(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 pleasure of sitting with the man behind Unemployed & Over 50.

…………

Before we chat about the blog, what will you be having for brunch?

* I’ll just have a burger please.

1. So let’s get to it.  When were you laid off and what did you do? Or are you employed/self-employed? If so, what do you do now?

* I am still among the fortunate, the employed.

2. When and why did you start your site?

* The company that I work for as been laying off people on a regular basis for the past few years. I believe that it is only a matter of time before my number is called.
Blogging is a wonderful way to not only communicate but also to research any thing that you are blogging about. Since unemployment is on the horizon for me I thought that I would go ahead and start my blog Unemployed and Over Fifty.

Read More

(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.

We’ve got a special guest today, sitting with us all the way in from Des Moines courtesy of http://unemployedindesmoines.com - Enjoy.

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Before we chat about the blog, what will you be having for brunch? * two eggs on toast w/ decaf coffee

1. When were you laid off and what did you do? Or are you employed/self-employed? If so, what do you do now?

* Feb 2008 - settled on a crap job Jul-Aug and was laid off AGAIN! Am technically “underemployed” right now as I work part time for a non-profit - unemployment insurance makes up the rest of my monthly “income”.

2. When and why did you start your site?

* Wrote my first post on 21-May at http://unemployedindesmoines.com. The first 3 months of unemployment consisted of submitting my resume to job openings I found on job boards. I read Seth Godin’s “Tribes” and was totally hooked on not being a “sheep-walker” anymore. I always wanted to learn how to develop a website and I was meeting others in Des Moines who were in the same situation and we just needed a place to gather. They were also wondering where I was networking, so I included that on the site.

3. What is your motivation to continue blogging and/or running the site?

Read More

(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.

Before we chat about the blog, what will you be having for brunch?

* Espresso and vegetarian sausages.

1. When were you laid off and what did you do? Or are you employed/self-employed? If so, what do you do now?

* Laid off right before last Christmas. Punched employer in mouth. I’m employed now, though, and not as happy as when I was laid off.

Read More

(Ed.Note) Welcome to our journey into the world of recession blogs! The 405 Club wants to get personal via 10 questions with our favorite fellow bloggers who are documenting the recession and unemployment firsthand.

This week’s blogging brunch companion is Chuck from Survive Unemployment, a great site full of tools to well, yes, survive unemployment!.
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Before we chat about the blog, what will you be having for brunch? 
*       

Oatmeal (cheap) and Cafe Bustelo (also cheap), maybe a banana if I still have one left by Sunday.




1. When were you laid off and what did you do? Or are you employed/self-employed? If so, what do you do now?
*       

I’m self-employed.  I do web development, multimedia projects, and Internet publishing





2. When and why did you start your site?
*           

I started SurviveUnemployment! in 2008 after being asked to resign from a job I hated.  The writing on the wall quickly became clear to me when I found it hard to find a new job.  I figured a lot of other people would be in the same boat so I started the site as a resource to help other people (and myself) to survive unemployment.





3. What is your motivation to continue blogging and/or running the site?
*           

First of all, I love writing and blogging and would do it no matter what.  Positive feedback from visitors makes my day regularly, and I'm starting to make a little money from the site as well.





4. Do you think blogging or running your site helps your personal professional brand?
*           

The site has certainly helped my business grow.  We have landed projects based on people finding the site and feeling sorry for me.  LOL!  I hope I never have another “job.”  Working for myself suits me fine.

I would recommend blogging to any unemployed person.  It’s therapeutic, and its a great way to get exposure.  Unemployed people are welcome to blog at SurviveUnemployment.com, by the way, and piggyback on the traffic I’ve worked so hard to build.





5. What do you want to do next professionally?
*           

I want to grow my little company into a powerhouse and show corporate America what’s what.  Business is run so stupidly these days.  That’s why the economy is in the mess it’s in.





6. How has your blog changed in the past year?
*           

I’ve been adding more inspirational posts to give hope to people who are in the tough spot I was in a year ago.  As long as I live and no matter what wonderful places life takes me, I will never forget what it’s like to be down, and I will always strive to help people who are down.





7. What’s new at your site and where does it go from here? *           



I’ve recently added a news feed and job board.  Nobody’s using the job board yet, but it’s all free so it will surely attract users at some point.   Why wouldn’t you post a job for free on a site frequented largely by unemployed professionals?  Why wouldn’t you apply for such jobs if you were an unemployed professional?

If I could find a couple of people to help me report the news, I think we could get the site listed in Google News which would bring enough traffic to monetize pretty well.  Those people who take the plunge and help the site get there will be rewarded handsomely.  I want to take as many people up with me as I can.

There’s also some totally cool location matching stuff built in that I am itching to use.  People will be able to easily find news, jobs, and other people in their local areas.  The goal has always been to make things happen in the real world, not just cyberspace.





Bonus Questions: Any final thoughts or words of wisdom for members of The 405 Club?
*           

When life beats you to a pulp, make YouAde… or something.  Seriously, if you just keep hustling and doing your thing, something will shake for you at some point.





Last but certainly not least, what is your favorite series/feature on The 405 Club?
*           

Sunday Blog Brunch, of course!

Thanks so much for joining us!

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And for everyone else, be sure to check out Chuck below and also at Survive Unemployment!

(Ed.Note) Welcome to our journey into the world of recession blogs! The 405 Club wants to get personal via 10 questions with our favorite fellow bloggers who are documenting the recession and unemployment firsthand.

This week’s blogging brunch companion is Shai from Funnel Thru, a premier site for entry level jobs..

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Before we chat about the blog, what will you be having for brunch? It’s on us, since this isn’t real and all…

Croissants.  Hundreds of them.

Now to the juicy stuff…

1. Good morning fellow Tumblr — When were you laid off? Or are you employed?

I’m employed, self-employed, at funnelthru - a site I started a little ways back after I left my job last July.  Before that I was in IT consulting for 2 years and just got burned out.

2. Give us the Funnel Thru elevator speech.

Funnelthru is a site I built to help cut some of the garbage you seen when browsing job boards.  I was lucky finding a job out of college but talking to friends I realized how students are at the complete mercy of their career office for help.  If they have tons of resources (fairs, job sites, classes) you can find it easier but most colleges just don’t have that many great resources.  You’d be surprised how many “top notch schools” have horrible career services compared to less “elite” schools.
The goal is to screen employers and provide a great experience when applying for jobs - for both job seekers and employers.

3. When did you start the blog?

We moved over to tumblr on June 17th of this year.

4. Initial reason for starting the blog?

I think a blog is a great tool to share resources and knowledge.  And tumblr makes that almost too easy.  There is so much good, and bad, info out there and it wastes time to hunt everything yourself.  I’d like to build the ultimate resource page, so hopefully new sections of the blog will come together to make that happen.

5. What’s your motivation to continue blogging?

There is still a ton of info out there.  Right now we concentrate on spreading links we find interesting but you’ll see much more original content coming from us.  There is so much confusion out there over such a simple process and many people who take advantage of job seekers - especially for entry level.

6. Is Funnel Thru your full time gig?

Funnelthru is a full time gig but I do some programming/design on the side to help even things out.  The site itself will change very soon, so I’m definitely excited about that and hope to grow it out.

7. What do you want to do next professionally? (if you have a job, was this job what you had in mind when searching while unemployed?)

Help people find jobs.  Grow the site and help more people.

8. How will your blog change if your employment status changes?

I know with work FT can be successful so I don’t dwell on the negatives. :)

9. What’s new at your blog and where does it go from here?

Hopefully more original content.  Time management is key as we figure out where to go and spend our resources.  I think videos will definitely be in the mix and I’m also hoping for more user-submitted content.

10. Why should someone read your unemployment/recession/jobs blog over others and/or what makes your perspective special?

I think it’s very honest and to the point.  I’ve also been on the hiring side at a big company and can tell you exactly what they want.  The goal at FT is to distill everything entry level job seekers need so they can be successful.

Bonus Questions: What is your favorite feature on The 405 Club?

Saturday Funny Pages comics - no question.

Any Final thoughts or words of wisdom for members of The 405 Club?

The only thing I can say to 405ers is keep trying and stay motivated.  Make sure you stay healthy and keep good people around you.  Job hunting makes you feel like you’re not doing enough when in reality there are so many things that you can’t control.  Build a healthy routine and just keep trying.

(Ed.Note) Welcome to our journey into the world of recession blogs! The 405 Club wants to get personal via 10 questions with our favorite fellow bloggers who are documenting the recession and unemployment firsthand.

This week’s blogging brunch companion is Briana of Unemployed Brooklyn.

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Before we chat about the blog, what will you be having for brunch? It’s on us, since this isn’t real and all…

Thanks so much for inviting me to brunch!  I’ll have eggs benedict with really runny poached eggs. black coffee and a spicy bloody mary - since it’s on you and all …

Now to the juicy stuff…

1. When were you laid off? Or are you employed?

I was laid off mid November of 2008.

2. What did you do?

After many years in retail management for luxury companies, I had segued into a job as the operations manager for a start up cosmetics company/photo studio - which was, unfortunately, privately funded and affected big time by the first market drops.

3. When did you start the blog?

I had a lot of ideas (don’t we all!!) and kept a journal-ish notebook right after I was laid off, but I didn’t actually start Unemployed Brooklyn until February of 2009.

4. Initial reason for starting the blog?

I had written really personal, diary-like blogs in the past, but I felt like there were a lot of other people out there who were unemployed and feeling all alone and that I was in a position to share my story with people who were in a similar position.  When you’re unemployed - especially in the dead of winter - you feel like you are totally isolated and that no one else is in your place.  By putting it out there on Unemployed Brooklyn, I just felt like I might be talking to someone.  And then I got readers - which was something I wasn’t really expecting …  It made me feel less isolated - knowing that I was making others feel less isolated, if that makes sense.

5. Motivation to continue blogging?

After being featured on NY1, I realized that people were not only reading my blog, but relating to it.  That people read my blog, care about what’s going on, and, more importantly, feel like they are not alone in their situation - part of a community - is beyond motivation to continue blogging.

6. Do you think blogging about unemployment/the recession will help you find a job?

I think that blogging about my experiences will help me gain exposure, but it’s a tough market and I’m not sure what it will do beyond that.  Though, through my blog, and the media exposure I’ve gotten, I have organized a couple of networking events for the unemployed in North Brooklyn (and hope to organize many more), so maybe one of my readers will get a job through my blogging!

7. What do you want to do next professionally?

I am enrolled, for fall, in a textile design class at FIT, and that is my ultimate goal - to do textile design.  My undergrad degree, from Brandeis, is in studio art, with a concentration in painting, and I spent so many years working in high end fashion retail - it is surprising to me that I didn’t make the connection earlier!  Short term, I am actively seeking an operations or admin position in fashion or beauty - which is where my experience lies.

8. How will your blog change when you rejoin the workforce?

I’d like to think that, when I get a job, my blog will continue.  I’d like to try and assist other unemployed people in North Brooklyn, and to share my experiences in my new job…

9. What’s new at your blog and where does it go from here?

My blog is always new - it’s a day to day account of my life as an unemployed and single gal in Greenpoint and, as all New Yorkers know, everything changes here in a heartbeat.  I can’t say where Unemployed Brooklyn is going to go from here, but it’s somewhere you want to read about.

10. Why should someone read your unemployment/recession blog over others and/or what makes your perspective special?

My perspective is mine - it’s of a single, unemployed gal in Brooklyn.  And, while I have a varied (and awesome!) group of readers - I think that anyone who is single or unemployed or in Brooklyn can really relate to what I’m writing.

Bonus Question: Any Final thoughts or words of wisdom for members of The 405 Club?

I think my advice would be to just not lose sight of the horizon - the economy stinks right now and the job market stinks, but it will all improve.  Keep striving for your ultimate goal - that’s what I’m doing, and I think that’s what’s the best for everyone (economy, country, you and I) in the end.

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A huge thanks to Briana, writer and founder of Unemployed Brooklyn.  Be sure to check out Unemployed Brooklyn here.