What is the longest you've been unemployed?

kingbill · Oct 21, 2009

I don't think I've ever gone more than 3 weeks without a job but listening to all the talk about the unemployment rate being so high it got me wondering.

Since finishing school, whatever that means to you, Highschool or College. What is the longest you've been unemployed?

JudgeWapner · Oct 21, 2009

Maybe a week or two.

colbyson · Oct 21, 2009

working on 9 or so months thank god for 600 aweek from unemployment

kingbill · Oct 21, 2009

colbyson said:
working on 9 or so months thank god for 600 aweek from unemployment

Is that due to nothing available in your line of work?

beejmi · Oct 21, 2009

6 months. That was my last "job search" and that was three years ago. I got scared during that one. First time work had been difficult to find. Also my first job search since age 40. Much easier in the 80s/90s.

yellowman · Oct 21, 2009

I was unemployed for about 5 weeks during tech tech bust in 2002...luckily I have a pretty in demand skill set, so I haven't felt this current recession hardly at all....

terps1313 · Oct 21, 2009

Will be a year at the end of November for me. That is when my unemployment runs out also. I am getting close to $800 every 2 weeks which is nice, but it is still tough to get by on that amount. I have been looking hard for the last 6 months or so, and nothing good has come along.

kingbill · Oct 21, 2009

yellowman said:
I was unemployed for about 5 weeks during tech tech bust in 2002...luckily I have a pretty in demand skill set, so I haven't felt this current recession hardly at all....

Over the past 10 years in Vancouver, Tech Staff (programmers and SEO) were like mercenaries. They were climbing the job ladder at an incredible rate. A friend of mine went through 5 different companies in a year, each one offered him more money so he jumped around quick.

gatorbait08 · Oct 21, 2009

In my early twentys i went about 6 months with out work. Now im going on three months.

celticGreen+ · Oct 21, 2009

Been working since getting out of high school, 5-6 years at the first job, five at the second, and now i've been unemployed for a bit under 5 months. Thought I had a job about a month ago, but it fell through.

bigbet1234 · Oct 21, 2009

There's jobs to be had, either your to lazy, or your not looking hard enough.

May not be exactly what you want, but there is work out there till what you are looking for.

celticGreen+ · Oct 21, 2009

bigbet1234 said:
There's jobs to be had, either your to lazy, or your not looking hard enough.

May not be exactly what you want, but there is work out there till what you are looking for.

I agree there are jobs out there, but the issue becomes that one needs to make enough to live.

terps1313 · Oct 21, 2009

bigbet1234 said:
There's jobs to be had, either your to lazy, or your not looking hard enough.

May not be exactly what you want, but there is work out there till what you are looking for.

I always hear that and I just dont agree with it. Let's say you take a job you don't want just to have a job. Meanwhile you are looking for something better...

1. You have to tell multiple lies to the new employer being that you will need to go on multiple interviews for the new job... not something anyone feels good doing when 1st starting a new job

2. You are screwing the company over who just hired you being that you do not wanna be there. Plus the fact when they hire you, they feel they are set. Then you are gonna leave 1-2 months in?

It is very easy for someone with a job to say "oh just take the 1st job you can, then continue to look for something better." People just don't realize how difficult this actually is.

tenman · Oct 21, 2009

colbyson said:
working on 9 or so months thank god for 600 aweek from unemployment

How do you get $600 per week? The max you can get is $374 a week.

terps1313 · Oct 21, 2009

tenman said:
How do you get $600 per week? The max you can get is $374 a week.

Must be based on the state cause here is MD I am getting $397 per week

celticGreen+ · Oct 21, 2009

terps1313 said:
Must be based on the state cause here is MD I am getting $397 per week

It's based on how much you made the 52 weeks previous to filing and is most certainly state-specific, due to cost of living issues.

celticGreen+ · Oct 21, 2009

terps1313 said:
I always hear that and I just dont agree with it. Let's say you take a job you don't want just to have a job. Meanwhile you are looking for something better...

1. You have to tell multiple lies to the new employer being that you will need to go on multiple interviews for the new job... not something anyone feels good doing when 1st starting a new job

2. You are screwing the company over who just hired you being that you do not wanna be there. Plus the fact when they hire you, they feel they are set. Then you are gonna leave 1-2 months in?

It is very easy for someone with a job to say "oh just take the 1st job you can, then continue to look for something better." People just don't realize how difficult this actually is.

I agree with this as well - taking a job with the sole purpose of jumping-ship when something better comes along isn't exactly a classy move, and could also be detrimental to your resume.

For instance you may choose not to include the "temp" job due to the fact that you clearly only used it as a stop-gap - BUT it will still show up on background checks and could raise questions from future employers.

There are clearly people who take their unemployment money and are not looking for jobs, and I hope that's who bigbet it leveling his criticism on. People with strong work history, who are indeed looking for work, are not the problem.

Samhain · Oct 21, 2009

Going on 10 months.

tenman · Oct 21, 2009

terps1313 said:
Must be based on the state cause here is MD I am getting $397 per week

I had it wrong. It is 387 per week which includes the extra $25 per week, so a total of $774 every 2 weeks.

xpanda · Oct 21, 2009

It's been 8 weeks for me. That said, I haven't been looking and I'm in school part-time now. Planning to be in school full-time next fall. I'm starting to get bored, tho, so going to hit the pavement after this round of exams is over.