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Hi everyone, this is my first time posting on here. My name is Corey and I am about to be 30 and am currently unemployed. I've had depression problems in the past and that has caused me to quit jobs for no reason. To put it mildly I have a very spotty employment past with long bouts of unemployment. I really want to get employed, but I have problems filling out job applications due to not knowing what to put for the previous employers section. I have so many previous employers, I have trouble remembering them and the dates that I did work for them. I use to put that I was working for myself but that hasn't gotten me any where, so I would like a new take on what I should put. The other day, I had a guy come out on a service call for Directv and him and I got to talking and he said I'd be perfect for that, and to be perfectly honest, that would be a job I would enjoy doing. But besides the whole application process for that I have to get my license back first due to some unpaid tickets I have that I have not been able to afford to pay. I am looking for any advice on this situation. I eventually would like to go back to school to study home automation and high end home theater installs but I can't even do that at the moment because I'm in default on student loans. I really want to turn my life around and become a functioning member of society but I just feel so overwhelmed with all the hurdles I'm facing I really don't know where to start. Any help with this is greatly appreciated. Thank you.
Sounds like you could benefit from professional counseling in getting your depression under control and get back on track as you've outlined many things that, taken together.... affect one another. There's no simple fix for that and I would encourage you to seek professional help in addressing all your issues and mapping out a practical plan for addressing each one.
If you belong to a church, confide in your minister and ask for help. If you have someone in your family who understands your issues and would be willing to help, have a sincere heart-to-heart talk. If you have a family doctor, ask him/her for a referral for counseling. If you don't have those resources, you could check with community health centers and they may either have counseling services or can provide a referral to free counseling services.
I'm not qualified to offer any professional opinion... but I will say that from my own personal experiences and those of my clients....depression can domino things in your life and until you get that under control it would be difficult for you to succeed in reaching all the other goals you've mentioned. So find some qualified help with your depression as a first step and I'm pretty sure you'll find other help along the way for all these other things you'd like to accomplish.
I think a good counselor or group-therapy workshop can help you deal with tackling your job search obstacles. Perhaps an employment counselor referral would be useful.
Good Luck.
Last edited by BeenThereDunThat; 12-05-2013 at 04:56 PM..
In addition to counseling, are there any "job clubs" or job support groups (meetups?) in your area? You could get help with applications, practice interviewing, and get support from others who are also unemployed. Sometime being part of a group like that can greatly boost one's confidence.
A lot of libraries have free job seminars, so you might start there.
But, yes, do consider the excellent advice about getting counseling for the depression, too.
Hi yall, thanks for the responses. I have gotten my depression under control via seeing a doctor and medication. Now I'm trying to move to the next step and get employed and get on my feet. Unfortunately I live in a very small town and as far as I know the library doesn't offer any of these services.
I have a couple of questions before I dispense advice.
1. Do you live with your parents?
2. Is your relationship with your parents stressed due to finances?
3. What sort of skills do you have? (are you good at anything?)
4. You seem to have a firm grasp on the English language. Have you looked into a trade school or community college?
5. If everything worked out perfectly, where would you see yourself in 10 years?
First off congrats on getting a handle on your depression by getting with a doctor for help. You might ask your doc if he/she has any ideas to help you get to the next step as he/she may know of resources like job counseling, career guidance, etc. When I was a young man, my family doctor offered me friendly advice when he asked me about my plans for college, military, etc. and his info was quite useful.
Also, you might want to check with your local State Unemployment Office and see what career counseling / guidance services they may offer. You said you're in a small town so it might be that you have to get a ride to the nearest office if they have such services..but it all starts with a phone call or websearch... and since you've been posting I'm assuming you have good internet access.
I would recommend looking at places like Careerbuilder as there are good articles on how to map out a job search., define your job objectives... consider your job aptitude, etc. Check local library for resources too... as there's often a lot in current magazines or in the reference section on "how to's" and that sort of thing. Ask your librarian for help...briefly tell them what you'd like to find info on and often they'll know what they have on hand to show you.
Corey it's easy to get overwhelmed when things seem to not be working out the way you'd like but the trick is to learn how to step back, take a moment to relax and focus on a practical plan to tackle those things that are keeping you from achieving your goals. What I'd suggest is to get a notebook and take notes on those things that you need to fix, make a list of what they are and then break-down the steps you feel you should take to solve those issues.
Take your work history as an example. You say you've had a spotty work history and you're not sure about the dates, etc.? Well on one page just pencil in to the best of your memory where you worked and in what order... the job function/title, the address and phone number, start and end date. If you have any old pay stubs... you should be able to use those. I'm sure you filed taxes so check your tax returns if that helps. When you go to fill out a job app... take a copy of your work history so you can copy from it. In fact make a resume from that information... and make copies, save it to hard drive.
Write down the unpaid tickets and find out what you owe. Try to find out if there are any other fines added on to unpaid fines. See if there's anything you can do to reduce the fine... is there traffic school on weekends where your fine could be reduced? See if you can perform community service in lieu of a fine if money is tight. But you have to ask.
Defaulted student loans? Contact the agency that loaned you the money and see if there are any options for you to work out a payment plan or debt remediation. Sometimes a portion of student loans can be "forgiven" but not knowing your circumstances.... I really don't know what to say except to find out if there's a way to work these loans either by a reduced-payment plan based on your current income or debt forgiveness. Stay away from credit counseling/debt relief agencies because many will ask for an upfront fee from you and often you wind up having to pay anyway.
You've heard the old saying: "Divide and Conquer"? Just separate the things into categories that you need to deal with and write down steps to deal with those issues. Some things will take days, some will take weeks, others months and maybe even years...but the thing to remember is that you can chip away at these things if you just focus on issues one at a time and try not to do it all at once. Some things you can multi-task but others will need full attention on their own.
This sort of goes back to my original suggestion about getting counseling.... you might benefit from having some professional counselor who can help you break these things down into working batches and help you focus on getting results in real-time. So ask around and see if there are any support groups or counseling services in your area.
Good luck!
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