June 17, 2025 – I was informed of my layoff on Jan. 16, 2025. Since then, I have navigated the waters of unemployment benefits and job hunting. In Oregon, you are required to meet with an “employment specialist” from WorkSource, a nationwide company that helps people find jobs. I went in after uploading my writing resume. When I got there and talked with the employment specialist, he asked some questions, said my resume looked good, and mentioned I could take classes on how to write a resume or do an interview.

AI and Job Hunting

One thing the employment specialist mentioned was that every time I applied for a job, I needed to change my resume to match the keywords in the job announcement. Companies are using “AI” to weed out resumes that don’t meet the job’s specifications. However, if the programmer put in “must have event planning” and my resume states that I have organized and executed a donation benefit gala for the American Red Cross of Alaska, AI won’t read that as “event planning.” It will just kick my resume out of the queue never to be seen by a real person who could make the connection to “event planning.” Resumes were supposed to be mass produced. Now, they need to be tailored to the machine.

Companies Banking Candidates

The other thing that the employment specialist mentioned was that companies will post jobs that aren’t available in an effort to build a pool of possible candidates if the person currently in the position decides to leave or gets fired. So, some of the jobs listed on job boards may not be real or available, even if the company is having people apply for the position as if it were.

Stats and the Job Search

I got on Indeed and started looking and applying for jobs that would allow me to use my writing and/or banking skills. As of yesterday, five months after I was informed of my layoff, I have applied for 56 jobs on Indeed and have made a total of 101 contacts. I have had two phone interviews, one essay question request, a couple of multiple-choice tests (that shouldn’t take longer than an hour) and one in-person interview.

A head hunter contacted me from LinkedIn. She was in charge of a job search for a company that had the same position open for a long time. She wanted to see what they were willing to give up in order to get a candidate into the position. She thought I had the skills to get the job. I looked at the application and was missing the requisite manufacturing skills; I’ve never worked in a factory. I could supervise people and have experience with OSHA regulations and hazardous chemicals. It took four emails and an application to find out I wasn’t the person the company was willing to compromise for.

Additionally, I was contacted twice by scammers. They were going to pay me $45 an hour for editing. That would be amazing, but other red flags popped up. I wrote about it here and about the second contact here.

Last night, I got an email that said I would not be considered for the Bank Teller position at a local credit union. That should’ve been a slam dunk. I have a year of experience as a teller and five months as an instructor in the banking industry.

Goodwill Job Connections

I went to Goodwill Job Connections because it’s a couple of blocks from my home. At our second meeting, she looked at my resume and said it looked good, I should just remove the dates, so it’s more difficult to guess how old I am. She was surprised that I’d be willing to take an entry level position. She was also surprised that I had applied to about 50 jobs when I had talked to her. I’m supposed to go back if I want to practice my interview skills… when I get an interview scheduled.

No End in Sight

And that’s where I am with trying to find a job. I have two remote, contract jobs (Asgard Alaska and Bearly Entertaining), unemployment benefits, and help from my sister to make ends meet. We also have our Patreon supporters, book income from Amazon, Jenya’s creative arts on Etsy, and InboxDollars. If you know anyone who needs a blog written, send them my flyer. Thanks.