Unemployment after 50, it's not your like your daddy's job search.

So I'll admit it, last August I got fired.  It was one of those weird situations, where both my former employer and myself had really stopped caring about each other, but I hadn't found something new. They really didn't have any really good excuse to get rid of me until a co-worker called me "hysterical" and I replied via email and copied everyone that I was not, in fact, hysterical.  Whatever. Moving on. 

I had been looking halfheartedly for a new job anyway.  My resume was already prepared, LinkedIn profile was brushed up and I was ready to pound the keyboard and find some work.  It has been over a decade since I had actually been in a job search so I was genuinely surprised how much the job search and unemployment landscape had changed.

Firstly, I'd like to say that applying and maintaining unemployment benefits is a pain in the ass. I had been in the system before and it was literally, the same clunky out of date website from the early 2000's. The program was really difficult to navigate so I ended up going to the unemployment office which was just five blocks away. I am a relatively smart person, but using the unemployment website is a real barrier to collecting benefits, but hey, $275 a week is better than nothing. 

I scored several interviews right off the bat. In fact, in my six weeks of unemployment, I got six. Using a combination of contacts and recruiters I didn't have a problem getting noticed.  However,  Interviews are not what they used to be.  For each position I got an interview for I spent an average of six to eight hours from beginning to end. Things I didn't expect:

1. three to four phone interviews prior to the on-site interview.

2. An endless battery of psychological, logic and math tests.  I got this from each potential employer.

3.  Several "panel" interviews by 3 to 6 individuals.

4.  Several presentations showing your ability to present on a topic.

I can say that in each case, the endless interview was cumbersome. In the end I just ended up resenting the whole process because, it's really hard to stay focused, charming and "upbeat" when an interview lasts for four to five hours.  Because that's really not an interview, its an interrogation.

So, as usual, I landed on my feet. I found a suitable job 7 weeks after I was let go, which seems to promise a happier, brighter future.