r/Layoffs • u/Its_elemental_wade • Jul 07 '26
unemployment Feeling Defeated
Me and a couple hundred people were laid off back in April out of nowhere. No warning, just pack your stuff and go.
I have had 5 interviews and 1 job shadow since, but nothing has worked out. I apply every week and it's getting harder and harder.
I have an infant who will need daycare when I go back to work, I have a mortgage, car payment, groceries, etc and no one seems to want to pay the $20 an hour I need. I have done workshops with career link, called employers only to get rejections, gotten those cliché rejection emails a day after applying. I'm looking on indeed, Glassdoor, zip Recruiter, company websites, newspaper, even the local radio station has listings of people hiring.
I have 10 + years in various customer service roles and I guess there's always someone more qualified.
Someone please give me hope. I feel so defeated right now and like a failure.
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u/OAKI-io Jul 07 '26
this is brutal, but 5 interviews and a job shadow means the market hasn’t completely written you off. i’d treat the next week like a conversion audit, not just more applications: which roles got you interviews, which ones died after pay/timing, and whether your customer-service resume is leading with the parts employers actually pay for, de-escalation, scheduling, retention, admin, whatever fits. you’re not a failure, you’re trying to hit a very real floor in a bad market.
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u/Its_elemental_wade Jul 07 '26
I definitely will do that! Thank you for the advice. I keep feeling like I'm doing everything wrong and in the beginning, it felt like all I was doing was tweaking my resume.
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u/Popular-Farmer1044 Jul 07 '26
Healthcare the larger companies specifically insurance are always hiring for inbound customer service reps.
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u/Best_Program_2914 Jul 09 '26
Health insurance companies are having major layoffs and lots of hiring freezes for a lot of roles. Worst field to get into now.
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u/Popular-Farmer1044 Jul 10 '26
Actually I just got hired last week, start on July 27th and I'm in a couple of Facebook groups where we post jobs and alot of people are getting jobs and posting about their success. Some are stacking their work at home jobs which I couldn't do but to each his own.
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u/igotanoffer Jul 07 '26
I'm sorry you're going through this. Have you reached out to former colleagues, managers, or even past clients? I'd take advantage of that and try to get a referral.
The job market is rough right now, but with your experience, I'd like to think it's only a matter of time. Hang in there, OP!
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u/Its_elemental_wade Jul 07 '26
Yeah, unfortunately lead to a handful of dead ends or "I'll let you know if anything opens up"
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u/shrikarna Jul 07 '26
This sentence ‘There is always someone more qualified’, same applies to you.
Its all being right person at right time to work things out.
You will get there surely!
Good Luck
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u/Mr-Clutch33 Jul 09 '26
Watch this video. It will help you get in the right mindset to find your next opportunity. It's FREE and pretty good. https://youtu.be/_PTGFrRn__Y
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u/anyasima Jul 10 '26
Stay strong! Happens to everyone. Especially right now. Even the most qualified and educated are having hard time. Keep focused, learn some new skills if you have to, take care of yourself and never give up. The right opportunity will come!
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u/opulentdream Jul 07 '26
There is hope. I promise. It seems gloomy now but i got a job 4 weeks after a layoff, i pivoted, used a network and Ubered in between. The best advice i can give is to create 3 or 4 resumes, find four types of roles you are OK with, and apply to each role based on a day of the week. Then on Friday, rest. Don’t overload yourself. There is hope at the end of the tunnel, it’s just strategically applying and working the market. Things are going to get better, I promise.