After I turned my laptop and badge in on Friday, I slept well that night. I spent the weekend trying to come to terms with the fact that I was now unemployed. If you have never experienced it before, unemployment feels like a death. There was a lot of “I can’t believe this has happened to me” thoughts going through my head.
Sunday afternoon and evening was weird. Normally, I would be mentally preparing for my work week and thinking of meetings and what needed to be done. That was all gone. I felt like a table missing one of its legs. I would feel like this for a few weeks. I purchased a new laptop from Amazon because I needed a new computer to assist with my job searching and applications. It would arrive on Monday.
I made the decision to treat my unemployment like a job and try to keep some structure Monday through Friday. I was up at 6am on Monday morning to take myself and my dog for a 3-mile walk. After the walk, I processed celery and carrots through my Nama juicer. I now have the time to juice more frequently. I might as well try to be healthy. I made some coffee and then started a list of things I needed to tackle for my first week.
The list included choosing an attorney to review the severance package. I wanted this done as soon as possible because I would need my PTO and my severance money to be paid to me. Plus, we were offered 2 months of paid COBRA benefits if I signed the document. I also did an overview of my finances and what I needed to adjust. I was lucky that my car was paid and the only debt I had was my house payment. I stream all my television entertainment so that cost was already low. My biggest monthly expense was my Lifetime Fitness membership and the electric bill (which is very high during the summer months). I wanted to keep going to Lifetime because I love my water aerobics class. For the time being, I thought it was important to keep it active for my mental and physical health. Surely, it would not take too long to find a new job. I could scale back on eating out and my grocery shopping. For the moment, I was just fine.
The computer arrived on Monday. I went through the entire set up process. Something was not right with the power button. I contacted Amazon, and we double-checked things via chat. It was still not working correctly, so they told me to return it and deliver a new one the next day. I was impressed; Amazon has a resolution for the issue, and I would get another computer. Due to the computer problem, I would need to delay setting up my job search.
On Tuesday, I took another 3-mile walk in the morning. The computer arrived midday and I went through the set up process again and this time everything was working. I started working on revamping my resume. I signed up for the 1 month of free premium LinkedIn to help me stand out to recruiters. I tweaked my profile and changed my photo. I searched for jobs on LinkedIn and began applying.
The application process had changed drastically since I was last employed. Employers required online applications that took 10 to 45 minutes to complete. I also had to write a tailored cover letter for each job role. I signed up to use one of the resume/cover letter websites to help me get the cover letters done quicker. Some employers also required assessment tests as part of the application process. These tests took 20 to 45 minutes. Applying to just three jobs could take two to three hours. Some application questions were invasive. Why are employers still asking about race and ethnicity? Does this help or hurt my chances at getting the job? Questions about gender and disabilities also seemed inappropriate. The disability list was exhaustive, and I worried it might be used to screen out candidates. This was going to be way harder than I had anticipated. I was also concerned about my age being a factor. Most applications required a college graduation date, which I could not leave blank. Any field marked with a red asterisk required a response, or the application could not be submitted. The compensation question was also mandatory. The employer wanted you to commit to your desired compensation for the role. When companies listed the salary range in the job description, it clarified what they would pay. If no salary was listed, I checked Glassdoor for the company’s salary ranges. I dreaded this part of the application. If I offered a lower salary, would they think I lacked confidence? Or would asking for too much disqualify me? I missed the days where you could write “negotiable” on the application.
I created a spreadsheet to track my applications. This contained the basic information of the date I applied, job title, name of company, location of the job or company, online source such as LinkedIn, Indeed, Glassdoor, ZipRecruiter, and Hiring Cafe, salary information, and any necessary notes. I also included a section for rejection emails from companies.
As the week progressed, I still had that nagging feeling of wanting to check my work emails. I think my detoxing from work was going to take more than just a few days. By the end of the week, I was so tired. I was sleeping more than I had in years. You don’t realize how much you are living with the daily stress of your job until you lose the job.
In all, it was a good start to my first week of unemployment. I had bought a new computer, started applying, analyzed my financial situation, exercised, and laid the groundwork for the weeks ahead. I remained hopeful that a new opportunity would come along soon.
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