Panic Time

I didn't get the job that I've been waiting three months to hear back from. Frankly, I'm stunned, and I don't mean to sound conceited when I say that. This position was an administrative assistant position in a field in which I have my Master's Degree, in an industry that I have worked in for almost twenty years. Now I'm screwed. My unemployment is due to run out in a few weeks, and although I've applied for over 30 jobs in the past few months, I've only been asked in for two interviews. I'm beginning to think I'm cursed. So many cover letters, so little interest in me. It's gotten to the point where I've started applying for part-time work, just to start working again. I just don't understand the lack of responses. Either I apply for a job in my field or a related field, only to be told it went to someone with more experience, or I apply for admin jobs that I don't hear back from because (I suspect) they think I'm overqualified. Last year I settled for a retail job at a tea shop and it was a nightmare. The pay was low, there was no health insurance, and the owner was a total nightmare. It's gotten to the point where I'm reconsidering whether I should stay on Boston's North Shore. And no, I can't seem to get a job in Boston, either, despite the numerous institutions there that are related to the industry in which I worked. Perhaps I should just apply for jobs in my field anywhere I see them and then move there. The only problem is that we just renewed our lease this month, so I'm stuck here for another year. I could apply for a job elsewhere and have a long commute, provided it's still in-state, but that might not be practical. I really love living in Salem but it seems I just can't get a job here. I never had such difficulties with getting jobs (and keeping them) in New York.

Perseverance, prayer, positive thinking, and witchy spells (courtesy of Salem's many witch shops - I'll accept help from all denominations) all didn't help, so I don't know what to do next. I've tried personnel and temp agencies in the past, but frankly, they suck, and the ones that hired me four years ago when I first moved to Massachusetts never called me with any jobs. I'll just have to keep looking. Maybe this is a sign to switch careers, to stop looking in this particular field and industry and do something entirely different. A more optimistic person could look at this as a good thing, a chance to start over. But I've always leaned towards the "glass is half-empty" school of thought. Sure, I could do something different, but what? Maybe I could go back to school, take one of those one-year certificate courses, or sign up for those programs I see on T.V. ("A rewarding beauty career awaits you at Blaine Technical School."). I can't help but feel like I'm at a very low point in my life. No job, no prospects, no money.