Unemployed: Week 3

Being unemployed has its advantages and disadvantages. The top disadvantage of being unemployed is an obvious one---a shrinking savings account.  The advantages are the blessings because I get to spend more time than I've ever spent with my daughters and I'm there to see their smiling faces each day when I meet them after school.  The other advantage is that I'm able to work out regularly and can do it when most people are at work. With that being said, week 3 of being unemployed took an interesting turn as I participated in more phone screenings and face to face interviews.

I saw two offers come my way, that were hopefully just a fluke and not a sign of things to come.

In each scenario a certain pay range was introduced but not followed through when it came down to receiving a written offer.  I was very disappointed that in both offers the pay rates were significantly lower than the pay scales we had conversed about in earlier meetings.  In one case, the budget has been adjusted and changed from the time that they did the posting of the opportunity and from the time when the offer was finally extended.  In both cases I couldn't make ends meet with the offers on the table.  Fuel costs, childcare, and my basic need to pay my rent pretty much dictated my having to decline the offers.  I'm in disbelief that employers in San Diego County would offer such low paying wages.  I mean, how exactly can someone live in San Diego on the wages they were offering?  I was sort of taken back because I don't have a very high cost of living arrangement currently, and I'm debt free and I don't have a car payment.  The one thing I do have is a child care cost, but it is very reasonable and would not be an issue if these employers would have offered a competitive salary.

This week I also received some follow up emails from employers that will not be considering me further in their recruiting process.  That was brutal feedback, but it was much appreciated, because it's nice to know which interviews are actually viable.  Of the original 6 positions I originally interviewed for.....2 gave horrible offers, 2 disqualified me, and two remain viable.  I'm grateful that I continued to send out resumes, since now I look forward to seeing if any of my new submissions will become phone screenings.

I'm keeping my head up and not letting these two negative offer experiences and the 2 rejection notices impact my morale.  There are other opportunities and I have to focus my energies on those and not dwell on the failed attempts of other opportunities.  I have to look to the horizon and believe that an offer that makes sense is just around the corner.