
~~I believe the state deadline to do that was by the Friday after losing the job, and buried in the fine text is a line mentioning that certain info has to be submitted at least a day prior to that Friday. I didn’t have required information for the bureaucracy at that time and I really didn’t expect the process to take so long or to be so absurd. ~~ Edit: The state’s phrasing confused me, ignore the strikethroughed text
I’ve been familiar with the Sisyphean routine of offering myself to other parties only to be met with sharp rejection each and every time since before I entered the job market.
What state do you live in? I used to take unemployment claims and there was no requirement to file the initial claim by a specific date (though I’m sure there would eventually be a cutoff). The hard deadlines were once the claim was filled because claimants have to go in weekly and certify that they’re still unemployed and actively looking for work. It’s possible you can still apply, and layoffs tend to be processed faster. I’d strongly recommend trying. The worst they can say is no.
Also, I realize your situation really sucks, and I don’t want to downplay that at all, but I wouldn’t be surprised if at least some of your expectation that you’ll be rejected is coming through in interviews. Interviews are at least part about how good your acting skills are, which is ass, but also reality. I have often crippling depression and anxiety, but I’m great at faking positive and confident, and I’ve been offered most of the jobs I’ve interviewed for in my life. Not because I’m always the most educated or experienced candidate, but because I seem like I’ll be tolerable to work with.
Oh and lie if you’re overqualified - say you’re looking to take a step back because you want to go back to school or something. Stupid but people respond better to that than the idea that we want to pay our bills and a job is a job.
Rules vary from state to state. I just double checked my state’s .gov site and it verified what I had said before. I can try to see if they’ll accept it late but the fine text doesn’t look like they would.
I wouldn’t be surprised if at least some of your expectation that you’ll be rejected is coming through in interviews.
The thing is that I have to get to the interview stage first; for 99% of this process, it’s just been typed words with no direct interaction with a human person. For the one in-person I’ve had, I probably did show some discomfort because I was caught by surprise having to wear earplugs for a facility tour and they’d be required for the job but I have a medical condition that makes earplugs difficult and painful for one ear. I don’t believe a lack of confidence was conveyed in the phone interviews (apart from one really weird and unexpected AI voice interview), and I believe I came across confident for the one video call interview which was for a job I had only heard of a half hour prior.
(In the US) No, you are either misuderstanding unemployment or you read wrong information. There is no such elgiblity requirement in any state.
File for unemployment. You have nothing to lose by trying. Get an official decline, and even then, dispute it.
I went through it a few months ago and for California, at least, the only restrictions were a 2-year limit to be on it, you have to check in weekly to attest to regularly searching/applying, and that you were ‘let go’ through no fault of your own. (i.e. quit or fired)
To add, they will generally set up an eligibility interview over the phone with a social worker before any decisions are made.
I would also suggest to apply for health insurance through the ACA’s website as it takes a bit of time and you don’t want to be stuck without and get injured or with a penalty. (if mandated by your state) It’s generally at no cost if you don’t have an income and can be canceled when you do.
You guys say you hate corporate culture yet have no problem faking positive and confident to get a job. Curious! I am very intelligent.
Yeah, many people hate the system yet for some reason also have to eat and pay rent. It’s so strange.
It’s easier to change a system from the inside, possibly with a union, rather than by protesting by yourself
I believe the state deadline to do that was by the Friday after losing the job, and buried in the fine text is a line mentioning that certain info has to be submitted at least a day prior to that Friday. I didn’t have required information for the bureaucracy at that time and I really didn’t expect the process to take so long or to be so absurd.
you need to talk to someone about this because I really doubt whatever you perceived / were told is accurate. Also employers have a vested interest in you NOT applying for unemployment as many states require them to pay a portion of it when firing/laying off.
In any of these situations you’ve described, do not be the one that stops yourself. You’ll probably need to go into the office in person and explain the stress you’ve been through and how you’re unfamiliar with the process.
Apply to some staffing/temp agencies in your area.
Acquire a trade
Like reading? OP has employable skills.
I recently ended my job hunt not too long ago. You need throughput in putting out resumes and cover letters. Use ChatGPT and have it generate cover letters for each job posting. Edit it so it doesn’t obviously read like it was generated from an LLM and get rid of any experiences it hallucinates on your behalf. It works better if your template resume is similar to the job posting in wording.
Generating matching resumes and cover letters used to take up about an hour for me per application before ChatGPT. Now it takes about 15 minutes per application. Use that speed (and decreased mental labor) to your advantage. More jobs applied to means more potential hits.
Applying for jobs is the suck, so use whatever tools you can to lessen the suck.
Thanks. My natural verbiage is commonly mistaken for an LLM, whether that would be a good thing or a bad thing for that approach.
Ur a natural, you’ll be fine. Watch a tutorial on it to get the hang of it and off to races
I don’t think it’s a very big issue anymore. Most modern companies know that you’re using gpt to help you write you letters. If you manage to sound more authentic, that would probably be helpful. But a gpt letter is better than no letter. Quantity over quality in this case.
Use AI to apply, because they use AI to reject applications.
You probably need to hire an interview coach to tell you what you are doing and saying wrong
I know you’re looking for more immediate and stable income, but: Are you able to make anything? If you want to try your hand at a business, I’d be glad to help you with the tech stack side of things pro bono. I can get you set up with domain, email, website, and a marketing suite at least; I’ve also started four companies of my own so I can help you with the paperwork and structure stuff for that if you wanted.
I do this sort of thing entirely via email and video call for SMEs at my day job. It wouldn’t be steady at first and you might have to stop when you find a job… But in the meantime, while you’re looking, it’s work you can make for yourself. And who knows? Maybe it would become enough to sustain you on its own.
Just spitballing, anyway. Offer’s there 😊 Good luck!
Hi there! While my situation is not as dire as the OPs, I’m in a similar boat and am looking to set up an online presence for my services in the near-future. I don’t expect you to provide me with the same offer, or even a response, but I figured I’d ask. If there are any guides or resources you recommend, I’d appreciate anything. Thank you for your comment, it’s a good idea for people in similar situations and spurred me to more seriously consider such options
I love lemmy for people like you!! Feel like this type of generosity just doesn’t show up on other platforms. OP please see this^
IF OP doesn’t take you up on that, I will.
That’s incredibly generous. Hopefully OP sees this!
I love how everyones advice here is pretty much “just lie”. Really says somthing about our society hey.
Yeah. It says that the game is rigged and you have no choice.
People are corporations now
Corpos set the rules, pedons got to pay the bills.
In persona dealings lying is bad, having to deal with corpos, you aint playing if you aint lying.
Treat employment relationship as if you are managing cancer… they operate about the same.
Corruption is the standard. If you aren’t playing it, you aren’t playing.
Not a content pirate, by chance?..
I would never engage in illegal or immoral activity especially something as disgusting as piracy. Do u know how much caviar the shairholders wont be able to afford if u download a car. They will starve. Think of the shairholders.
king…
In my experience unless you’re friends with someone at the company. You need to be a unicorn candidate when applying on your own.
Entry level is an illusion they want people to take entry level pay with 10+ years of experience.
I was able to get my first industry job through the career services department at my school. So if your university is as good as they claim they’ll have something akin to that.
So I don’t know if you tried looking for state jobs.
I see you are in Michigan so, apply for something that you’re overqualified for and then work the job until you’re past the probation period.
Then, apply for the job you want. They hire internally first for pretty much every position. This is how several people’s experience go about how they got into their current position with the state at DHHS.
A popular position for getting your foot in the door is processing food stamp applications. It’s remote and doesn’t require a bachelor’s degree, so having a bachelor’s degree will likely get you an interview.
Also, this applies in general:
Applicant recruiting software usually looks for key words.
Look at the ad & attached position description and highlight the words and phrases used.
Include them in your resume, cover letter, application. You have to tailor your application to each position. It’s a royal pain, but that’s how most recruiting software works.
I would also urge you to call the respective departments/agencies HR departments and ask about the position. A current employee may be able to flag your application depending on whom you speak to.
Either that or try MDOC as some say it is the easiest way into the State. Its not for everyone but its an option. They always look for people.
So to summarize
Use exact words and terms from the job description on your application. The software will search and grade your application by these hits.
Keep it short. Use only one font. The software diagnoses the beginning font and can’t read anything that deviates from the font.
Apply for an entry level position and work your way up to the position you actually want.
Other options
Check the community college job postings near where you live! When they are about to start a new semester, they usually have openings
On that note, The schools are always hiring. It varies depending on the district, but Livonia school for example is looking for the following:
https://www.applitrack.com/livoniapublicschools/onlineapp/default.aspx?all=1
Manufacturing is ALWAYS hiring. Drive by just about any plant in the Metro Detroit area and probably there will be ‘now hiring’ signs all over the place.
No experience will probably start around $15/hr, but if you learn fast & want to advance, there are usually ways to move up pretty quickly.
Check out mml.org’s classifieds if you haven’t already. Again, people often overlook city government jobs but the pay is often decent and have good benefits. Some also tend to browse governmentjobs.com.
Oakland County seems to have lots of different jobs available.
Try contacting an agency like kelly or arrow strategies if you’re in tech.
Remember we are near the end of year. December January February are basically dead time for gigs, they all pick up on march
