Holiday Hurdles: Job Loss and New Beginnings
The holidays in 2023 were quite eventful for us. By wild, I mean it was a really tough and uncertain time in my personal and professional life as I became unemployed in early November 2023.
With this change, our lives had to adjust. Since I was home on unemployment, the kids no longer needed childcare. While this saved us money, it also meant losing our spot in the childcare program in our neighborhood we have a lot of millennials/gen Z starting families and needing childcare, and spots are limited.
Childcare was mainly for my daughter since my son was in the universal pre-k program. My daughter particularly misses her friends at daycare, her teacher, and the routine of having working parents.
My job loss put a significant financial strain on my husband’s blue-collar job to keep us afloat. I had to empty whatever I could from my 401k. Despite these challenges, we made it through the holidays and into the new year.
Being an unemployed stay-at-home mom (SAHM) didn’t seem too daunting at first. Companies typically slow down their hiring during the holidays, so I knew interviews wouldn’t pick up until January 2024. I enjoyed getting my son on/off the bus and spending one-on-one time with my daughter.
As an unemployed corporate professional turned SAHM, I took on several new roles:
- Dietitian: Food shopping and cooking
- Housekeeper: Cleaning and laundry
- Nurse: Managing doctor visits, pharmacy runs, and sick days
- Nightly Coach: Bath time and bedtimes
- Scheduler: Handling appointments and managing the family calendar
However, we couldn’t survive on just my husband’s salary, which was never our plan. We are a working-class family, relying on both parents’ incomes.
Unemployment and job hunting these days are quite the experience. Job boards are flooded with candidates, including recent graduates and seasoned professionals, with AI now reading resumes. Recruiters often come off as aggressive and phony, similar to used car salesmen. Additionally, many job postings don’t include salary ranges, which is now illegal in New York.
Most of my job applications were done on my phone via LinkedIn or Indeed. Some sites now display how many people have applied, when the posting went live, any connections you have with the company, and other relevant information. While some jobs offered “easy apply” options, others required creating a username and password with strict online security measures.
Despite the competition, I managed to get my applications viewed by companies. LinkedIn’s transparency features gave me a glimmer of hope, but it didn’t always lead to moving forward in the process. I remained optimistic about getting interview requests, at least for initial HR screenings.
Balancing job applications and interviews with SAHM duties was challenging. I scheduled Zoom interviews during my daughter’s naptime and, when necessary, set her up with an iPad and snacks. For in-person interviews, I arranged childcare for my daughter and scheduled them between 9:30 am and 2:00 pm. Interviewing is exhausting, costly, and something I loathe.
After countless interviews over six months, I’m happy to report that I have a new job. The initial training period is in-person for the rest of the summer, and I look forward to rejoining the professional world and hanging up my Mom hat for a few hours each day.
I’ll check back with another update soon!
Happy 4th!
