I resigned from Dollar Tree.
I resigned because I accepted another full time role in retail. I thought that I could do both, but I couldn’t. It only lasted a couple months but I remembered what work could feel like. That it wasn’t my personal identity but I loved the time I spent there, even though there was still a lot to complain about just like any other job. But the job wasn’t my identity.
Patti got a job!
Mom’s stories always resonate. Are you burned out by the job search process? Are you feeling depressed? Are you not good at networking? Are you looking for jobs without really needing a second income? Because Patti will always say, “If money is the only thing you’re worried about, then you’re going to be just fine.”
New Job: Full Circle
I am using my communications and interpersonal skills to serve an under-resourced community as a cashier at a discount retail store, demonstrating my flexibility in challenging situations and ability to develop creative solutions to solve an immediate need.
Filing for Missouri Unemployment
Filing for unemployment was easy while also being as difficult as I expected. It required me to open the mail that I’ve just been throwing in a drawer, but now that’s all in the recycling bin. And I’m going to have a couple bucks to bank on for the next year: money I contributed through taxes.
Last paycheck is on Friday.
It hit me that I need to figure out how to pay my bills. And I was surprised to see that if I pay off my debt, I only need to make $30/hour. This is how I calculated that and what I did to cut that debt. And like any other mid-life crisis, how I’ve seen life come full circle. If it wasn’t that bad then, maybe it’s not that bad now.
In progress
Networking events
LinkedIn best practices
Temporary income sources
New perspectives
Managing mental health
As a fellow job seeker impacted by a corporate layoff, I am also experiencing the challenges of our current competitive, AI-driven job market. I see, hear, and share the mutual frustrations and bewilderment. In my experience, the most successful way to secure a new role is through networking. However, those in-person opportunities are hard to find. Many people are terrified of networking, even on LinkedIn.
I can help fill that gap. My background is marketing and communications. I’m a natural networker, and I’m a writer. Some of my innate qualities are honesty, transparency, and finding the positivity in a negative situation.
But most importantly: I know what it’s like to have nothing. To be starting from scratch. To ask for help.
We’re all going to be okay; we just have to stay together. And maybe we can find some ways to have fun in the process, learn from each other, and build a community: a network.