Thursday, June 20, 2013

The longer you're out of work, the job prospects get worse

Roger Ahlfeld wakes up each morning at about 5:30, and before taking his first sip of coffee he grabs his iPad to check his e-mail. 
He showers, shaves, checks his e-mail. He fixes breakfast, walks his daughter to the bus stop, and checks his e-mail. By the end of the day, Ahlfeld will have checked his e-mail dozens of times, unable to suppress the hope that his inbox will deliver a message from an interested recruiter, a date for an interview, or, at long last, a job offer.
The routine has become familiar for the gray-haired 45-year-old, who lost his job as a human resources executive two years ago. He scours job boards, follows up job leads, and hunts for any information that can help him get past résumé-screening software and closer to full-time work. 
Much is at stake. Ahlfeld’s unemployment benefits ran out long ago, and the savings he uses to pay his mortgage and keep his two children fed and clothed have dwindled.
“I’ve had stressful jobs,” he said. “Nothing compares to this.” 
Ahlfeld is among the millions of Americans grappling with long stretches of joblessness and mustering the courage each day to keep looking even as they face a cruel Catch-22: The longer they remain unemployed, the less likely they are to get hired. Despite career successes, long experience, and deeply engrained work ethics, the long-term unemployed are frequently viewed by companies as having outdated skills — or worse, as damaged goods.
Read the rest of the story HERE.

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1 comment:

Anonymous said...

Unfortunately sad but true.

Old saying, "It is easier to find a job when you have a job."