The Unemployment Office

As I mentioned earlier, I'm supposed to check-in with the unemployment office every 90 days. Well today was my day to go. The last time I went I had to attend a training class on how to apply for a job and how to create a resume. The class was so basic that it was almost a joke. First of all I know what it means to facilitate a training class so to sit and watch this guy barely be able to read his notes made me want to jump up and facilitate the class for him. It was a seriously sad and painful thing to watch and the fact that it was scheduled to be a four hour class just made me want to blow my face off. After the first hour was over I asked to speak to the lady who was in charge of the class and told her that I knew how to create a resume and how to use a computer and didn't feel I needed to sit through the rest of the training. Since I had my teeth and a shower, I think she felt I didn't really belong there so luckily for me I was able to leave before the break ended. I couldn't leave quick enough...

I wasn't kidding about having teeth and a shower. I'm not being mean either. I am actually stating the facts of what it's like to go to the unemployment office. The office that I have to go to is in Milton, Fl which is a small town east of Pensacola. The building is filled full of people who were filing for unemployment, attending some required class or meeting with their guidance counselor like I was. The room is very small and the waiting area is a bunch of chairs connected together so it's like sitting next to someone on an airplane. One wall of the room is filled with computers for those people who don't have access to one at home. They can use those computers for free anytime during working hours and each chair had someone sitting in it. As I waited I looked around the room and realized that I was the best looking thing in there and certainly the cleanest. I was so surprised at how many people came in without a shower or without clean clothes. It was gross and the smell was worse. I was doing all I could to keep my arms from touching the person next to me. There wasn't one person in the room that was half as educated or had half the experience that I do. I thought to myself "I can understand why these people can't find a job... why the hell am I here?"

I was finally called back to see my counselor. Once at her desk, I gave her my employment search documentation that I am required to do to prove that I am actively looking for a job. She sat there for a minute looking over the detailed paperwork and then looked up at me and said "This is the most detailed organized paperwork that I have ever received." Based on who was in the lobby, I'm sure it was. :) She then wanted to know what my plan was going forward and then wanted to show me a website that might be helpful in my job search. That website was http://www.employflorida.com/ . This website doesn't just search NWFL, it searches all areas of Florida and makes it very easy to apply to other locations.

When she was trying to show me how to use the website, she asked me how to spell "hospitality" and seemed to be having a hard time typing so I asked if we could switch chairs. She agreed. I went through the website and even created a profile while I was sitting at her desk. I also showed her how to open another web page while keeping the website open which she found fascinating. After a few minutes of this silliness, we switched back to our regular seats. She looked at my paperwork again and then asked me to sign and date it. She then said that she felt I didn't need to check in or attend any more classes. She felt I knew what I was doing and said I was free to go and wished me luck in my job search.

During my hour drive home all I could think about was the people in that office. In my career I have had a few people come for an interview that were unclean, un-showered and smelling like booze and wanting me to interview them to work at the front desk. I couldn't believe someone would come to an interview like that, but now I realize that they are required to have at least two interviews a week to keep their unemployment benefits. There are so many people out there who don't really want to work and just want to screw the system. Then there's me, someone who loves to work, loved my staff, loved my job and is now stuck in the same category as these people... at least I don't have to go to that office anymore.

This is my world...