2/7 - 11 Months of unemployment is near.

Saturday is approaching and marking the 11th month that I was terminated from my last job for being too old.

During that time I have contacted numerous companies either by cold calling or through job ads and so far nothing has transpired.

Even going through employment agencies have been a waste of time. Not one of them has picked up a finger to place me. I’ve been in touch with small agencies all the way up to the large firms like Robert Half, Korn Ferry, TekSystems and still nothing. I have to wonder what is wrong with them.

Answering ads from places like Monster.Com, Job Circle, Dice.Com, Zip Recruiter and what have you have yielded no results. I have to wonder if the ads are real or not. With Zip Recruiter it gathers ads from other sites but puts on the bottom of the ad when the ad as posted. Generally the ads are very old and there is nothing new. With TechCareers.Com a lot of times the ads no longer exist when you try to answer them.

Even then, I would say that over 98% of the ads are placed by employment agencies and not the employer direct so you have to wonder if your resume is even viewed at all. At least with an employer you can Google the company and go to the company website direct and avoid the places like Monster.

But still I am spinning my wheels on ice.

They say that the biggest un-tapped method to land a new job is by networking. Through this you can find the unadvertised jobs. So far that has yielded nothing as well. The only thing was a lead that went no where. At least it was a lead. Being a member of LinkedIn as not produced anything nor has reaching out to people on Facebook been fruitful.

I received a notice from the DoL that I have 14 weeks of unemployment left which will go in a heartbeat. Plus paying $2,000 a month for COBRA really puts a strain on things. We have no choice but to tap our savings and that will not last long here on Long Island. Soon a cardboard box might be our new home. Not a very comforting prospect.

I am really wondering if I will be working again soon, if at all. With the amount of discrimination that New York condones I have to think not. At least in the very near future.

Yet I still yearn for a job in the Keys. But so far no one from there has responded back to setup an interview, even by phone.

‘till next time