I am being layed off Thursday and for the first time will file for unemployment benefits. How much are they every week? The jobs are so scarce....they want tons of qualifications and they pay nothing!!
The fisherman who fishes in the middle of the river catches fish when the tides flow in, and when they flow out.
If you spend 40 hours a week seriously seeking employment, you should have a job that pays more than unenjoyment insurance within 3 days IMHO
They max out at $396 a week. Before taxes. I've had to sell all my stocks dirt chip(my only saveings), and in two months that will run out and my unemployment will not cover my expenses.
I don't think people with work realize how bad the situation is. A couple of years ago, I could pick and choose a job, get a signing bonus, whatever terms I wanted.
Now it's hard to find even a prospect in our fields.
I have lots of family (also technical) who are also laid off.
I am a computer programmer and I made a pretty good salary. I'm also highly specialized which makes it hard to find a job.
I've found ONE job that I qualified for in my area, and interviewed for it, and today I am told I am in the running. I really hope I get it.
To the people who have unkind words to say to people on unemployment - keep in mind that it's our money.
I had well over six figures in "taxes" stolen from me over the last few years so I have no qualms about takeing this pitance.
Here is a story you might find inspiring. About 10 years ago, a friend of mine was working for a now defunct company, and he was making over $75,000 a year. The loss of his job devastated him and he couldn't find anything comparable after weeks of looking. During this time, he took a part-time job at a nearby Staples (a major office supply chain in the New England area) just to get some income rolling in and get out of the house (he was getting depressed sitting at home). During his first week, he was at the lowest ebb, and was totally disgusted with his life. But he still had his pride and his work ethic so he totally outhustled the kids he was working even though he had absolutely no intention of staying at Staples for any significant period of time. But he was quickly noticed by management and ended up getting promoted to management himself within a year and was running his own store a year after that. Now he is working at the corporate offices as a regional manager and making even more than he ever made in the computer field. His current job is nothing resembling his old career but he loves it and can't imagine going back to that line of work again.
Sometimes change is good. I wish you luck.
If you want to find another tech job in QA do it while you still have one. The problem with QA is that it is not seen as a direct profit center for any project/company. QA is not QC, which is really just testing. QA is really a risk management process ala TQA. I changed to this field 10 years ago. I used what market knowledge I had to force my way into the tech door and now am at a senior management level in QA. It is a great field and I to love it, but it is a tough field to find work in if you have less than 5 years experience and the job market is tight.
BTW the worse thing you can do when your looking for a job in this industry in a down market is to undersell yourself. My rule of thumb is not to accept a new job when you already have one for less than a 15% increase.
Here is how I found my last 3 jobs in QA.
1) Check out all of the online sources for Jobs. 90% of them are owned by the same Guy, but they have different jobs. My Favorites are Dice HotJobs and Monster Board
2) Make sure to try several searches with different keywords on each one. Don’t be surprised if jobs you are interested com up with strange keywords.
3) Create a search bot on each of them (using the broadest saved search so that you don’t miss things) and have them email you as soon as a job is posted.
4) Save an E-copy of you resume at each place, but don’t use it unless you have to. Send your well formatted and proofed resume as a doc whenever possible.
5) As soon as you get an email with a new posting for a job you may be interested in Write a cover letter and send it. You would be surprised how many people are impressed that they just posted an add 5 minutes ago and you have sent them a resume. This is not a sign of weakness when you already are working, and if you are unemployed, it makes you look like you are on the ball.
6) In my area, the New York Times and Newark Star Ledger post their Sunday Help Wanted Ads on-line sometime from early afternoon to evening SATURDAY. I am sure that the major papers in your area do the same thing. I always search them and send my cover letters and resumes before Sunday. Again, this shows you are on the ball, not weak.
7) Avoid wasting your time dealing with recruiters wherever possible. They will do nothing but make promises and not deliver in an off market. They are only interested in quick placements when things are bad, and they will not get you a good high-level job. I recently had the pleasure of being able to ask 3 different recruiters why the did not even return my calls when I was looking for my present job while I was hiring temp workers from them. None of thm had an answer, but I had nailed down my present job in about 2 weeks. I spend about 4 weeks negotiating after I new I had the job. Don’t rush things and again, don’t undersell yourself.
Please don’t take any of this advice personally. I am sure that there is much here you already know, but it occasionally needs to be restated.
Good Luck