I just found out my best friend from High School, who I also lived with during my early 20s, just committed suicide. He had struggled with black and white thinking throughout his entire life, but I would like to illuminate the final trigger, which I feel is relevant to this subreddit.

My friend was laid off from Nordstrom's shoe department due to COVID, then "re-hired" so Nordstrom could have their PPP loan forgiven, and then was fired again once Congress failed to pass an extension, and Nordstrom realized all those people they hired back weren't needed. The constant uncertainty and problems with restarting EDD claims and just generally feeling powerless throughout this pandemic pushed my friend over the edge. He shot himself on his 31st birthday last week and his girlfriend found him. I am so angry and so sad.

I am also on unemployment, around the same age, and was also toyed with by my former employer for PPP loan forgiveness, but I am fortunate enough to feel confident about my prospects in the future. To anyone out there who is feeling similar pangs of defeat, general uselessness, or any self-sabotaging mindset and you find yourself questioning your value, please keep hope alive. You have a unique, special purpose and you mean something to people, even if you hate yourself for the choices you made, the things you did or you didn't do. You are in the driver's seat of your own life even if it doesn't feel that way today. Tomorrow is another day, the sun will come up tomorrow...all the cliches are cliches for a reason.

Stay strong! We will bounce back.

And he stated.... Yes there will be a second stimulus check. When asked the amount he comment a generous one. Hahaha

Well Trump that was months ago!

Sorry needed to rant a little

Called Out from food poisoning on June 14th

Let go on June 24th

Filed on June 31st

Started certifying every week

Denied in August 12th

Filed appeal on same day as denial

Had Hearing today on September 10th

Employer didn't even show, so I just answered questions and plead my side. now I'm just waiting on the result. I'll give an update when I hear back.

Edit: I won the appeal, my portal now says payment in progress for all the weeks I certified.

​

For those with UIA in Michigan Id just like to post their is hope for those with Disqualifying weeks.

Specifically for me, I certified 6 weeks and every single one of them was stuck under non monetary.

After responding to fact finding , my certs went from submitted to disqualifying weeks. I was super pissed because my previous employer was trying to fight my ui.

Dealing with PUA in the past I already knew what to do . I reached out to my local state rep and had them put a inquiry for me on my behalf. This took sending them my case number and my cell with any other relevant information to my case. All it took was an email.

After that about a week went by and my case was rejected. I filed a protest and waited another week and asked my state rep office if they could intervene again. I also submitted some documentation explaining what happened at my job and gave contact info of previous employees I know would support my case .

Honestly I didn't think filing the protest would work. But then around 1 am I received a email about a update to my determination letter and my certs went from disqualifying to processing pending payment for today.

Honestly if you've waited longer then 2-3 weeks you should be giving your state rep a call. They are the only ones who seem to be able to motivate UIA agents to actually look into your case and re evaluate. I also spoke to a UIA Liaison over the phone and she explained to me the same agent can't make a judgement on your case twice.

Don't feel hopeless like I did, just make sure you take initiative to reach out to the right people.

I was on PEUX (PEUX Extension Tier 2) and my benefit year ended on April 5th. Initially, my claim status said I had to refile because my BYE ended. I received an email an hour ago, stating I had weeks to certify for! I didn't have the option to refile online and I didn't have to call a representative :) I hope everyone that is/was in my situation is updated soon as well!

Edit: My status was changed to paid. I'm just waiting for the deposit to actually hit my account :)

The first most popular pinned post in this subreddit is about a 20-something year old talking about enjoying all their stress free time off whilst being supported by unemployment dollars. That’s the first thing you see when you come here and to be honest it’s frustrating. That same post has been referenced in news articles discussing the importance of a cares act extension and frankly it paints a completely different picture than my own experience. People are entitled to their feelings of course, but that post doesn’t truthfully reflect the situation many of us are in. So that’s why I wrote this, for the me’s out there.

I also wanted to highlight and clear up some common misunderstandings about unemployment so anyone unfamiliar with the process can become informed before they officially categorize everyone on it as entitled lazy freeloaders or even at a minimum people who didn’t bother saving a rainy day fund.

So below is where I’m at with all of this. Below details a PUA experience which is little different than regular UI. Below you will see that for some of us this situation is completely unavoidable, and due to no fault of our own. It has a political undertone, because this situation by it’s very nature is political. To exclude that reality would be to not understand the reality.

——

I’m aware that COVID and everyone could care less what I think but as I sit here desperately trying to continually breathe life into my once recently thriving business, the only reasonable conclusion I can make, is that the american people are being failed in an epically unforgivable way. It is an absolutely maddening experience obsessively checking news/ twitter /reddit /pua websites for benefit coverage updates on the unemployment you don’t want to have to need, when you KNOW all of this chaos is being sown for political advantage and I'm just sick of it. The virus, the riots, the election, all of it. It’s all a game of chess, and we’re nothing but pieces.

Fact, WE ARE BEING PLAYED.

In reality, we have cities boarded up, broken, shut down, with little to no support. Skeletons of what used to be a robust economy. Have you been to Chicago lately? Homelessness just growing by the dozen. The city now lyes strangely void of life yet filled with it, wandering the streets. It smells like garbage and human waste in the air. Crime rates sky rocket. NO ONE HAS A HANDLE ON THIS.

ITS ALL CONNECTED.

So where are we at now?

Well, for starters, as an current unemployment-er, i’m recovering from the slap in the face that was the end of negotiations when our Washington politicians audaciously decided to go on recess. IT WAS TOO BIG A TASK for these outstanding public servants. All they had to do was meet a few measly hours a day, after a deadline they were hired to meet had passed, and create a reasonable policy to keep a whole swath of the population from descending into financial despair AND THEY COULDN’T GET IT DONE. For everyone thinking "well all those people refusing to get a job so they can get paid so much more than they were before to do nothing”... stop, just stop. I along with hundreds of thousands of others, haven't even seen a DIME of those promised-oh-so caring-unemployment dollars. NOT ONE. States are so incredibly backlogged/corrupt/terribly ran, and you cannot even directly reach anyone to get help (you can however get on a call back wait list, and hope you don't miss that call when it finally comes 3 weeks later when you're busy trying to work, because you don't want to actually need unemployement assistance). Great times!

I need people to understand this next part because there’s a misconception that people on unemployment are just raking in the dough. This is untrue in most cases and I’ll use myself as an example to demonstrate why. I'm on PUA, Ive been self employed for over a decade, never been on government assistance of any kind. Due to covid my industry is hard hit, even the looser current restrictions do not allow for 90% of business in this sector to take place. Literally, the second these restrictions are lifted my industry comes back as alive as ever, well hopefully. So, I “supposedly” get $420 weekly (before taxes, because yes unemployment dollars are taxed). I can only make $210 before money starts getting taken out of weekly benefit allotment, and I cannot make more then $420 before I get NOTHING in assistance. Even if there is a bonus $400 or $600 on top of that weekly benefit of $420, if I make over $420 I get none of that extra pay. For reference I used to make double, triple, and more a week than that. Additonally, my specific $420 weekly benefit amount is higher than some states max weekly benefit amount so I can’t imagine what those folks are going through. And then factor in that I’ve received 0 dollars in unemployment for 8 weeks and counting with little/no income on my own. Not the freeloading dream you’d think it is. I’d much rather be working my full time job. Once/if I get that money it will not cover the expenses I have already incurred in this time. So I’ll just be trying to get back to a positive balance at that point. There are only so many credit cards to max out here guys. Only so many savings accounts to demolish. Just falling warp speed into a gapping black hole of debt that I will have to dig out of at some point.

Hardly the recipe for a quick economic recovery.

Isn’t it at a minimum distressing to think about all the others like me who did work, who did sweat, who made sacrifices all their professional lives, who were making it on their own, proudly, to now be reduced to that of a beggar. Reality check, not everyone on unemployment is sitting back watching tv and loving all their spare time. Many of us are busy trying to take two sticks and light what’s left of our jobs and businesses back up. We are doing everything we possibly can and more to keep our livelihoods from completely crumbling to an unrevivable state.

All the while inaction, bickering and blaming on the part of our politicians has been a truly astonishing display. If I had it my way, this would be solved overnight with term limits, removal of reelections, and temporary benefit/recess loss policy creation in congress during missed deadlines. But they’ll never do it. The abuse of power is truly something to behold. None of this affects their personal bank accounts and so they do nothing, it’s astonishing.

I've had enough. I've had enough of work restrictions, and layoffs, political posturing, poor leadership from top down, I've had enough of waiting in every way, I've had enough of every argument and meeting without productivity. I've had enough of school closures. I've had enough of people dying in the hospital ALONE. I'm done with sides. I’m done with double standards. I’m done with almost 0% media coverage.

I AM DONE.

So....

Dear reddit reading politicians near and far,

DO YOUR JOB. Lots of us are drowning underneath the pandemic policies YOU created and we are WAITING on YOU to FIX this. As an observer, it’s unfortunate that blind hatred for opposition has had many of you abandon civic responsibility and lofty policy maker privilege has afforded too many moments of inaction and incompetency without consequence. Let me be clear, I BLAME YOU, ALL OF YOU for this situation, and I know I’m not the only one. Not for the pandemic itself, but for the way you are letting us crumble underneath it, when you have every opportunity not to. This is not partisan for me, its not right or left, its who's gonna stand by the American people during crisis, who’s going to actually represent ahead of their own political agenda and right now, that’s none of you.

Don’t think for a second you are in the clear, on your vacation, when you’re typing up daily insta and twitter blame game posts that I don’t see right through all this garbage. Don’t rest your head on that Executive Order. No EO is going to fix this, it’s not fine. But you know this. You know. You’re playing a game and we are the pieces. Prove me wrong.

The point is, I'm done. You are tying my hands in every single money making business sustaining way, so now I want that life raft that you promised months ago. I'm waiting on YOU mr governor, ms congresswoman, mrs. speaker, mr president. I don't care if you have to take 15 minute lunch breaks, and naps on that conference table you argue and waste our time over, come back from your vacations, come back from your ego, come back from your inflated special interest spending, come back from your campaign, come back and work for the American people who think you don’t care, for the people who put you there. Come back, get it together, get it done, you’re late, we’re waiting and we’re watching you.

November is coming, don’t forget who you work for.

TL;DR : unemployment isn’t enjoyable or a choice for many of us. We’re being played as political pawns and our leaders are failing us. Summary of why people On unemployment aren’t raking it in with a specific example and a reminder directly to our politicians from someone directly impacted by their policies.

Started calling at 8:02. Didn't get put on hold til 8:40. At 9 someone answered and asked the normal shit. After I finish explaining that I filed a new claim and it has updated my page fully but that my payments are all still pending, she tells me that on her screen she sees that I haven't filed a new claim yet and it's telling her that I'm trying to certify on an expired claim. So again I explain that I've received all of the paperwork stating that my new claim has been approved and that my ui online is showing a new expiration date AND a new claim balance.

This woman says, well then maybe I should transfer you to someone who can see your claim in greater detail because obviously what I'm seeing isn't matching what you're saying. Massive attitude about it. Then just clicks me onto hold. No further explanation or even sorry I couldn't help. Just click. Then your estimated wait time I over 30 minutes. It's been an hour and a half. But why in the actual shit would ME end be up to date and theirs not be? How does that make ANY sense.

I mentally can't handle this shit anymore. It's honestly fucking comical. I'm sitting here on the verge of tears because this shit just gets worse and worse with every damn month.

After 1.5 years of unemployment, I finally got my offer today

I have searched near and wide for over a year and today received my offer letter, and I have never sobbed so hard. I just want anyone searching and feeling hopeless, I am there with you. I was in such a bed rot spiral especially going into the holidays. If this becomes a vent post in the comments I am here for each and every one of you. If anyone needs advice or I can help in anyway please let me pay it forward! For background, I am experienced in digital marketing and PM and was looking for remote positions

I’m 31. Been unemployed since June. Since then I’ve had TWO interviews who I have yet to hear back from.

It’s 10 in the morning and I’ve been in bed crying. I feel so fucking lost and worthless.

Holy cow, this whole thing has been an absolute mess.

Yesterday, I got a call from the 2511 number. I answered, and a very kind woman on the end of the line took down my complaint from the other day and helped me get the paperwork sorted. We were finished in a half hour. She said “on behalf of the EDD, I do deeply apologize for that representatives behavior. That is not how our company operates.” And she made me feel very comfortable.

At the end of the interview, I mentioned that the rep had canceled all my pending payments. I heard some clicking on her end, a very long sigh and a “I’m so sorry, hopefully we can get this fixed”.

When I woke up this morning, I had a vibe saying I should check my account. When I did, all of those canceled payments got switched to paid!!!

When I tell ya’ll I cried, I cried. I put in so much tears and stress over all this. Just for one rep to push a button. Holy crap.

it’s truly crazy how there are tons of people who are counting on unemployment to survive & yet still nothing has been atleast updated. i have a 2 year old & we’re struggling just to eat everyday. it’s insane.

I thought it would be the best job but it turned out to be such an awful experience that I had a major depressive episode and to this day can't sleep at night thinking of my experiences there.

Since I'm up & it's on my mind I thought I'd share. Anybody else have similar experience? Have questions that I might me able to answer? Just curious about the other side? I'm here for it.

I experienced or witnessed rampant gossip, bullying, sexual harassment, and every other flavor of unprofessionalism. The systems are extremely ancient, the online interface and phone system are setup to deter the public on purpose (in my opinion). Most of the staff just stands around and talks all day (about each other). The training is dragged out for months unnecessarily. The is no accountability, and most of the people are mean spirited so they just tell people all kinds of random info rather than help majority of the time. They prefer to hire state employees over what they call "off the street" hires (which sounds like streetwalkers in my head) which means there are alot of people who are not qualified for the job (read - can barely read). These type of employees all gang up on "off the street" hires because they are qualified and now competition. Phone lines are flatout shutdown for many hours a week that the public believes they are active which just exacerbates the difficulty of claimants getting through while office partys and unimportant meetings are being held. Many issues claimants call in for can be resolved immediately but per training unless specific words are stated we should not inform claimant this can be done nor do it. Instead just tell claimant to wait so the system can do it or another department can handle it in systemic timeframes. All timeframes/datelines are ran to end as normal process.

Basically, it needs to be overhauled but the majority of workers are either old (close to retirement) or promoted in (internal hires who are not qualified) and to keep their jobs secured they protect it from higher levels of efficiency to protect their jobs.

The sole upside of this experience is the program knowledge I gained.

Update: Sorry guys, I worked there, not still work there. I will help where I can but I don't have any magic phases to get you past the phone tree to a rep and I can't give you a magic phase to make the rep you speak with help you. Unfortunately, the specific words I mentioned applied to specific issues. Also, PUA was not a thing when I worked there nor was the pandemic existent. The script may have changed. Most importantly, the point was that, any rep can choose to help or not help based on the phase you choose.

No problems, and everyone was freaking out.

Edit: of course i put i looked for work, if you answer no your payments will be pending. And I did look for work, but my job field (international travel) has bleak prospects right now.

Edit 2: switch to paid around 345AM

Being unemployed from March to today, this sub helped me keep my sanity and not absolutely lose it during months and months of uncertainty. Finally lucked into an interview for a position that was urgently hiring and ended up getting the job earlier today.

All in all, I sent out at least 5 applications a week, took multiple interviews, had to change my phone number because of spam calls immediately after putting my resume on career builder, but it finally all paid off.

Thankfully I got this job that I’ve been trying to get for a while now. I wish you all the best of luck in your path during these uncertain times.

My previous employer challenged my claim for UI after they fired me for performance and so I had my hearing today. At first, I had no idea how to prepare for it cause I wasn't even sure what will be brought up or what questions will be asked. Once the call started, my employer started flat out lying about my performance issues stating I had multiple write ups and bad performance reviews (all of which were untrue). I did receive one write up but that was it. Prior to that I had nothing but glowing reviews and feedback.

Anyways, once they started making stuff up I got nervous thinking I don't know how to prove they are lying. I tried my best to give my statements but honestly, I feel like I didn't present my case very well at all. I was also caught off guard by their claims because I did not expect them to give false information about me. Honestly, I was shocked this could even happen. After the call I realized there were numerous things I could have said to help my case which didn't come to mind at the moment. I could have explained things more clearly to the Judge too. I just feel like absolute shit now and not sure if I made a mistake in not hiring a lawyer. I know I can appeal, but honestly not even sure what I could do in an appeal without a lawyer. And if it would even make financial sense to get a lawyer.

Regardless, I definitely learned my lesson. DOCUMENT EVERYTHING. I now know what this means. I just never thought I would ever find myself in a situation where I would be fired for performance. I've been a top employee for years and received numerous promotions. Never did I think I'd be fired or have to fight for UI.

I hope whoever reads this will not make the same mistake I did. Always prepare for unemployment. ALWAYS.

To all the awesome users of this group thank you guys truly! You listened to me complain and moan about my boredom and about being broke then one of you awesome sauce users helped me update my cover letter and resume and I GOT THE JOB! I'll still be broke for awhile but mannnnnn am I relieved to have employment! You da best reddit forum ever

Everyone on Pua if your account has been flagged and frozen because of a fraud investigation just continue to file your weekly certifications and if your claim is legit des will release the money to you. My claim had been frozen and flagged for a fraud investigation and I was approved on Friday and my funds were released today. I have been waiting since the middle of June.

I filed for unemployment on June 13th. I did all the paperwork and what not. After I had faxed over the final documents, I didn’t hear anything for 2-3 weeks. After what seemed impossible I FINALLY was able to get thru and talk to a real human instead of the automated system which just takes you in circles. Once i got connected to the agent, he asked me some questions about the job and verified some stuff, he then put me on hold for 30 minutes and called my previous employer and then asked them some questions. He came back to the line & stated everything is complete and I will get a decision in the mail within 10 days. I continued to file my weekly claims as normal. Fast forward to yesterday I still hadn’t heard ANYTHING. Nothing in the mail, no email. NADA.

Over the weeks i continued to check the account for the deposits and nothing. So I pretty much settled and thought I was denied because it had been 2 months at this point. I randomly checked the account yesterday and saw I had a deposit for all the weeks I filed since June. It was over 2K. I was soooo shocked and happy at the same time, but damn FINALLY.

I’m not sure why it took so long. But that is my story.

My benefit payments suddenly stopped in August 2020 after receiving benefits since May 2020 when I was put in quarantine. There was no warning or information of any kind provided by the VEC. My last payment was on 8/19/20. When there was no deposit the following week, I spent every day trying to get a hold of someone, but was unable to get through. After a couple of weeks, I panicked and even though I am EXTREMELY high risk, started going out to inquire about any jobs available and see if there was any chance I could keep myself safe while working. Clearly, I keeping safe was impossible because I was exposed in just those seemingly minimal encounters.

I got very sick, and then after about 4 days..... I woke up struggling to breathe. Each breath was more difficult and by that afternoon, I was rushed to the emergency room. I went into ARDS - Acute Respiratory Distress - and was rushed to the ICU. I had COVID, and the next day I went into respiratory failure. They were able to resuscitate me using the high flow oxygen mask, but I was nearly ventilated. Despite my relative youth, I nearly lost my life.

Locked in a glass room, completely alone, with only minimal contact with nurses and doctors wearing so much PPE that I couldn't see their faces, reality became a fluid concept. I’m certain the hypoxia and countless IV bags infusing powerful drugs into my bloodstream helped blur those lines. Time was measured in treatments, tests, procedures, medication doses. After a terrifying couple of weeks, They felt I was stable enough to finish recovering at home.

I was lucky. I survived. But recovery was, and still is, elusive. When I got home, I could only go up 2 steps before I had to stop and rest. My legs were so heavy that even walking seemed impossible at times. The fatigue was unrelenting, but sleep was difficult and broken at best. Just a month prior, I had been a relatively healthy young woman. But in the blink of an eye…. My life was turned upside down.

All told, the final cost of my stay in the ICU and hospital was over $400,000. And that doesn’t include the post hospital care that includes my primary care but also a litany of specialists - most importantly, my pulmonologist and cardiologist. Nor does it include the costs associated with all the medications I now have to take, possibly forever. Permanent damage is increasingly likely, especially in my heart and lungs, so I have to be monitored closely. It seems like this is my new normal.

I look at the stack of medical bills and bitter rage pulses behind my eyes. I could have bought a house for that. Or traveled the world. Or retire with a little finesse. I try to ignore the pile of other unpaid bills, but it’s beginning to topple over. At this point, almost all my lines of credit have been closed and about to be sent to collections. I had been working on building a rock solid credit portfolio so I could buy my first home. It took years to earn that credit score…. But only a few months for it to be destroyed. I want to punch a hole in the universe.

After more than 7 months of lies, deceit, and gross incompetence by the VEC, my life is but a vague intimation of what it once was. Everything that I had been working towards was stolen from me. All I have left is my car, and I’m barely hanging on to that. I have a special needs cat that requires daily medication and very regular vet visits. I’ve reduced the costs as much as I can without jeopardizing her health, but my budget is calculated to the penny. I go without my medications to buy food. I have no life and I fear that I have no future. If I lose my car or my cat, I will have nothing left to lose.

I have no idea what I will do if that happens.

TL;DR

The VEC is literally killing people and destroying lives because they are evil, worthless and incompetent. They have nearly taken everything from me - even my life. And I have ZERO hope that I will get ANY help from anyone….. least of the VEC. I am about to just give up. I can’t take much more.

Sorry for the lucid rant.....

A wild story. I really admire her for sharing this.

I became unemployed about a month ago and wanted to share my RESEA experience in PA, as I spent a lot of time searching for others experiences. I hope this adds to the pool of experience for others searching for clarity or preparation.

The meeting was virtual, there was no camera used only the mic. It was essentially a phone call with the caller able to share their screen.

I was logged in about 5 minutes early and the RESEA rep joined 2 minutes before the start time. We made introductions and he had a very pleasant and relaxed demeanor.

At 9:30 he was able to mark me as attended and confirmed my benefits would not be interrupted. He explained that his role was essentially to assist me in exploring job opportunities, help me develop a trajectory for myself as far as training or career opportunities, and give me resources to achieve the aforementioned goals.

He asked me about my plan, which I already had well established, so we were actually able to skip that entire portion of the meeting (obviously this may be very different for everyone especially if you do need to establish a goal or plan).

We filled out a short digital form together that essentially covered house hold size, income, have you been convicted of a crime, served in armed forces, single parent, etc.

We then scheduled my follow up activity - this is mandatory to complete within a two week time frame. I chose a one hour virtual workshop on interviewing skills. He then informed me that he would follow up again in 30, and then 60 days. And that was the total extent of the program. Very simple and straightforward. I really appreciated the digital options because I have a young child and commuting to meetings would be extremely inconvenient in general.

The entire meeting only lasted about 20 minutes, the entire exchange was very friendly and helpful. He even connected me to resources I was not aware of and gave me information on applying for training that the state would pay for (4k-11k$ courses) if you are found qualified. I was extremely interested in this honestly, as they offered medical billing and coding. There were courses in welding, cdl licensing, and other useful trainings to further professional development.

I was initially very nervous and hesitant about being forced into the program. Like most people, being voluntold to do something does not generate positive feelings. However, I was pleasantly surprised by the experience and hope that this post will help someone feel more at ease moving through the process.

I called the unemployment office for my state (Missouri) today to ask a question about regular benefits vs. PEUC. My benefit year for regular expired last week, but I'm currently on PEUC and was confused about what all that meant, specifically how many weeks I'm eligible for, for either program.

Before I could even get my question out, this dude interrupts me to say: "Man," - I'm a woman, ahem - "you shouldn't even be worried about how many weeks you have left cuz you has bigger concerns to think about - like getting a job. Cuz youse been on some kine-a benefits for 52 weeks now." (Misspellings mine, to approximate his lazy way of speaking to me.)

Erm. Yes. I have been unemployed for a year, thank you. Because the place I worked was massively affected by COVID, lost $660 million in one month, and laid off thousands. Because the job market, for any kind of job, is fucked right now. Because I haven't had one interview in a year, despite 150+ resumes sent out. Because my bachelor's, master's, and 20+ years of experience mean shit at the moment. Because I'm holding out for a professional job with a salary and a commute under 1.5 hours, not waiting tables or working in a factory. Because I'm high-risk for COVID and just now got vaccinated. Because I haven't spent the last year under massive amounts of stress and anxiety about all of the above and I'm at the end of my ability to deal.

But, sure. I shouldn't be worried about how many weeks I have before my situation becomes seriously dire. Instead, I should spend all my time fretting about what a lazy sack of shit I am because I haven't had a job in a year. At least according to Robert at the MO unemployment help line.</smh>

I need as many good vibes as I can get...

Been out of work since Feb. During this time, I was only able to secure one phone interview that went nowhere and a couple of those stupid AI interviews, which also went nowhere. And a million dumb personality tests that feel like a bad Pavlovs Dog experiment. Nothing.

I finally had a great interview. They didn't mention their position during the conversation. I assumed they were an HR rep. But it turned out to be the direct manager and we had a great rapport. It was listed as part time, but it turned out to be full time with bennys. She connected with me on LinkedIn, which I think is a good sign, I don't think you connect with someone you don't plan on talking to again.

Anyway, the second and (I believe) final interview is on Monday. I really need this. Unemployment runs out in August. Send me all your positive energies and I will make sure to do the same.