February 2010
51 posts
5 tags
COBRA Extension Rejected: Sign Petition to Extend. →
By now you are probably aware that the Federal subsidies for COBRA benefits expires today. The extension was blocked by Kentucky Senator Jim Bunning. While there is still time for UI benefits to be extended for the vast majority of those collecting, this expiration will have immediate consequences for those with chronic problems; Cancer treatments, dialysis, etc. all count as chronic problems....
3 tags
Sunday Blog Brunch: My Unemployed Journey.
(Ed.Note) Welcome to our journey into the world of recession blogs! The 405 Club wants to get personal via a handful of questions with our favorite fellow bloggers who are documenting the recession and unemployment firsthand.
Joining us today is a father of 3 who was handed his first pink slip after 25 years of work, now the author of My Unemployed Journey.
...
5 tags
Is Your Breaking Point On The Horizon?
i’ll be honest. i currently enjoy having the time to cook a variety of delectables that i see on america’s test kitchen, make sure all the laundry is done, clean the bathroom, practice the viola, and get caught up on battlestar gallactica. these are definitely things i didn’t have the time to do only a few weeks ago. but, in the long run, i don’t know if that’s going to be enough.
until recently,...
5 tags
Unemployment: Initial Claims Jump.
When I first saw the headline number, I thought “Someone tell me that this is a consequence of the weather and not a sign that the labor market is starting to crumble again.” Spoiler: it’s the seasonal adjustment. The Unemployment Insurance Weekly Claims Report has been released. Initial claims grew to 496,000 while last week’s figure was revised up 1,000. This was was actually inside the...
6 tags
Inbox 405: Has Today's Snow Storm Affected Your...
It’s a crazy winter wonderland out there today in the NY metro area and it just keeps coming. Anyone else snowed in? Anyone have an interview canceled today due to the storm? Anyone enjoying/annoyed with having their roommates, wives, or husbands working remotely from home today? Let us know below. Fellow Tumblr bloggers can also reply with a photo post!
8 tags
Free Photo Books Every Month.
(Ed. Note) It’s no secret that the unemployed like to or have to save money where they can. As such an important component of our lifestyle it was only right to team up with FrugalNYC, a premier resource for frugal city living, as we present Frugal Fridays! Enjoy.
Do you have a ton of photos living online on Facebook, Flickr, your blog and a ton of photo sharing sites? Sharing it online is...
5 tags
(Laid Off) A Year Ago Today.
We all knew it was going to be bad news. That Wednesday afternoon, Feb. 25, 2009, the publisher of Radio & Records, had called a “Town Hall” meeting for all staff, both on the East and West Coasts. He, in fact, had flown from New York to L.A., along with the head of human resources. If that’s not a sign, then the sky is green. Our New York bureau comprised the smaller group of staffers...
4 tags
Meetup Alert: Free Social Networking & Wine Party. →
Our partners, Gainfully Unemployed New York have a Meetup! Are you going?
February 25 | 6pm | Cellar 58 | 58 2nd Ave
RSVP
6 tags
Deducting Job-Hunting Expenses. →
@Bankrate: “These days a lot of Americans find themselves pounding the pavement in quest of a new job, whether they’ve gotten the pink slip or expect to get one soon. The good news: The search may help you cut your tax bill — under certain circumstances, job-hunting expenses are tax-deductible.”
via Bankrate.com
9 tags
Nightmare, Again: Part 1.
Writer’s Preface: For several months, I wanted to post a sequel to my nightmare pieces [Missed them? Read them here]. Many of my friends enjoyed it. I am glad to say that it took awhile but the nightmares that I had over the past few months are finally gone.
Actually I even had some nightmares into the first few weeks of my new position. My father had told me that he had similar issues when...
7 tags
My First Time.
(Ed. Note) We are excited to introduce Lesley Pink, an editor and writer who has worked in marketing, financial journalism, and immigration law. She wishes she could swim for a living, but for now you can find her here in her new “Single White Unemployed Female” column. Enjoy.
I thought I was lucky. After seeing a number of my former colleagues laid off in 2009, I held my breath and...
6 tags
What Will You Do When Your Unemployment Runs Out?
I have friends out of work who still insist on thinking IN-side the box and continue to stress out because nothing is changing for them but continuing financial depletion. They are holding out for that special job that pays real good money so they can pay bills and enjoy a decent lifestyle. That’s an illusive goal for many these days and one which, perhaps, we used to take for granted. But if that...
5 tags
Unemployed, Day 15 - 18.
Day 15
Today I’m grateful for this beautiful weather, which gave me a wonderful walk today with with my dogs.
I’m happy that I still have health insurance, and will for a bit. I had a great conversation with a mentor today. He is a wonderful person, and the best part is I always know where i stand with him. Thanks for the advice — and for making me smile.
I’m also grateful for a wonderful email...
8 tags
Sunday Blog Brunch: 30 and Unemployed.
(Ed.Note) Welcome to our journey into the world of recession blogs! The 405 Club wants to get personal via a handful of questions with our favorite fellow bloggers who are documenting the recession and unemployment firsthand.
Today we have the honor of chowing some grub with Sierra of 30 and Unemployed.
Before we chat about the blog, what will you be having for brunch?
*Organic oatmeal, egg...
6 tags
Saturday Survey: Let's Talk Unemployment Insurance...
7 tags
Frugal Friday: Ski on the Cheap.
(Ed. Note) It’s no secret that the unemployed like to or have to save money where they can. As such an important component of our lifestyle it was only right to team up with FrugalNYC, a premier resource for frugal city living, as we present Frugal Fridays! Enjoy.
We’ve had a good amount of snow this winter in NYC. Some of you have gone skiing and some may have even taken advantage of...
5 tags
Unemployment: New Claims Rise.
Some less-than-stellar news on the unemployment front. The Unemployment Insurance Weekly Claims Report has been released. Initial claims grew to 473,000 while last week’s figure was revised up 2,000. This was above the Bloomberg concensus range of 410k to 450k. Just to provide some positive spin: the 4-week moving average still fell, though not to where it was the second week of January (440k, the...
3 tags
Gainfully Unemployed Event Alert →
Free Job Seekers Career Resources - Explore Wet Feet & Vault.
Event Host: Gainfully Unemployed (New York, NY) - Meetup.com
Click title link to join & RSVP!
7 tags
A Cautionary Tale.
Whether we are employed or not there are some days that are good, and some days that are bad. This was not turning out to be one of my better days. My network was silent for the third day this week and I was just about to give up my search for the day when the phone rang. It was a headhunter, who had arranged an interview with a company that was very similar to the one I used to work for. I...
7 tags
Reminder: Gainfully Unemployed NYC Meetup Today →
Hey 405ers, some of the gang from Gainfully Unemployed is getting together for the Free Effective Interview Seminar on the 17th from 6-7pm at the SIBL Library on 34th street and Madison Ave.
Feel like getting out, networking and learning about interviewing effectively? Check it out here.
5 tags
Unemployed, Days 10 - 14.
Day 10. I received my information for unemployment. My interview with the state of California on the 22nd. Thank goodness, maybe I will be able to stress a little bit less.
I also met with the guy I was working for. It was so frustrating to meet with him. What he asked me for? passwords and documents. All things that he has access to on Google Documents. I don’t know why i was so pissed but,...
5 tags
Profile of the Successful Jobseeker.
It’s no secret and so obvious that many, many people are unemployed and seek work. We are not alone in this homogeneous state of job-less-mess. But even if 20% of the workforce is out of work, then the other 80% of the equation must be working. New jobs and job openings are apparently going to some of the people seeking them and keeping them.
What do the about-to-be-hired and newly-hired have in...
9 tags
This week’s inspirational #MusicMonday...
4 tags
Sunday Survey: How Long Have You Been Unemployed?
4 tags
Unemployment May Cost More Than You Think. →
Important article worth reading about taxes via The Wall Street Journal’s TaxWatch/MarketWatch.
“Many states tax benefits for the jobless — and so does the federal government…”
5 tags
Saturday Funny Pages.
To read the other 9, brought to you by The Oatmeal…
To read more Saturday Funny Pages go here.
3 tags
The Four Distinct Stages of Unemployment.
There are four distinct stages of unemployment. They are as follows:
0 to 3 months: Optimism 4 to 6 months: Pessimism and discouragement 7 to 9 months: Despair and desperation 10 months and beyond: Optimistic apathy
I’m currently in the optimistic apathy stage. I’ve been out of work for so long now that I don’t really care anymore, but I’m positive that I will get myself out of this funk...
6 tags
File Your Taxes With Help From Cupid.
(Ed. Note) It’s no secret that the unemployed like to or have to save money where they can. As such an important component of our lifestyle it was only right to team up with FrugalNYC, a premier resource for frugal city living, as we present Frugal Fridays! Enjoy.
Nothing is certain but death and taxes. We can’t avoid either one, but we can make filing our taxes less taxing on the...
5 tags
Unemployment: New Claims Down.
The snowstorm that closed down the Eastern Seaboard was not sufficient to delay the release of the Unemployment Insurance Weekly Claims Report. Good thing, too, because there’s good news in this week’s report. Initial claims fell to 440,000 while last week’s figure was revised up 3,000. This hit the optimistic edge of the Bloomberg concensus range of 440k to 475k. From the report:
In the week...
5 tags
Unemployed, Day 8.
I’m starting to feel like Doogie Howser with these daily entries. (Remind me to write about the time we met him last year.)
Today I went to a job fair. Ok, I went in smiling, with a positive outlook and hoping for opportunities, what I got was a job fair that really didn’t have much for opportunities. I mean, I’m sure the military is great for some people, but really? that is not what was...
7 tags
I Have A Bone To Pick. Make That Two!
In the course of my being an employment counselor of sorts (I use the qualifier, “of sorts,” because I haven’t had many job leads with which to refer out of work people), I hear all sorts of reports from the trenches to which I’d like to take exception, except they sometimes involve company and/or HR reps and interviewing and hiring managers. One of the most difficult things I hear is how many...
5 tags
Unemployed, Day 7.
It’s official. I’ve now been out of work a week. I’ve gone through so many emotions to end up being frustrated and sad, and confused and regretful. I moved to Washington for this job. I could still be in California and be making money. However, I would be away from my family.
I’ve discovered that putting my shoes on today made me feel like I had a purpose, even if i didn’t actually go anywhere...
3 tags
Unemployed, Day 4 & 5.
This weekend, I tried to put off be being unemployed. My weekend had been planned for weeks, My sister-in-law’s birthday party, a craft day, golf tournament, meeting with a photographer for my cousins wedding. All of these things should have been fun, and honestly they were, except the dreaded question, “How’s the job?” just a reminder that these people know me for what i do. I awkwardly went into...
7 tags
Employment At Will.
Writer’s Preface: This week I read a letter submitted by an anonymous reader who is concerned about her daughter, who lost her most recent position. Prior to that loss she had to endure nine months of unemployment. If the above situation was not enough, she was diagnosed with PTSD, making a tough situation even more difficult.
I was deeply touched by this article due to an experience which...
5 tags
Recommend Us. →
It’s Tumblr Tuesday! Take a minute to recommend us to the Tumblr community? Click the “recommend us” link - we heart you. Be our valentine?
5 tags
That Puddle's A Doozy.
What would you do if you were stuck in one place and every day was exactly the same, and nothing that you did mattered? It really could happen. Just ask an unemployed person. When you don’t have a boss to report to or clients to please, your life begins to feel meaningless. You could try to be productive by searching want ads and sending your resume out into the black hole that is the...
5 tags
Anonymous asked: I have been unemployed since May '09...And went from manic (searching frantically for a job, considering several employment/ career options) to utterly depressed (completely withdrawn, don't see/call any friends, never leave the house, crying every day, no longer do anything. Spend entire day in bed, rarely read---I feel as though my intellect has severely suffered...I feel like I'm...
7 tags
Sunday Blog Brunch: Corn on the Job.
(Ed.Note) Welcome to our journey into the world of recession blogs! The 405 Club wants to get personal via a handful of questions with our favorite fellow bloggers who are documenting the recession and unemployment firsthand.
This week we had the opportunity to sit with Rich over at Corn on the Job.
Be sure to visit him: http://www.CornOnTheJob.com.
Thanks for joining us Rich!
...
Anonymous asked: Does anyone know of any unemployment support groups in NY that meet face-to-face?
6 tags
Unemployed, Day 4.
Today I am angry. Not much else to say other then I am angry at the choices that led me to getting laid off. I hate that I was promised I would be fine if our business expanded but obviously not. Ugh. Pissed.
-By fellow tumblr +likesdinosaurs.
………………………………..
Missed Days 1 - 3? Read them here.
3 tags
Saturday Funny Pages.
6 Most Ridiculous Employee Training Videos By Ian Tindell via Ranker.com.
Bullshit Job [bool-shit job] - noun - 1. A job requiring little skill that is obtained simply to pay the bills that you’re forced to pay every month. 2. A job shoveling the dung of bulls. We’ve all had them and we’ve all had to sit through the idiotic training videos before we start them. As idiotic as...
7 tags
Earning More With Online Banks.
Are you earning 0.01% interest on your savings account? Thanks to historically low interest rates, you are probably earning near zero interest on the money you worked hard to earn. Have you looked into online savings accounts? I’ve noticed more and more online savings accounts popping up lately and I think you may like the extra interest it can earn you.
I joined ING Direct several years...
6 tags
Unemployed, Day 3.
Today, I learned about a perk of being unemployed. The option to do something in the middle of the day if I want to. My sister-in-law celebrated her birthday today, and I was able to go have lunch with her and my brother. (They work at the same school.) We laughed and I was her surprise for lunch. As i drove away, I couldn’t help but think. Wow, I would not have been able to do this had I not lost...
7 tags
Anonymous asked: My daughter is 37 yo and she has a diagnosis of depression, PTSD and aniety disorder. She's in therapy and on meds. She was unemployed for 9 months; however she'd done some temp jobs in her field. Finally she got a job and was fired after being there for a month. The reason she as given for being fired is a bunch of garbage. The company wasn't organized, or structured. She...
6 tags
Unemployment: New Claims Up.
Hopes of pushing below 400k new claims a week are slowly evaporating. This week’s Unemployment Insurance Weekly Claims Report has been released. Initial claims grew to 480,000 while last week’s number was revised up 2,000. This missed the Bloomberg consensus range of 440k to 475k. From the report:
In the week ending Jan. 30, the advance figure for seasonally adjusted initial claims was 480,000,...
6 tags
Unemployed, Day 2.
Today, I forced myself up at 8am. That is the time I would have normally gotten up to go to work. I figure this whole finding a new job thing needs to be approached as if it was my job. So I got up at 8. I don’t know why but I sat in my pajamas until 2pm. I felt better after i showered and did my hair, and put different clothes on. I guess it made me feel like I had a purpose even if I was just...
6 tags
Unemployed, Day 1.
No more job.
I lost my job yesterday, laid off. I will go into more detail later. But i needed to get that out. Because i’m lost, confused, sad, and basically any and every other emotion that one would feel when they lose a job they love.
The only saving grace is that my family is here to lift me up.
……………………………
Yesterday didn’t...
6 tags
Anonymous asked: I am collecting unemployment benefits since 4/2009. My page on NYS Labor Dept, states that my Maximum Amount Paybale is $xx,xxx; Remaining Balance is $x,xxx. Can anyone explain this to me? Thanks.
7 tags
Be Smart in 2010!
The New York State Department of Labor offers a free database service sending job leads directly to your email everyday. It’s called SMART 2010 (Skills Matching and Referral Technology).
This technology cuts down your Internet job surfing time so you can be out there networking in different groups, brushing shoulders and hobnobbing your way to near future opportunities and targeting companies, or...
12 tags
This week’s inspirational Music Monday song...