Will stacking shelves be a resume killer?
Q: I lost my job about 4 months ago. I was a Director of Marketing at one of the financial services companies that is really hurting right now. I have networked my heart out, searched every appropriate job board, met with a few search firms and answered any ad that I thought was a fit. Nothing has materialized. I need to bring income into the house. I have a family of four to feed and take care of. How bad will it look on my resume to take a job at a supermarket right now just to bring cash into the house?
A: It sounds like a very responsible thing to do in my mind. Many laid off workers are taking less responsible and lower paying jobs right now so they can bring money into the house. When the economy improves, there should be no problem explaining this digression in your career path. You are simply doing what you must do for your family.
Be sure to take advantage of the unemployment insurance that you are entitled to. If the economic stimulus package passes, it is possible that unemployment insurance will be extended until the end of the year. This should help the thousands of out-of-work folks who desperately need to bring in income to meet their bills. Hang in there! Take work where you can find it.
It may help stretch your unemployment insurance for an even longer amount of time. Try to carve out time each week to continue to job search. May I also put in a plug for looking at a non-profit organization for work. I am sure there is one that would welcome your skill set and may be able to hire, even in this environment.
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The OP should note that bringing over 1/3 of the UI benefit will cause a cut on the benefit received. That is how it works in MA, at least. For example, if the benefit is 600/wk, the recipient can't make more than 200 in any given wk of the benefit will be cut down to match the 600. This means that a person getting UI can't bring over 800/wk between UI and wages before taxes. Our household calculated that is better for my husband to stay home collecting UI, looking for a full time job on his area of study and updating his skills by means of certifications/courses/etc. than bringing any extra income by working 20 hrs @ 10/hr, if he can even find something like that. We know plenty of people that have look for jobs like this but the companies won't hire them because they know they will quit when they find FT jobs in their fields... This is the case of our household, I work full time and can support the family with our current emergency (meaning nothing extra) budget. Of course, every case is different... Good luck to the OP.
Can you take a temp job while on enemployment? Can you "suspend" your claim, work the temp job and then resume collecting when the job concludes? Anyone have an answer for this? Thank you in advance!
Isn't it stocking shelves?
Whatever you do, don't work in retail. The pay is lousy, your schedule changes daily and weekly, and you can't always get a requested day off.
In my past experience re: temp jobs and unemployment, you can work a temp job and collect unemployment again when that job is over but only if they have no other temp work to give you. If there are available temp jobs which you qualifiy for, and you decline the job, you will be denied further unemployment benefits. benefits.
This blogger might want to review your comment before posting it.
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Patricia Hunt Sinacole is president of First Beacon Group LLC, a human resources consulting firm in Hopkinton. Sheworks with clients across many industries including technology, biotech and medical devices, financial services, and healthcare, and has over 20 years of human resources experience.
Elaine Varelas is managing partner at Keystone Partners, a career management firm in Boston and serves on the board of Career Partners International.
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