When I found out that I was being laid off I was devastated. Thoughts began to race through my mind. How will I get out of my lease? Can I really move home? How will I keep up with bills that are already overwhelming? It was all just too much to figure out. Luckily, I had some time left at my job before I was "out on the street". After doing an extensive search for jobs within my field and coming up empty handed I had a revelation. I realized that I had explored every niche of my field in my five years out of college. There really was not much room for advancement and I was not where I wanted to be at this point in my life. The question became - where do I go from here?
I had to look at all my experiences and find something within them that I could make into a new career path. Once I had that plan I began the mad dash for that new "dream" job. I began applying to every opening that I came across. Before I knew it, I was no longer working and I still didn't have a job. I applied for unemployment my first day out of work. I waited in line for 3.5 hours just to be handed a pamphlet and told I'd have to wait four weeks to receive any money. I couldn't sleep. I spent every day in front of the computer. Out of the 400 plus resumes I sent out I received only seven responses. Two were from actual jobs (one of them paying half of my expectant salary), the other five were staffing agencies.
Each time I went to a new staffing agency I was met with smiling faces and promises of a new career within a short amount of time. After each interview I heard nothing. Upon calling them diligently each week to check in I received the same story from each one. "There's really nothing out there right now with the market the way it is. Things are really slow due to the holidays. Our employers are looking for someone with a more traditional background. Unfortunately, we have people that are better qualified than you are." I was angry. With the support of loved ones, I kept trudging on was beginning to get desperate, and to top things off, my previous employer tried to tell the unemployment agency that I quit and so I had gone a month without a paycheck. For the first time in my life I didn't pay a bill.
I received another email from the fifth staffing a gency, Laufer and Associates, to come in for an interview. I put on my suit and tried to feel excited but inside I was really deflated and told myself not to expect much. When I met Kelly and Julie I was delighted; it was a small operation in a beautiful office. I could really tell that they cared about getting me a job. Also, they actually didn't even mention a job that was less than I was looking to get paid, which took some of the guilt the other staffing agencies made me feel away. They were in contact with me daily. Two days later they were sending me on an interview with a "hip" and fun company that matched my personality. That very same day, I received the call from another job wanting me to come in for an interview. Both first interviews went really well and I was invited back for second interviews. The two second interviews were actually on the same day. Both jobs were making a decision on the same day. I was one of two candidates at both jobs. The unemployment agency called and told me that they sent a check for all the money I hadn't been getting. I really felt that the second I stepped into Laufer and Associates my luck changed. While I was offered both jobs, I was so excited but I had a tough decision to make. In the end it came down to trusting that the girls at Laufer & Associates really knew that this one job would be a great fit for me. And they were right! I have now been at my job for two months. I love the people, I love what I do, and most importantly I see this as the beginning of a growing career.
