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Feature Film | 35:57
After a 37 year-old copywriter is laid off from a large ad-agency in 2008, he starts a blog for other unemployed ad professionals. Once the site launched, he decided to create a promotional video featuring the faces and stories of other laid-off execs.
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Some employers especially those in the suburbs are set in their ways and unwilling to budge when it comes to salary offered. For older persons, this could be deadly as well as for local economy.
These are the pet peeves of some of my customers who, at one time, had fast-paced, glamor-type jobs in media in the Big City and now that they have found themselves in the suburbs, older and on their own, they find themselves applying for and interviewing with employers not willing to hire them because they want “young kids” for eight dollars an hour. Important professionals like doctors notoriously under employ. They want and need accuracy and good workers to ensure that, but they won’t pay decent salaries by which one serving their business needs can support oneself—like pay the costs of living—a roof over one’s head, a car because you need a car in the ‘burbs—and, oh, God forbid—food!
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 he was younger. Bottom line is that when you go through long term unemployment, it takes time for the scars to heal. Enjoy.
-Howard K. Young
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When I was in college, psychology was one of the required courses in my curriculum. My professor consistently reminded us that the line between sanity and insanity is a thin one. I have found that job loss, combined with many months of fruitless interviews can definitely test ones sanity. As far as I am concerned, I have had to dig deep into my long term memories and use them as a tool to help me keep my mental footing stable.
I am fortunate in that one of the talents I am blessed with is an excellent long term memory. I am not alone when it comes to this talent. I remember, many years ago, and interview with the late actor Lee Marvin. He told his interviewer that he remembered his birth! The interviewer had mentioned that people who have excellent long term memories may have poor short term memories.
Although my memory does not go back to my birth, there are many things that I remember from my infancy and my childhood. I will spare those detail for now, other than to say that, for some reason, dreams seem to stick in my memory. I remember most of the good dreams, as well as the bad ones I had during my childhood and adulthood. Many of those ideas became good source material for my writings in High School and College. A few months ago, I wrote a piece about the nightmares I had. Since that time, I have had several other dreams that were worth writing down…
(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 continued to work as an editor. I knew times were still tough, but thought I had escaped the hatchet coming down on me. I was wrong.
The first week of January, I was laid off. It was my first time. I had been at the company over two years, had gotten good reviews, thought my [now former] boss liked my work. The phone call came from the HR director right before 5 on a Thursday.
I knew that her call meant one of two things: either I had gotten in trouble somehow or I was being laid off. Based on the timing, I guessed the latter. HR Director and Former Boss were seated at a round conference table, stacks of large white envelopes surrounding them. “I can guess why I’m here,” I said, waiting for what I knew they were going to tell me. “And what is that?” asked HR Director. “I’m guessing I’m getting laid off,” I replied. “Unfortunately, you are correct. We are eliminating your position,” she said. And with that, I entered the ranks of the unemployed. HR Director went on to explain the meager severance package, COBRA coverage, and, of course, how all of this would go down.
Having just seen “Up in the Air” a week before, I felt like I was in the movie itself…
The world has morphed into something so complex, you need a roadmap to figure out a career path and how to get somewhere, but the journey consists of constant movement from point A to B and perhaps Z before you wend your way back to C, D or E.
Twenty years ago, reports from the world of media and employment stats revealed that most people would change careers—not jobs—five to seven times in their lifetimes and sometimes wear two hats at once. These truths we hold to be self evident.
The working landscape demands multitasking and constantly acquiring and upgrading occupational skills with formal training. On the job training, learning a job inside and out and then adapting to changes in that workforce, are no longer adequate. Most new jobs require and translate into a total career makeover. Some job titles haven’t even manifested themselves yet! O the possibilities!
Today, the worker must be a job warrior, think outside the box and then keep going, stretching, moving, turning and adapting to change skin like a chameleon…
It may sound like a simplification to say, do a self assessment and transfer your skills.
In depth, what that truly looks like, is a plan to assess what skills you already have and what skills in which you need to take a course to complete the roadmap.
That roadmap encompasses something like the thinking strategy illustrated in this example…
