I'm so annoyed with the unemployment agency in Michigan. Yesterday I got a letter that says my benefits are being audited because, and this a paraphrase, I've been receiving benefits longer than the average person based on current economic conditions.
REALLY?!? I've been on unemployment for 2 months and 2 weeks. What about all the people who have been on it for A YEAR because of all the extensions applied to benefits in the past years? I apply for jobs, not daily, but on a very regular basis amounting to an average of at least one-two per week. I check MTB daily. I check Monster.com daily. I've put feelers out in my personal network. I talk to people on a regular basis. I've got a tentative contract out with a company that just won't pull the trigger. So it's not like I'm sitting on my butt waiting for the chance to extend my state money.
I'm back to where I was in college - qualified, but can't get an interview. I know if I could just get an interview, I could slam-dunk a job. Frustrating. Every job I apply for ends up filled and I either get a really neato little rejection letter, or I check on it and it's already gone. And a lot of corporations anymore are asking for applicants NOT to call and check on the status of their resumes.
I *could* go back to restaurants. Assuming I could get a full 40 hours a week, I *might* be able to make as much as I do on unemployment (since UI is based on previous salary, I'm not sure if that's even a given). I have projects here at home that I'm content to work on, and it is great to have time to pour myself into them. But i WANT to work. I WANT to be around other people. I WANT for our way of life to continue undisturbed.
And then the UIA has the balls to say to me that I've been collecting benefits longer than the average person. 2-1/2 months. Right.
Sigh.
Anytime now, 2011. Anytime now, you could turn around and actually treat me right. I guess it's just not in the cards for this year.
Unemployment is really a huge pain. My boyfriend was on it for a while after he got laid off and he had to jump through a bunch of hoops just to get the very minimum amount they were willing to give him, and then, like with you, they cut it off after he'd been on it for only a few months. It's frustrating that there are people willing to work hard but get nowhere while others seem to get a free ride. I've been reading your blog for a little while now, and I'm sorry this year has been going so badly for you. Hopefully something good will happen soon.
ReplyDeleteThanks M. Waiting for something good. Since May we've gotten hit over the head several times, some harder than others, but mostly we're still upright (well, as upright as I ever got, at least).
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