Hope

The hardest part of being part of the long-term unemployed is keeping the faith. You start to see yourself as a loser, as a bum, as someone who is no good. The longer you go without finding gainful employment the easier it is to give up the hunt.

In the two years of hunting I have applied to every open job I was qualified for, and some that I wasn't. in my area. In all of that time, with several thousand resume's out there, I have had two interviews. I keep trying though.

It would be very easy for me to give up hope. I could say "I'll try when I finish college" or I'll try when the market improves. No. What I did was start looking outside of Illinois. I know that I need a job, and I know there will never be jobs in Illinois as long as Pat Quinn is Governor. I started my search in Texas.

As long as you maintain hope and don't slide in to self loathing and depression, we the long-term unemployed still have a chance. We have to look harder, and cast a wider net, but our job is out there somewhere. It is just a matter of keeping the faith and staying on the hunt.

Good Luck my fellow job seekers, and just so you know...there are NO security jobs left in Dallas. No really, they are all full, don't even try...