Filing for Unemployment....

[LindsayDunn228]

If there are jobs at McDonald's available, he should be doing that anyway, rather than trying to file for unemployment.

That's what I was thinking.

 

[Chicago526]

If there are jobs at McDonald's available, he should be doing that anyway, rather than trying to file for unemployment.

But working at McD's (or some other low paying job) could take away from his job search. And McD's may not hire him, knowing he could quit any second when he finds a "real" job. Plus he'd have to work FT, and low paying jobs like that often don't offer full time work. At the McD's I worked at in high school, only the managers were full time.

 

[caitycaity]

i second him trying to get a part time job in something that doesn't necessarily have anything to do with his interest (and not necessarily mcdonald's). after i graduated, i was looking for the right job for about 7 months. however, i took a part time position at an IT helpdesk (not remotely close to my degree or my interest) just to make ends meet for the 7 months while i was looking for a job. it didn't take away from my job search at all and actually, many of the people that worked there were in the same boat. i even got a few interviews out of people who i met while working there who had friends in my field.

it might not be much, but at least it's something and it will increase his social network in the area, which can be very helpful while looking for a job.

 

[BuckNaked]

But working at McD's (or some other low paying job) could take away from his job search. And McD's may not hire him, knowing he could quit any second when he finds a "real" job. Plus he'd have to work FT, and low paying jobs like that often don't offer full time work. At the McD's I worked at in high school, only the managers were full time.

If he can only work part time at McDonald's, then he should have plenty of time to look for other work. If they don't hire him, fine, but I think it's wrong to be trying to get unemployment just because one doesn't like the other options out there. There is no work that is beneath anyone that has financial obligations and can't find the work they want.

I would also review what he is listing as his salary requirements. It could be that he is asking for $$ that are way out of range for the salaries in his new location.

second him trying to get a part time job in something that doesn't necessarily have anything to do with his interest (and not necessarily mcdonald's).

I agree, I'm not saying that McDonald's is the best option, but if that's all that's available, I would take that before I would sit home and collect unemployment.

 

[barkley]

i've known lots of people who refused to take a job they deemed as "low paying" or "beneath them professionaly" when they were seeking a new job in their desired field (not saying this is op's fiancee's attitude). they always justified it by saying it would be detrimental to their resume or would impede their job search.

i always thought this was pure bull! i sat on plenty of hiring panels and we were much more concerned with a lapse in time without a job vs. a lower paying interim position (and i don't recall anyone ever putting down "received ui" to cover a period of their work history). given that there are 24 hours in a day and an interim job would take at most 8-that leaves 16 hours per day for job searching (and in this day and age most people do the bulk of their searches via the internet which is opperative 24/7).

i might have questioned (on a hiring panel) if a candidate had worked in particular profession and then took a lower level position in the same field and was now seeking the higher level with my employer (did they get demoted for poor work performance? did someone find that they did not have the actual training/education for the higher level job and they were forced to seek work in the lower level?), but that is something a candidate can address in the comments portion of their resume (if they are concerned) or at an interview.

there are plenty of jobs with temp. agencies that are flexible enuf to allow for the occasion when someone has an interview, and if the bulk of a person's "job search" is researching opportunities and completing applications i don't think it can be a justification for not securing some type of job in order to meet their own (or their chidren's) financial needs.

 

[caitycaity]

i agree barkley - i'm on the hiring committee for my division at work and a lapse of employment is a bigger deal to us than temporary work while looking for a new job (in general) too. at least if the person has been at a temp or pt job we can get references from that job that speak to character (frequently as important or more important than job qualifications).

 

[Chicago526]

I don't know. I'd be happy to be "under-employed" either in my field or out of it while looking for a better job, but not to the extent of McD's. It's not the actual work that's beneath me (I worked for McD's in high school, it wasn't all that bad!) it's the pay, Working $6 an hour when I could be looking for a job just doesn't make sense. I want to be available to return calls to potential employers or go to an interview at the drop of a hat and not have to ask my 16 year old co-worker to trade shifts!

Now, if the unemployment ran out, then yeah, I'd dig ditches before going on welfare. But unemployment is there so that we can makes ends meet while looking for work. No shame in taking it for that purpose.

 

[BuckNaked]

It's not the actual work that's beneath me (I worked for McD's in high school, it wasn't all that bad!) it's the pay, Working $6 an hour when I could be looking for a job just doesn't make sense.

It makes sense if you can't find other work. And I would think that no amount of pay would be beneath someone that is otherwise going to be collecting government assistance.

But unemployment is there so that we can makes ends meet while looking for work.

Yes, but it's not there to pay you because you don't like the work that's available.

No shame in taking it for that purpose.

I'd certainly be ashamed to collect unemployment insurance when I could be working.

 

[caitycaity]

I don't know. I'd be happy to be "under-employed" either in my field or out of it while looking for a better job, but not to the extent of McD's. It's not the actual work that's beneath me (I worked for McD's in high school, it wasn't all that bad!) it's the pay, Working $6 an hour when I could be looking for a job just doesn't make sense. I want to be available to return calls to potential employers or go to an interview at the drop of a hat and not have to ask my 16 year old co-worker to trade shifts!

There are lots of other pt jobs that one could get that would allow them to return phone calls (on a cell phone or a work phone), and most places calling to interview are pretty flexible about people coming for an interview (in my experience). That is why I said not necessarily McDonalds. The helpdesk job I had paid $10/hour and required little experience. Unfortunately in this day and age, getting a job offer (even if you have lots of interviews) can be difficult. Personally, I'd rather have the $10/hour than nothing while I was looking.

I'm not here to tell people what is best for them. I just don't think I could go on unemployment without first trying to get a PT job.

 

[tar heel]

What kind of experience does he have? Communications degrees aren't worth much without experience, and I'm saying this as someone who has a Journalism degree. Charleston is not a very large city. I'm guessing the number of jobs there in his field may be limited. If he doesn't have a lot of experience, he might want to get on the phone to nonprofits and see if he can line up some volunteer work. He might not make a cent for doing a brochure or organizing a special event, but he would develop local contacts and get something additional to add to his resume. I agree with the above posters that he should also seek temporary work of some kind.

 

[barkley]

I don't know. I'd be happy to be "under-employed" either in my field or out of it while looking for a better job, but not to the extent of McD's. It's not the actual work that's beneath me (I worked for McD's in high school, it wasn't all that bad!) it's the pay, Working $6 an hour when I could be looking for a job just doesn't make sense. I want to be available to return calls to potential employers or go to an interview at the drop of a hat and not have to ask my 16 year old co-worker to trade shifts!

Now, if the unemployment ran out, then yeah, I'd dig ditches before going on welfare. But unemployment is there so that we can makes ends meet while looking for work. No shame in taking it for that purpose.

what many don't realize is that one of the key provisions to collecting ui is to "seek and accept employment"-and ui decides what is acceptable not the job seeker. ui makes an assessment of the person's employability skills and if they are offered a job they are qualified for and refuse to accept it for a non extenuating reason (it would require a move, can't work nites because they have children w/no other caregiver/childcare provider available) ui can impose a penalty period during which they are ineligible to receive any benefits (and this penalty can stay on the records and be served at a future time for another claim). because of job shortages in some fields ui has become more apt to tell a claimant "a job can lead to a better job to the job you ultimatly desire-but you must accept this"-if it's below what the ui benefit is the person may continue to receive a partial portion of their benefit for a period of time.

just as an fyi on an unemployed person seeking welfare benefits-if they have no dependants they can apply of general assistance (ga) but they have they often have a "work requirement"-if you don't work the minimum hours in a traditional job they can have you work (at no pay) at the recycling center, picking up trash on the roadside...and ALLOT of counties structure ga as a "loan program" that you are contractualy obligated to repay with a lien placed against future income (there ARE employers who are hesitant to hire someone who has an attachment on their wages from day one). an unemployed person with dependants can apply for afdc but they will have a work requirement as well and are limited to a "lifetime maximum" so if they use it they lose it.

i think ui is great for it's intended purpose, and if an unemployed person has a child support obligation they should def. apply (child support is pulled from the check before it ever gets issued). i don't think it should be used to facilitate a job search (and i would question if someone had an issue having to ask their 16 year old co-worker to trade shifts-is this someone that might have an issue with working with staff or supervisors younger than themselves? not to flame-it's just that i was about 20 years younger than the majority of people i supervised and it can be an issue for some employees).

 

[SC Minnie]

Have him contact several good temp agencies. They will at least get his foot in the door-- not necessarily in his field but at least to know people and network.

The time of year you moved is not really prime hiring time.

 

[disneymom3]

DH was what we refer to as unemployed for 15 months. Technically he wasn't unemployed as he did work at Target during that time. What he did is worked the shift from 4 a.m. to noon or 1:00. This got some income in, health insurance(which was a huge benefit) and still allowed him time to go to interviews in the afternoon. While he hated the job, it was really the ideal solution as he could work and still look for a new job. The pay was pretty low, but it was sure better than nothing.

 

[ead79]

I agree with the suggestions about a temp agency. That way it’s not as physical (typically) as McDonald’s or similar jobs and can allow schedule flexibility for interviews. Having been unemployed myself in the past, it’s a tough road.

I’m a little surprised about some of the comments here about accepting UI payments. At least here in Georgia, you can collect UI as long as you are looking for work. They do not expect you to take a job for which you are vastly overqualified. You are not expected to work fast food if you previously had a professional job. The weekly max here is $300 per week, and I can’t imagine working a minimum wage job for less than that when it could keep me from going to an interview. I’m not in favor of collecting UI when you can find a suitable job and are just being overly picky, but it’s there for a reason. Plus, it’s not just a government benefit (like welfare). Your previously employer paid premiums for you to receive UI benefits. Maybe I’m not the most mature person in the world, but it did make me feel a tiny bit better knowing that my previous employer’s premiums were skyrocketing since they laid off 40% of the company.

 

[BuckNaked]

I’m a little surprised about some of the comments here about accepting UI payments. At least here in Georgia, you can collect UI as long as you are looking for work. They do not expect you to take a job for which you are vastly overqualified. You are not expected to work fast food if you previously had a professional job. The weekly max here is $300 per week, and I can’t imagine working a minimum wage job for less than that when it could keep me from going to an interview. I’m not in favor of collecting UI when you can find a suitable job and are just being overly picky, but it’s there for a reason.

It's just a matter of people's personal feelings about what is right and what is wrong. You don't see anything wrong with collecting unemployment when you could be working, and I do.

 

[Bob Slydell]

I’m a little surprised about some of the comments here about accepting UI payments. At least here in Georgia, you can collect UI as long as you are looking for work. They do not expect you to take a job for which you are vastly overqualified. You are not expected to work fast food if you previously had a professional job. The weekly max here is $300 per week, and I can’t imagine working a minimum wage job for less than that when it could keep me from going to an interview. I’m not in favor of collecting UI when you can find a suitable job and are just being overly picky, but it’s there for a reason. Plus, it’s not just a government benefit (like welfare). Your previously employer paid premiums for you to receive UI benefits. Maybe I’m not the most mature person in the world, but it did make me feel a tiny bit better knowing that my previous employer’s premiums were skyrocketing since they laid off 40% of the company.

To a certain extent, I agree with you, but UI's intended as a very short term solution. I collected unemployment for like 4 weeks when I lost my job once -- that's the time it took me to find something (thankfully) suitable as a new job. But if it had gotten to the point where it was looking like it would be a long term thing (especially if finances were getting bad), I would take some other job outside my field instead of remain on unemployment for any longer.

 

[LindsayDunn228]

Yeah, what BuckNaked said.

 

[Keggy]

The substituting idea is a good one. That way if he has an inerview he can just turn down that days offer.

To whomever said she's the teacher not him, doesn't really matter for a substitute. He has a degree -that's what counts.

Kelly

 

[TRUFFLES13]

My company is closing, I have worked here for 25 years and have never collected unemployment. But I will have to now, it is hard to look for a new job because I don't know when my last day of work actually is. When I am done I will be collecting unemployement as I look for a new job. I don't see anything wrong with doing that, it is there to help, and it is not even close to what I was making per week.

 

[BuckNaked]

My company is closing, I have worked here for 25 years and have never collected unemployment. But I will have to now, it is hard to look for a new job because I don't know when my last day of work actually is. When I am done I will be collecting unemployement as I look for a new job. I don't see anything wrong with doing that, it is there to help, and it is not even close to what I was making per week.

There's nothing wrong with it, for the very short term (as Bob mentioned above).