680 days and counting! That’s the update on LinkedIn from a lady I worked with about 10 years ago. This girl is a go-getter for sure – she doesn’t take any crap, she is thorough, yeah she may have ruffled a few feathers along the way but she had to deal with sales people all day long as a contracts administrator, so really you have to have a backbone and a certain amount of attitude.
So why is she still unemployed? Yes, she lives in a more rural part of the country and works virtually but I think she is very open to relocation.
From where I sit she has done everything right in a job search – she is out there working it every day from effectively using her extensive network to contacting companies to I’m sure everything else the job hunt gurus have suggested. Yet, nothing. She has heard everything… you’re too qualified, you don’t have the right experience and on and on.
I sit here feeling helpless and scared for her. At this point she has lost or sold literally everything and around the holidays especially I could not shake worrying about her. I know my fear was escalated when a friend of mine’s neighbor committed suicide as well as the suicide in January of another previous co-worker.
And I had been putting off reaching out to her – I didn’t know what to say. I don’t know how to help. But I finally bit the bullet and called her recently only to find out that a family member had taken over her cell because she could not afford it. She is moving into the giving up and bitter stage now I think. I left a message that she call me to talk. I’ve not heard anything back.
I can’t help but feeling that we have all failed her but I’m not sure what else to do. Thoughts?
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