I lost my job in December, and now I’m floundering and out of money

Money. They say it’s the root of all evil, right? It’s, unfortunately, something we can’t live without because even the most basic of needs – food, clothing, and shelter – all cost money.

If you haven’t been jobless recently, you may be one of those folks spouting out things like, “There are tons of places out there hiring,” “People are just too lazy to work these days,” and the like. While those are true statements on some accounts and for some people, generalizing such things is harmful.

Yes, there are a lot of job listings, but…

Let me start with the most logical reaction to the bolded statement above – Not everyone is qualified nor can do every available job out there. From not being qualified (as in not having the right experience, schooling, and licensing) to not being physically able to do a job, there are a plethora of reasons some people won’t apply to some jobs.

For me, crippling arthritis gets in the way of a lot of options. I can’t stand still for long periods, and even sitting too long can leave me stiff and unable to move without excruciating pain. I also have a gluten “allergy,” so working in food services where I could breathe in wheat flour or touch something with gluten and not wash my hands immediately after can leave me sick.

And, even if you applied for every job you see that you’re remotely qualified for (which I have done at times), you may only hear back from one or none … I had one week where I applied to at least three dozen jobs and got four interviews. However, one of them never called me for the scheduled phone interview. I was hired for two of them, but they were both jobs I really can’t do with my disability (remember, arthritis throughout my body), and the third one I was barely even qualified for. The jobs I am extremely and perfectly qualified for tend to reach out with the “You’re awesome, but we went with someone else” email, if I hear from them at all.

And that leads us to the other point…

Jobs say they’re hiring, but they’re being very picky about who they hire, or they’re simply “testing the waters.” Proof of the latter? I applied for a retail job at a store I often frequent. The automatic response I got was, “If we have any positions open up, we will review your application.” If you’re not actually hiring, why did you waste my time?

I’ve been underemployed for a month and a half now…

I state it that way because I have a book review gig I get about $80 from every two months. That won’t even put food on the table, and definitely won’t pay my car payment. I just picked up another part-time writing job – what it brings in will be determined, but it won’t replace the $3,300 a month I lost when my full-time writing gig set me up for failure and then cut me off rudely (which you can read a little more about in this article).

I spend hours – usually at least two – a day applying for jobs, remote, in-person, and otherwise. Yet, weekly, I may hear back from three to five of them, and 75% of the time it’s to tell me they moved on with someone else.

No hack works. You apply and wait. I hear back from more without a cover letter than I do with one. I had AI (yuck, right!?) update my resume, which got me far more hits than I was getting prior.

The thing is…

If someone is unemployed, it doesn’t mean they aren’t looking for work. They could be looking for 8 hours a day and simply aren’t getting any responses. If you think they’re being picky, it could be because they don’t want to waste time applying for things they know they wouldn’t do well at.

And…

If you read this far, perhaps you’d like to click that “Tip” button below and toss me a little change – it all adds up!