I got layed off on October 31, which made it my scariest Halloween ever. Getting layed off was unrelated to the economic situation. It has been 17 years since I waa last out of a job. In 1994 it was easy to get temp work. I'd call up a temp agency and they would say come on down. This time around they would tell me to apply on their web site. Another trend I find disturbing is some companies demand an applicant's social security number online. In today's environment that's asking a lot. They advertise their jobs to numerous job sites. Then expect people to fill out their online application where applicants are epected to give their life history, personal information, and their social security number. It's impossible for me to believe these companies have never heard of identity theft. So I must conclude they just don't care about applicants, some of whom will end up working for them. Anyone can take out an advertisement on these job sites. It is easy to set up a web site that looks like a legitimate company. The applicant has no sure way of knowing if they are giving their social security number to an possible employer or someone interested in stealing their identity. Even if it's a legitimate company how many people are going to have access to this information. It's a bit curious what kind of employees these companies want. Do they want employees who will blindly follow any request? Would they want employees who are that unaware of security concerns?

Companies that ask for a social security number over the internet:

An area of caution is where they ask people to sign and give a unique identifier - last 4 of the social and their zip code. If someone received the social security number in the same area where they now live an unscrupulous person knows the applicant's first 3 and last 4, that limits the applicant's social security number to 100 possibilities.
Another area of caution Sears, Roebuck & Co. wants applicants to log on to their facebook accounts. What are they up to?

November 2 - Got a phone interview on November 4. It's with a good company and for a good job. That means I probably won't get the job but here's to hope.

November 3 - Booted up the machine at 7:11, do you think it is a sign of good luck? Today being day 3 it ties for the most amount of consecutive days of leave I took in the past 19 years. That 3 days of leave happened in 2004.

• Applied for my first job at 7:34. The application process was similar. Found the job online through the Wasington Post, when I chose to apply it sent me to Snagajob - password required, which sent me to Thingamajob - another password required.
• Found a job that would have been perfect, problem is it's an internship, no pay. Nothing like finding out you're worthless.
• A nusiance I've been dealing with is most of these jobs web sites are linked into schools. Schools are quick to call up and try to pitch their classes. Received 1 such call today.
• Applied for 20 jobs, went through the Washington Post list of 250 jobs and the Snagajob list of 3,594. Started on a Dice.com list.
• Received a request for 2 phone interviews.

November 4 - Had to do a school drop off and get gas in the car. Didn't submit my first application until 8:54.

• Had first telephone interview, I don't think it went well. They are going to send me a series of tests to take.
• Finished a 100 Yes or No question test a company wanted applicants to complete. Some questions made sense, others seemed silly.
• Applied for 3 jobs, went through the Washington Post list of 250 jobs and the Snagajob list of 2,564. It seems I may have applied for all the jobs I am reasonably qualified for in the Washington, DC metropolitan area. Anyone out there just entering, or soon will be entering the job force I have one word for you, SALES.
• Had the HR person from one company email me an EEO form. May be pro forma for all applicants. Yes the pun was intended.
• A mixed blessing is I've come accross a lot of job possibilities for people I know, none of whom need a job. The lesson here is if you know other people who need a job sharing information may be of assistance.
• Things got crazy today. Am interviewing a job that is over 11% higher than my previous job. Obviously the money would be great, however the other question is "Why so much?"
• Took a battery of test with a Staffing agency. It was on the MS Office 2010, I've never worked with 2010. So actually feel as if I learned something.

November 5 - After yesterday, and it being a Saturday, I'm treating it as a down day. Hopefully by next Saturday I'll find out I made the right decision.

November 6 - Decided I'll be more choosy about which jobs I apply for this week. If nothing happens this week I'll go back to applying for anything. Spent a ton of time looking for 20 year old documentation so I could use the wording as a cover letter for a job applicaiton. Didn't find it so I winged it.

• Found a job that required someone be 55+. I thought that was illegal. It's an experimental program to show "seniors" aren't helpless.

November 7 - Hopefully this will be a big week. I should know if my optimism is justified by the end of the day. I am disturbed at how quickly I became comfortable with being unemployed.

• Applied for my first job at 9:15. No phone calls, so I'm not first thing in the morning priority.
• Got an email to schedule a job interview at 9:45. Interview at 2. It was for a temp job, very depressing. Felt worthless after getting out of that interview.

November 8 - That interview with the temp agency lit a fire under me. Decided I need a job, fast! Went through the list of 250 jobs in the Washington Post, applied for 22 of them. It's election day, that's the reason for the second picture up top.

• Received a call from the temp agency, the IT side. Basic interview.
• Received a phone call, telephone interview. It's a low paying job, about 45% of what I was getting before I got layed off. I was told my application would be moved to the next step and they would attempt to make a decision before the new year. A long wait for a bad job.
• Went through a list of 2800 jobs on snagajob.com, only was able to apply for 2.

November 9 -

• Went through the Washington Post, 250 jobs applied for 9, none of them were good.
• Went through the Snagajob list, 2,629 jobs, unable to apply for any.
• Went through the SimplyHired list, 1,000 jobs, and 150 from .Jobs, applied for 9.
• Got a call from a school asking about continuing education. They were a real nusiance when I first started looking but I've been able to cut down on the number of calls by avoiding those college advertisements.
• Received a call from an old supervisor asking for the number to the temp agency. This may explain the holdup on getting work from them.

November 10 - Problem getting into the internet. That's all I need. Tried every reset, didn't work. Then it started working, lost an hour.

• Went through the Washington Post 250, applied for 6.
• Tried Craigslist TheJobsGuide, got the run around. Not long after another call from a college.
• Went through Snagajob 2610, not much tere.
• Started working with Monster.com. I like that you can apply for multiple jobs at once. As the saying goes "quantity makes quality".
• Received an email from a head hunter. I've had horrible luck in the past with head hunters and the intiial vibrations I'm getting from this one aren't encouraging.

November 11 - Veteran's Day - We'll have to see how it goes. Many organizations are closed. Maybe some of the offices that are open will use this day to work on hiring employees. One can but hope. The third picture up top marks the passage of time. I suppose this has been relatively big week, which is kind of depressing.

• Went through the Washington Post 250, nothing - at least nothing that pays money. 7:20 AM.
• Snagajob quit after listing 1540 jobs, nothing.
• Had one outfit that called their application an online interview. Slick, but it's really just an electronic job application.
• Have a job interview with a recruiter on Monday.
• Went through Monster list 540, a few bad prospects.
• Almost applied for a janitorial job. Maybe I will in a week or two.
• Got an email from someone who saw my resume on Monster and wants me to sell insurance. That's another nusiance with posting resumes online. I think the only people who read them are sales people and scam artists.
• Answered a personal ad for someone who has some friends who want a web site updated. It would be good to be actually able to sell my talents on my own so I won't feel at the mercy of HR and Hiring Managers.
• Got an email from a head hunter who found my resume on Monster.

November 12 - Had an email asking me to apply for a good job. The job is no longer available, couldn't have gotten the job anyway.

• Went throug the Washington Post 250, applied for 22. Saturday seems to be a good day for applying.

November 13 - Sunday is a rough day for job hunting for me, so many other things to do.

• Went throught the Washington Post 250, applied for 12.

November 14 - Start of third week, seems like forever.

• Had an interview this morning at 11:00. It was with a recruiting agency. Took a battery of their tests. Took 2 tests in HTML and 1 in UNIX. Did well in all three. Suprised at how well I did in UNIX. Interview was in Washington DC next to the Occupy DC encampment. Also got to see some protesters in front of a building.
• Went through the Washington Post 250, applied for 6.
• Got an for a Position in West Direct Cargo Logistics Company. It came with an attached zip file so I assume it's a scam with a virus.

November 15 - Wheel spinning. I don't know what else to do to try to find work.

• Went through the Washington Post 250, nothing. They had a bunch on internship positions. I've been seeing a lot of positions for people who like to play video games.
• Went through the Snagajob 2513, nothing.
• Called up temporary agency, contact not available. Wasn't available yesterday. Have to assume the agency isn't any good.
• Monster is giving trouble, every job I apply for has already been filled or the page hangs. Managed to get through the list, 67 pages.
• Received a call from a recruiter in Texas. I emailed my resume but I'm not going to hold my breath.

November 16 - There seem to be much fewer jobs out there than would appear from the advertisements. A couple of staffing agencies are trying to fill a few openings and advertise all over the place for them. Many of the ads are duplicates.

• Went through the Washington Post 250, nothing.
• Went through the Snagajob 2,515, nothing.
• Received an email from Christopher Macola for a job as a personal assistant. It's an obvious scam. It's funny how these scam emails seem to have the same poetic style to them.
• Working from home is looking better.
• Applied for a job with a competitor to my previous employer, poetic justice if I get a job with them.
• Scheduled a job interview with an employment agency. A disappointment since these agencies are quick to interview but have never produced a job for me.
• Got some rejection emails. Should be use to it by now but it hit me pretty hard. Makes me wonder if I'm ever going to get a job.

November 17 - Still down from the rejection emails.

• Applied for first job at 7:23.
• Went through the Washington Post 250, applied for 8.
• Went through the Snagajob 2,546, nothing.
• Received a zipped file attached to an email supposedly from olinda.fuller@dc.gov. It apparently arrived about the time it was due. Another solicitation that's probably malware. Reported it to Monster.com.

November 18 - Meeting with an employment agency this morning. Probably a waste of time and a toll. Also have to do a school drop off.

• Applied for first job at 7:00, after I applied I found it was with a staffing agency, big disappointment.
• Applied for a job that would be just right for me. Probably will never hear from them.
• Went through the Washington Post 250, applied for 9.

November 19 - Got the money for the unused leave from my former company.

• Went through Washington Post 250, applied for 4.
• Catching up on email, had a job prospect from the employment agency I interviewed with on Monday. Also received a return email for a job I applied for, a real email response, not the automatic one.
• Received an invitiation to an appreciation dinner from my old company. Gave my old supervisor a thanks but no thanks response. The pink slip showed how much they appreciated me far more than any dinner. The email was sent to me three days after the RSVP date, typical.

November 20 - Off to a slow start today. Didn't finish the Washington Post 250 until late evening.

November 21 - So begins another week.

• Went through the Washington Post 250, nothing.
• Went through Snagajob's 2439, nothing. Not a good day.
• Went through the Monster list, not much. Did apply for a job with IBM, I won't get it buu I just had to give it a shot.

November 22 - Keep seeing the same jobs, with the same handful of companies. Time is going by very slowly today. The nights are worse. There is time to think about that ashes that is my career.

• Went through the Washington Post 250, nothing. There were a lot of intern positions.
• Snag a job giving trouble after I went through 2,100 jobs on the list, won't go to the next page.
• Applied for a job posted in the Washington Times. It's a good fit, which means I won't get the job.
• Received a call of a possible part time position in Washington, DC until the full time position opens. The full time position wouldn't be a good job either. Then again either would be better than nothing which is what I have now.

November 23 - Last day of job search for a couple of days. Am giving an in-law's web site a look to see what can be improved. Have a link to the site at the top of the page. It's the Gordi graphic. Figured maybe I can help them and keep myself busy practicing my skills.

• I went through the Washington Post 250, applied for 1.
• Went through Snagajob's 2,575, nothing.

November 26 - Back from Thanksgiving vacation. Should have stayed here and looked for work, but there are family obligations. The graphic up on top shows passage of more time.

• Went through the Washington Post 250, applied for 8.

November 27 - Going through emails.

• Went through the Washington Post 250, applied for 8.
• Caught up with my email, didn't miss anything on Thanksgiving or the day after.

November 28 - So begins another jobless week. I found another disheartening pattern. Organizations post new job adds for jobs I, and presumably many others, have applied for.

• Called the temp agency at about 9:05 AM. This is the temp organization I interviewed with on November 7. They said they were waiting on a reference check. They said they would send an email to me today.
• Sent some files for an in-law's web site. As much for me as it is for them.
• Went through the Washington Post 250, applied for a couple.
• Almost applied for a work at home position with Alpine Access. The poison pill was a $45 background check fee to be paid upon getting a job offer. I didn't like the idea of paying them if they gave me a job offer I wanted to refuse. I think I mad a bad decision by going as far as I did with the application. Gave them the run of my system to see if I could work at home. After some checking I found out they are legitimate but I should have been more cautious. Desparation is making me clumsy.
• Got another call from an education organization.
• Went through the Snagajob 2507, not much.

November 29 - Got an email from a recruiter for a job in North Carolina. He probably thought I was a candidate because of parsing software. Tip for recruiters, use the parser but then actually read the resume. Bought a box of Christmas Cards today, 32 for $2.97 at Walmart. A couple of years ago I got into the mode of buying inexpensive Christmas Cards, although this year I would have been tempted to go for the more expensive cards had I been employed. Yes, I'll waste the $2 somewhere else but I would waste $2 somewhere else anyway so every little bit helps. It also gets me in the mood of feeling guilty every time I waste money, which motivates me to spend less. It's a good way to evolve into the live with less mode. Today was a relatively good day, not from the quantity of jobs I applied for, 13, but the quality. A couple of jobs seemed right for me and one I think I made a pretty good case of why I was good for it. I did get one email rejection, but all that means is that organization wanted to be more talkative than most of the others that I sent applications. I also got to address all my Christmas Cards.

• Applied for a number of interesting jobs, one I feel is a good match for me. I always get mixed feelings when I apply for well matching jobs. On the one hand I'm happy I found one, but in reality these are the jobs where they never get back to me.
• My in-laws gave me access so I can remote to their web pages. It's good to act as if I'm doing some work again.
• Went through the Washington Post 250. It started off like a house of fire but then tapered off to nothing.
• Went through 2020 at Snagajob, nothing.

November 30 - Unemployed for one month. Now there's a permanent gap in my resume.

• Received an email today about working from home. It was a message from someone I don't know that didn't say much except give a link. I didn't open the link. That's all I need a computer virus to put my computer out of action while I'm trying to find a job.
• Filled out a survey with Snagajob. Hopefully I impressed upon them the magnitude of their site's deficiencies. Went through 1,240 listings in Snagajob.
• Got turned down for an Administrative Assistant position from HP. Disheartening, if I can't get consideration for that job then for what job will I be considered?
• Went through the Washington Post 250, applied for a couple.
• Applied for a work at home position. Let's see what happens next.
• Broke a daily record for the number of jobs I've applied for 35.

December 1 - This is a milestone I hoped wouldn't come. I'm starting to consider going to the unemployment office. The only positive thing is my Javascript that keeps tract of the number of days is working. I added to the Javascript so it should keep tract until the end of February, I hope it doesn't go that far. I decided to change tactics and look in Monster.com before I look in Snagajob. It's past 4 and the only calls I've received was for back to school and insurance.

• Went through the Washington Post 250.
• Thought about applying for a courier job. I'm going to hold off on such jobs for a little while. I'm reluctant to abandon all hope.
• Applied for a janitorial position at my old company.
• Received an email from a recruiter. It looks as if it's a job I saw and rejected as a possible candidate. I sent him my resume anyway and was non-commital.
• Got a rejection for a position as a mailroom clerk. This is really bad.
• Here's a laugh. I got an email about an application I put in for a low-level temp position, a rejection. The email suggested I should go to their web site to search for more openings. I sent a return inquiry and received a reply stating they only had one position available. I presume they gave the same initial email to every other applicant that got rejected. Job boards with hundreds of job openings are a dime a dozen and they expect people to make a side trip to an employment agency that doesn't have any available jobs.

December 2 - So ends another jobless week. The frost on the ground this morning yet another reminder of the passage of time. Got a couple of robo calls, unrelated to jobs. They are especially annoying since I hope the phone would ring for about a job. Checked my savings plan from the company I worked for. It went up $700 from last month. On closer inspection I saw only the Stable Value Fund, Government STIF, and the company stocks gained money. The other dozen or so funds lost money, that includes a Target Date fund.

• Applied for a job listed in the Washington Times, a good job, I won't get it.
• Went through the Washington Post 250, maybe the weekend will yield a better selection of jobs.

December 3 - Off to a slow start today. Had somethings that had to get done in the morning.

• Saw an job listing where the hiring manager wanted a phone call. I plan to call on Monday. It's not a good job but it would be nice to actually talk to someone who can hire. Also had one, which seems to be a much better job that wants the resume sent by mail. With that one at least I have an excuse to get rid of many of the paper resumes I had printed off.
• I started submitting a book I finished writing to literary agents and publishers. I'm not expecting anything out of this and I'm not including them in my totals.
• Got turned down for an Administrative Assistant job.

December 4 - Sunday is a difficult day to look for work, religious obligations.

December 5 - So begins another week.

• The Washington Times hasn't posted a new job add since November 29.
• I decided to go to the next step with a work from home position.
• Got an interview, it's for a low-paying/dead end position. From the way the position was described on the phone it sounded as if they were looking for a pan-handler. The location for the interview was above a restaurant. The office looked more like a teenager club house. A couple of other people were there for interviews. They looked as if they needed the job more than I.
• Spouse gave me a number I should use as a baseline, $2,000/month minimum.
• Called temp agency, they were under the impression I was an accountant. Later in the morning the technical recruiter called. The recruiter said something may pop up in January.
• Received a query about a temporary job, 2 months.
• Registered with the Virginia Employment Service. I'd be really surprised if they are of any use.

December 6 - Don't feel bad today, I'm not sure if that's a good thing. The concern is I may be getting use to being unemployed.

• The Washington Post seems to be drawing pages very slow today.
• The job openings seem to have dried up.
• Went through the Snagajob 1930, nothing.
• Received an email from an organization that's interested in a job interview.
• Received another evening call from a college, tip; if it's after normal working hours it's a college.

December 7 - Called Virginia Employment Agency, went through a series of questions then got to where I was listening to muzak @ 10:18. Got a live person on the line @ 10:32. Was told since I worked in Maryland I had to call Maryland since it goes by where your employer is based not where you live. Called Maryland got muzak at 10:39. Got disconnected at 10:49.

• Went through the Washington Post 250, nothing.
• I applied to a newspaper ad (Washington Post), it even seems to be a good job.
• Got a late afternoon call from an education agency, this is becoming a daily thing.

December 8 - Morale non-existant. Called Maryland unemployment at 10:16, listening to muzak until 10:25. The person I spoke with was very polite, gave detailed information, and completely answered all my questions. I'm officially on the government dole. The URL given on the Mayland unemployment agency's voice message is wrong. The correct URL is http://www.dllr.state.md.us/employment/unemployment.shtml.

• Received an email from a recruiter who asked I call. I called at 8 AM and left a message.
• Went through the Washington Post 250, a couple of bad ones.
• Today the web sites seem to be particularly annoying. They don't want to accept input.
• One organization wanted a reume by mail.
• Received a phone call from an organization with a really good job. I would be really surprised if I get it.
• Got an email for a phone interview on noon Monday.

Decemver 9 - Another Friday. Was out on an errand got two phone calls and one just moments after I got back from the same company. It's good to know they are still interested.

December 10 - Day wasted. Dropping off someone at the airport & Christmas shopping took up the day. My spouse received a job offer without even looking. As we were shopping she got a call from a friend who offered to hire her. My spouse is already working two part time jobs, in both cases they would give her more hours if she asked for them. The lesson here is getting and keeping job is difficult, but not for everyone.

• Washington Post not linking to jobs. Getting this message; "An error occurred while fulfilling your request. Please hit the back button in your browser and try again."
• Saw a job ad from an employment agency that gave me an interview. The contact for the job is with a different recruiter. I sent an email to the recruiter who interviewed me. Hopefully my diplomacy will pay off.

December 11 - Sunday, I get the feeling with all these opportunities something is bound to come through. Another part of me says that's silly, since the vast majority of opportunities have come to nothing. The question is should I still put in for Administrative Assistant and Data Entry jobs or should I get greedy and only apply for jobs more technical.

• Went through the Washington Post 250, a couple of interesting ones.

December 12 - So begins another week. So begins another look at reality. I need to get my applications to the people who are actually going to make the hiring decision. I have no proof any application for a job of significance has gotten to that point.

• Diplomacy was a wash out. Recruiter shot me down. Asked if I would take an HTML test online. I told him I would but believed I had already taken that test, and a couple of others.
• Went through the Washington Post 250, not much.
• Went through the Virginia Employment Commission's 500, a couple, nothing spectacular.
• Phone interview is right on time. That'll probably be about as far as things will go with that job.
• Went through the Maryland Employment Commissions's 500, a couple, nothing spectacular.

December 13 - Off to a slow start today, it's 0852 and I haven't started looking yet. Received some mail from the Maryland Department of Labor, Licensing and Regulations. Went online and filed my verification.

• Received a phone call for a phone interview on Thursday, part time job.
• Applied for a job at George Mason University, not a good job, they wanted a letter of intent, letter of references, and Cover Letter.
• Went through the Washington Post 250, a few, nothing good.
• Got two calls at the same time. One was saying I was in the running for a $1,000,000 drawing and another was for college. It's odd how organizations weren't interested when I was in the market for a college.

December 14 - Caught up on my email, wonder how long the box will stay empty. Sent a book query to another agent. Another nusiance is employer web sites that don't work properly.

• There is an office manager position listed with the Virginia Employment Commission, but the employer doesn't list any contact information. The instructions are to check with a Virginia Employment Commission office. Tried calling the office @ 0830, 0900, 0930 no answer. Got through at 1000. Found another job, same routine. Called @ 1215 no answer. Tried alternate number 703-838-4479, which is not in service. Got a call back from them and was able to give them the numbers. I doubt my name is going to reach either employer.
• Went through the Washington Post 250, a few nothing good.
• Went through Virginia's 500.
• The Maryland site is giving trouble.
• Got a call at 1800 for an interview. It's at 1500 tomorrow. The job is probably a bad one.

December 15 - My computer decided to do an automatic reboot and I lost all of the morning entries. Not a big deal but it's annoying. Just finished the telephone interview, it seemed to go well. It's good for a part time job. I'll find out by the end of the month if it really went well. The face to face interview was for a company that wants people to sell financial advice. All the signs were there. When an interviewer asks you over the phone what was the favorite part of your old job and doesn't seem to have any problem with you making a career change, that should set off alarm bells. I got a sinking feeling when I got into the office. It was a stark office with no receptionist. There were a couple of motivational posters taped to the walls. There's the feeling they were trying a bit too hard to promote themselves. The interviewer's office had a bunch of award plaques and trophies. After the interviewer gave the initial spiel and I confirmed he wanted me to sell this automated financial advice system I told him I wasn't the right person for it. The brochure projected a 12% annual growth on money market funds. That seems overly optimistic when recently a decade's worth of gains were wiped out in a couple of months. My advice is to decline anyone who calls you up or sends you an email offering to be your financial advisor.

December 16 - So another week draws to a close. It looks as if nothing good is going to happen this year. Just opened an email I got yesterday. It was to tell me a job I applied for was cancelled in November. I had applied for the Job on October 20.

• Went through the Washington Post 250, applied for a couple.
• Went through the Virginia 500.
• Went through the Maryland 500, a couple of good jobs there, one can only hope.

December 17 - Not much time for searching today. Obligations have a habit of getting in the way of a job search.

• Went through the Washington Post 250, there was even a good one.

December 18 - Will probably be another day without too much time for searching.

• Had an email from Friday afternoon. It was someone looking for an interview.
• Came accross a contract for a company my company did business with. I had actually met the owner of that company years ago so I emailed them a resume. It's a very long shot but what do I have to loose?
• Went through the Washington Post 250.

• Went throught the Washington Post 250, nothing much.
• Another rejection, this time it was a staffing agency.
• Went through Virginia's 500.
• Received a call from a recruiter, it's about a job. I believe it's a job I've seen advertised but the advertised qualifications were higher than those on his list. Talked with the recruiter. At his request I made some changes to my resume and mailed it back to him. The job is a one year position with no benefits. Asked the recruiter what he based the bid price on.
• Possible interview tomorrow @ 1400.
• Have a phone interview with the unemployment office on Thursday.

December 20 - 4 more days to look for a job before Christmas. Unemployment is a good way to put a damper on the holiday spirit. Have a phone interview today, it's with an HR person, better than a recruiter, not as good as a hiring manager.

• The Washington Times added another job to its list.
• The Virginia Workforce Commission didn't even have an email for me. Went through there 500, nothing.
• Recruiting agency sent an email asking for feedback. I told them they were worse than useless. That agency isn't any worse than any other agency, I've found them all worhless.
• The Washington Post 250 had nothing.
• Went through the Maryland 500, nothing.
• No call from the interviewer, when the call was 11 minutes past due I sent an email. Turns out the interview was in person. Rescheduled for tomorrow, rescheduled for tomorrow.

December 21 - So begins my winter of discontent.

• Just got a call from a staffing agency about a temporary/part time job, $12.00 an hour. They'll let me know on Friday. They were working on the assumption my salary requirement was $17,00/hr. That might explain why they haven't gotten me any work.
• Went through the Washington Post 250, got a couple.
• Went to a job interview. We'll see how it goes.
• The Maryland Employment office called a day early. They called so people could get their checks for the holidays.

December 22 - I'm upbeat today. I am under the impression with as much that is happening I will get some kind of work right after the New Year. I'm fighting this upbeat feeling since if something good doesn't happen then the post holiday blues will really be bad.

• Went through the Washington Post 250, applied for 2.
• Went through the Virginia 500, applied for 1.
• Signed up to be a Yahoo contributor. I have no idea what to write but what do I have to loose? I added some old pictures to a slide show, just to get started. Yahoo! Voices closed down in August 2014.

December 23 - I'm supposed to head something about a part time, temporary job today. Let's see what happens.

• Went through the Washington Post 250, got a couple.
• Went through the Maryland 500, got a couple.
• The Virginia list is giving trouble, the links to give job details don't work.

December 24 - Have to leave town so the job search is suspended. It also means another milestone I didn't want to reach. I applied for 1 job, Washington Post.

December 26 - Back from Christmas vacation. Had some letters from the unemployment office.

• Went through the Washington Post 250, applied for 1.

December 27 - Start the job search again in earnest. Morale seems high, but I can't give a good reason for it. I put in my unemployment claim. Claimed I earned $1 during the week ending December 24, which is .97¢ more than I actually earned. You have to round up to the next dollar. The .03¢ is what Yahoo said I should get.

• Went through the Washington Post 250, nothing.
• Just finished a job application. They had an assessment where they kept asking the same questions about using illegal drugs. The assessment is with Profiles International Virtual Assessment Center. It was for a receptionist job.

December 28 - Down today, in the "I'll never find a job" mood.

• The Washington Times has 5 new jobs today, I don't qualify for any of them.
• Went through the Washington Post 250, a couple, none good.
• Got a call about a position. It's from a recruiter, we'll see how this dance goes.

December 29 - Seem to be uncovering Administrative jobs at a good clip today.

• Went through the Washington Post 250, applied for a few administrative jobs.
• Went through the Virginia 500, one job asked for a resume by snail mail.
• Went through the Maryland 500, not much.
• Monster.com doesn't have much.
• Just got a turn down for a crummy job, I rather they wouldn't bother telling me anything.

December 30 - The end of the business year.

• Went through the Washington Post 250, applied for a good one. I'll probably never hear anything from them again.
• Went through the Virginia 500, nothing.
• Went through the Maryland 500, next to nothing.

December 31 - Late start today. Not able to get much done. Did apply for one job, a good one, probably won't hear anything back from them. I applied for it twice, once through the Washington Post job board and once through a direct email. On the off chance I hear smething from them I'll be able to get an idea of which method worked better.

• Washington Time has 23 jobs listed, none I can apply for. Their list is for high end folks.

January 1 - Another milestone I didn't want to reach. I'm facing 2012 with dred. My JavaScript I made for the daily counter accepted the change of the year, that's something I suppose.

• Went through the Washington Post 250.

January 2 - Today is a Federal Holiday so I have another day before I face a day of disappointment. Many of the posted jobs are no longer available. Most of the jobs involving DoD contracts require recent DoD experience, great for insiders.

• Went through the Washington Post 250.
• Went through the Virginia 500.
• Went through the Maryland 500.
• A company asked for my social security number on a job application over the web one time too many. I sent an email to Senator Mark R. Warner asking U.S. government contractors be prohibited from the practice and those that have asked for the social security number on a web based job application be sanctioned. No I'm not expecting anything to come of it but I felt I had to do something. Got a quick automated reply.

January 3 - Started out filling out an application from a company, from an automatic email. I sent the filled out form by both email and fax. Received a robocall about a work at home opportunity. I didn't take it, but I didn't add myself to the do not call list. This has been a bad day.

• Went through the Washington Post 250, everything was a bit too far out for the kinds of jobs they were.
• Applied for a part time job as a pet shop demonstrator.
• Went through Maryland 500.
• Went through Virginia 500.
• Got an email from a recruiting service about a job I applied for today. It was the same recruiting service, and the same person, that I interviewed with in mid-November. The email instructed me to fill out an application and to call to schedule an interview. I informed him I already filled out their application, interviewed with him, and took two of their tests. I don't know why companies waste their time with such organizations. Yes this is the same company that asked me to fill out a survey on December 20. In that survey I told them they were less than useless. They did get back to me quickly to apologize. They said they would look into it. That's probably the last I'll be hearing from them.
• Got an email asking I go to a web site and take down the information in the recording. I did that and sent an email back. They turned it back arround and said I was accepted. It's a stay at home job. Did some looking, they really aren't offering a job, just training.
• Got a quick turn down from another organization, it was another turn down for a crummy job.

January 4 - Feeling nothing so far. This is too routine. I'm moving at a slower speed.

• Went through the Washington Post 250, very little.
• Got an email from an organization, it wants to carry out a phone interview. Can't tell if it's a staffing company or something with a real job. The interview is at 9 AM tomorrow. I could have made it earlier but I figured this way I'll be organized.
• Went through the Virginia 500. Applied for what looks to be a good job, probably won't hear anything back from them.
• Went through the Maryland 500, nothing much.

January 5 - I am supposed to be getting a call at 0900. I solicited the call a couple of minutes after 0900. He called on my cell phone. It's a great job, I'm sure I'll be getting a rejection email. Sure enough the rejection email came in this afternoon.

• Went through the Washington Post 250, nothing.
• Went through the Virginia 500, very little.
• Went through the Maryland 500, nothing.
• Got another turn down for an Administrative Assistant job.

January 6 - The first week of 2012 is over. My hope the new year would bring a better job outlook is also over.

• Went through the Washington Post 250, applied for two bad jobs.
• Went through the Virginia 500, not much there. I'm thinking over applying to KMART. That would require me going down in person.
• Went through the Maryland 500, not much there.

January 7 - Weekends have a paradox. On one hand I don't bother wishing for a telephone call since I know I won't get a call on the weekend. On the other hand I know nothing positive will happen today or tomorrow.

• Went through the Washington Post 250. Today was a pretty good day. There was even a job that would be a perfect fit. Saturday seems to be the best day for going through the Washington Post online listing.

January 8 - Sunday again.

• Went through the Washington Post 250, a couple of interesting ones.

January 9 - Another week begins. No calls, not a good way to start a week.

• Pizza Hut dominated the Washington Post 250 today.
• Virginia 500, little there, nothing good.
• Maryland 500, little there.

January 10 - This has gotten entirely too routine. One trend I find annoying is when a job board lists a job and the link to apply for the job is to another job board.

• Went through the Washington Post 250, applied for 3.
• Went through the Virginia 500, little there.
• Went through the Maryland 500, applied for a job I doubt I'll be considered for but I figured what can they do, not reply to my resume?

January 11 - It seems 2012 is even worse job wise than 2011.

• Went through Washington Post 250.
• Got turned down for a part time receptionist position.
• Went through Virginia 500.
• Went through Maryland 500.

January 12 - If I don't get anything back today or tomorrow that would be very bad news. I put in 46 applications yesterday.

• Went through the Washington Post 250. RGIS & Genesis Rehabilitation are the big employers today. I applied for 1 job.
• Went through the Virginia 500.
• Went through the Maryland 500.
• Have a job interview tomorrow. I'm a bit suspicious.
• Have a job interview next Wednesday. It's a real job.
• Got turned down for a data entry position.
• I finished a questionier made up by Bay State Psychological Associates, Inc., I find it disturbing companies use such tests in their prescreening process. Sure enough minues after I completed the questionier I got an email from Northern Virginia Electric Cooperative telling me I wasn't qualified for the position.

January 13 - Let's see if 13 will be mu lucky number. My printer is out of black ink so it's not a good start. A server is down. I have a face to face interview at 10:15 today. As expected the interview was for a "work on commission" marketing job. The organization is Edge Marketing. I figured that's what it was but I had to take the chance. They were apparently holding a training session in a conference room. Naturally when the interviewer was trying to sell the company rather than try to find out my qualification I knew it was bad. I also realized its not just the end of another week, it's a three day weekend. This means I'm not likely to make any progress on the job front on Monday.

• The Washington Times only has 3 jobs listed, all from last year.
• Went through the Washington Post 250, nothing.
• I got a call from another recruiter. It's for a job in Washington, DC.
• Went through the Virginia 500, applied for a few.
• Went through the Maryland 500, went through a couple.
• I got this automated email from letters@route.monster.com: We have received your resume submission for the Front Desk Receptionist - Appointment Scheduler position at (add company name). We will review your resume within (add timeframe) and contact you should your qualifications meet the requirements of the position. Your submission will be kept on file for (add length of time).

January 14 - Had a dream last night I got my old job back. I've had that deam before.

• Went through the Washington Post 250, found a few.

January 15 - Slipped and fell in the church parking lot last night. No discoloration or swelling but it hurts every time I try to bend, or straighten, my knee. It's not what I need right now.

January 16 - Martin Luther King Day. The hope today is, since it's not a universally observed holiday, some businesses might use the relative down day to catch us on looking at resumes.

• Found a job in the Washington Post, it linked me to Snagajob, which asked me if I was interested in college, then it sent me to the company web site, which was a staffing company. Then got a message; "Sorry... This posting no longer exists." Kaiser Permanente is looking for a lot of nurses.
• Went through the Virginia 500.
• With the Maryland 500 I shortened the distance to 25 miles. The theory is since they are going to list 500 jobs I might as well make sure they are all within commuting distance. It didn't give me a boom of job possibilities.

January 17 - I have an interview tomorrow. I left a phone message and sent an email to a recruiter yesterday. Everyone, except me, is back at work today, so let's see what happens. The volume of emails I have been getting is way down.

• Washington Post, Papa John's is the big employer today.
• Went through the Virginia 500.
• Cutting down on the Search area of the Maryland Employment site had no effect. I was still getting listings from Baltimore.

January 18 - I have an interview today. Not feeling good about it. The job is over an hour away and I doubt I'll get it anyway. To compound things my wife apparently miscalculated our needs so we might run into financial problems soon.

• Genesis Rehabilitation seems to be the big employer for the Washington Post today. Applied for 1 of the Washington Post 250.
• Went through Virginia 500, applied for a receptionist job.
• Went through the Maryland 500.
• Received this from careerbuilders.com: CareerBuilder is committed to providing our users with the best possible job search experience and regularly reviews postings on our web site for quality assurance. During a recent review, we identified a listing that was not actually posted by the client company with whom we contract. Therefore, we are reaching out to job seekers who applied to the position titled [Administrative/Clerical Position]in[US]on[16 Jan 2012]with Reference ID[0030071396]in order to advise them that the job and any related communications may be misleading. All further contact with individuals associated to the position should be ceased.
• Job interview was a train wreck, as usual. Epilogue: I wrote an article about it in Yahoo! Voices and have made a penny for my thoughts.
• Got another email from a recruiting firm I had interviewed with previously. I also got an email about an outbound call sales job, I really don't want to do that. I got a call about a data entry position, I hope it's not a volunteer position.

January 19 - Have to make a call back on a Data Entry position. Today is starting out hopeful. It's 7:40 and I applied for two good jobs. Made the call back on the Data Entry position at 09:02, left message. Made contact over the phone, let's see how it goes.

• Went through the Washington Post 250.
• Went through the Virginia 500.
• Went through the Maryland 500.

January 20 - Another week comes to an end. I had really hoped I'd get a call back on that Data Entry job. That job would have paid $30,000. It doesn't bother me when I get a turn down from a job that would pay about what I was getting. When I don't get any word back when organizations know they are getting a fire sale price that hurts.

• Went through the Washington Post 250.

January 21 - Computer problems. Did some job search and applied for some. It just didn't save my changes.

January 22 - Managed to partially repair some of the problems. I was infected with a Trojan Zeroaccesslkmem worm. Really caused a nusiance. Tried restoring from December. That seems to have made it a bit better. I still can't to see the files on my system. They are there but I just can't see them unless I call them by name.

• Washington Times added a new job. Looks like a good one for somebody.
• Went through the Washington Post 250.

January 23 - I am going to try to work with my hobbled computer. I fell really bad. It's the last full week of January and no job. The one thing this has taught me is retirement isn't so bad. It's just too bad I'll never be able to afford it.

• Went through the Washington Post 250.
• Went through the Maryland 500.
• Went through the Virginia 500. Jobs seem to be drying up.
• Got a turn down for an AA job and a mail room job.
• Have to call someone for a telephone interview on Wednesday.
• Someone called me in the evening about a data entry job. She said she would pass it along to the hiring manager. Let's see how far that goes.

January 24 - My computer seems to be near normal now. I feel relatively up today. I'll find out in the next couple of days if it's justified.

• Washington Post, Loudoun County Government is hiring but not in anything I can do. That is a problem trend. Large organizations advertise multiple positions, which is great if I qualify for any of these positions. If I don't qualify I have to wade through a ton of useless listings.
• Things are looking up. Got an email for a job that is a close fit from a good company. I doubt if I'll hear anything more about it, but it's nice to know some of those jobs actually exist.
• Went through the Virginia 500
• Went through the Maryland 500, one of the jobs I applied for was a part time job in Maryland. It would be a good job, skill wise, for a part time job. I probably won't hear from them.
• An organization was offering airline jobs. It required people to go to creditreport.com to get their credit score. Creditreport.com asks for a social security number and solicits for a "free" credit card. I sent an email to my deligate to complain about this practice. I don't expect anything from it by you never know.
• Got an email asking for more information. That's better than the auto-replies.
• Got a call about a computer operator position. It probably won't go any further than this.

January 25 - Made the telephone interview. It involved answering some standard questions. Considering the job they are asking a lot. Disturbing trend, a help desk job I applied for in November is still being advertised.

• Got turned down for a Data Entry position.
• Went through the Washington Post 250, it was a relatively good day.
• Here's a kick. Wanted to apply for a job as a stocker. The problem is **MUST live in HubZone certified area**. First the government makes me unemployed to help out small businesses, now they won't give me a job because they want to help someone else out.
• Went through the Virginia 500 & Maryland 500.

January 26 - Another week nearing and end, I hoped something would break loose but it doesn't look as if it will.

• Washington Post, Genesis Rehabilitation is the big employer. Only applied for 1 of the 250 Washington Post offerings.
• Went through the Virginia 500.
• Went through the Maryland 500, not much there.
• Got an email that asked me to call. The organization's name is 1919, Inc. I called and they said they would call back soon, we'll see.
• I'm not having a good day with Monster.com at all.
• Got an email from an HR asking if I knew it was a low paying job. I told them yes and I was still interested.

January 27 - Another week is at an end. Time seems to be slipping by with no improvement in my situation.

• There are many openings for Inventory Task Auditors, the employer is RGIS, I applied. Said I didn't meet the minimum requirements for their position on their automated test.
• A company, Clearmind Events, said they would call. They said if I don't hear from them I should call them, but they gave no number. Suspicious. Looked at the web site, looks bad.
• Applied for a minimum wage administrative assistant job.
• Went through the Washington Post 250.
• Went through the Virginia 500.
• Went through the Maryland 500, nothing.
• Another rejection for an Administrative Assistant I position.
• An HR person said she would send me a link to a typing test. The speed they want is a bit faster than my test in November. Let's see how this goes. The test was a bust. Bad way to close out a week.

January 28 - Another weekend. This means two days with no hope of a call. Sent an email to Senator Jim Webb about my identity theft concern. We'll see if he does any more than Senator Warner. Yes, this is turning into a one person crusade. That is what happens when people have time on their hands.

• Applying for a number of jobs at George Mason University. They have the jobs lined up well, besides my son might go there some day.
• Went through the Washington Post 250. As usual Saturday is a relatively good day for it.

January 29 - Have been dreaming about applying for jobs.

• Went through the Washington Post 250, not much there.
• Got an electronic auto-reply from Senator Webb's office.

January 30 - Another week begins and another month is near an end. Have a dental appointment today. Now I'll see what this COMEXIS (Cobra) insurance is worth. Got to the dential office. The dental office made a call and they were told my coverage expired on December 16. Got home, verified I was paying $85.56 a month for the past three months. Called up COMEXIS who said I was paid up and active. They said I had to settle the issue with Delta Dental HMO. Delta Dental HMO said it was Delta Dental PPO and they transferred me. Delta Dental PPO said it was Delta Dental HMO. I explained the run around situation and the Delta Dental PPO representitive. Was given one of two possible numbers to call, they said I had to deal with Delta Dental of Virginia. I called one number, they said they would have to transfer me. I was transferred, after a couple of minutes I received an automated voice telling me to leave a message. They called me back in a few minutes. Then they told me it was the responsibility of COMEXIS (Cobra) to give them the verification. I put in a complaint with the FTC Complain System. I don't expect anything from it but I figure if I'm one, or one of a few complaints, nothing will happen. If I am one of many complaints there may be a day where the FTC gets one complaint too many about them. COMEXIS got back to me they said Delta Dental confirmed they have received verification. COMEXIS gave me a number to call Delta Dental. I called, the number is not in service.

• Washington Post 250, not much there.
• Virginia 500, not much there.
• Maryland 500, they had some interesting ones. It seems Maryland is better for jobs than Virginia. I applied for a job I wouldn't have even considered last year on principle. Lessons for today principles is one thing that can be expensive.

January 31 - Another month is at an end. From the number of calls and emails I've received for interviews 2012 is no better than 2011. January is has not been a better hiring month than any of the months in the autumn. To make matters worse they are cutting back on my wife's hours. That will set us back about $500 a month.

• Washington Post, McDonalds is the big employer today. Applied for a couple of jobs.
• Virginia 500, nothing.
• Maryland 500, a couple.
• Got a call from a recruiting agency, it didn't go well.
• Went through Snagajob, very little out there.

February 1 - Another month begins. This doesn't feel like Month IV; A New Hope.

• Went through the Washington Post 250, a pretty good day on that front.

February 2 - Groundhog Day. Rather than everything going in a circle I seem to be on a downward spiral. I've got an appointment on Monday with another recruiting agency, probably a waste of half a day. I'm also going to call what is apparently a staffing agency about a horrible excuse for a job. It reads like 3 month of full time, brain dead work where I would get less than I get for unemployment, with no hope of continuing. I called up the recruiter and left a message. They sent back an email asking if I was comfortable with $10/hr, 3 months, 40 hr/wk, no benefits. I told them I wasn't the pay was too low and I wouldn't be able to interview for a permanent job. I told them I would do part time or short term for those prices. I doubt I'll be hearing from them again.

• Washington Post, STG, Inc. is the big "employer" today. It's apparently a staffing agency. The problem is they are based in Reston, VA but the jobs are all over the place. Who is going to relocate or commute over a hundred miles for a low paying part time position?
• Went through the Virginia & Maryland 500, little there.
• Filled out one of those surveys with Sentara Healthcare. They asked for my Social Security Number but I didn't give it. Either way I don't expect to get anything positive from them.
• Got an email from a recruiter. Looks as if I'll have 2 useless interviews on Monday. Can't get to the web site given.
• Got a rejection letter from the University of Maryland for an Administrative Assistant position. I suppose they are overstocked with Administrative Assistants if they have enough time to send out rejection letters.
• Got an email reply from Senator Mark Warner. He did mention my concern was about personal information a potential employer may request. It's nice to know somebody actually reads these emails.

February 3 - The end of another week. Called Delta Dental again. They had there three days. They sent me back to CONEXIS who gave me another number for Delta Dental. Delta Dental admitted I was a member. Now it's a matter of filling out paperwork and sending it to my dentist. Let's see how this goes.

• Washington Post, Capital One is the big employer, the trouble is it means giving my social security number to a web site.
• Turned down for an Administrative Assistant position. They said I wasn't among the most highly qualified.
• Found two ads in the local papers. One I doubt if I'm what they need. The other is for a data entry/telephone clerk position.
• Went through the Virginia 500, not much there.

February 4 - Saturday again. Yesterday they were talking up how much the employment picture improved in January. I have seen no evidence of it from my perspective. Granted I may just be unlucky, that would be consistent with the way things have been going for me lately.

• Washington Post is having some technical difficulties, did manage to apply for 2 jobs from their site before the troubles. They got it fixed and had a good day finding things, typical Saturday for the Washington Post.
• Nothing new in Virginia.
• Applied for a great looking job on Maryland site, woun't get it of course.

February 5 - Superbowl Sunday. Off to a late start, folks have different church obligations.

• Went through Washington Post 250, applied for a couple.
• Applied for a job Apria Healthcare. It asked if I had been convicted of a felony or misdemeanor, without asking for an explaination. In other words someone with a traffic ticket is in the same category as someone with a multiple murder conviction.

February 6 - Week not off to a good start. Looked over an email and saw I had to fill out some online forms. Filled out the online forms. One interview was with a recruiting organization and the other was with a temp agency. Let's see if these do any better than the others.

• Washington Post, Genesis Rehabilitation is the big employer today. Very little for me to apply for. I think I had already applied for everything I could previously. Disturbing is they have Administrative Assistant jobs being advertised from a month ago.

February 7 - A slow start today. At 9:40 internet started acting up.

• Washington Post; Washington Hospital Center is one of the big employers today. Saw a position that would have been great. The problem is it's an intern position. I don't think there was anything new there for me.
• Went through Virginia 500, little there.
• Maryland 500, Applied for a great job. I won't get it. It's too far out anyway.
• Got an email from somebody I gave as a reference. She said a school system where I applied asked about me. That is encouraging.

February 8 - Same old routine.

• Washington Times added two new jobs, unfortunately they are the usual high end ones.
• Washington Post, had an opening for "move tester", didn't give any details at all. I put my resume in anyway. What can happen, nothing? There seems to be a lot of newly posted jobs that are expired. One disheartening thing is when I see an Administrative Assistant job that has been advertised for the past month.
• Went through the Virginia and Maryland 500, not much there.
• Rejection for an office assistant job.
• Have an interview for a part time job tomorrow.

February 9 - Have a part time job interview today. I have two worries about the interview. One worry is I won't get the job. The other worry is I will get the job. It's a part time job that pays less than $12/hour. That means I'll be working for nothing because the unemployment pays more. The interview was fun. I actually had what seemed to be good answers for everything. God a call from the company with a job offer. It's $11.35/hr.

• Updated my Linkedin, not that is does any good, 1 person has looked me up in the last 90 days.
• Washington Post, Genesis Rehabilitation is the big employer again.

• Washington Post 250, applied for a few.
• Applied for a job in the local paper.
• Virginia 500, very little.
• Maryland 500, very little.

February 11 - I completed the I-9 form today. I fugured I'd show up dressed for work just in case. I have to call on Monday to make sure all the paperwork is in. My spouse is angry that I'm taking this job. An old friend of mine advises doing charity work in my field instead. There are good reasons for doing the latter, it would look better on a job application that I would be doing something in my field. It might also turn into a paid position. The other side is if you are working for nothing the impression might be the services aren't worth anything. Another problem is what I've run into when doing volunteer work in churches. There is a tendency to ask more and more time of the volunteers. This could also translate into tearing into job search time.

• Washington Times has been doing better, numbers wise. They have 12 jobs listed, none for me though.

February 12 - Typical slow Sunday start.

• Washington Post 250, very little today.
• Little on the Virginia 500.
• Applied for 2 jobs on ebay classified.

February 13 - Week not off to a good start. Couldn't get through to a human at Human Resources at the part time job. Talked to a recruiter who didn't seem to be listening to anything I was saying. A company's online application form isn't working right.
Cheryl Palmer answered my questions of February 10. Here is her response: