One more thing about the whole unemployment mess and then I'll bring back the funny. I swear.

Just have to get this off my chest….

As I've been searching and looking, looking and searching, wishing and hoping, I keep on hearing the same refrain from people whenever I get upset about how things are going. "Don't take it personally," they'd tell me, "they don't know who you are and they don't know anything about you. There's no way they can know what your situation is like."

Which is true. They don't know and it's not really their jobs too.

For every job that gets posted, hundreds of resumes are sent in. From there, they all somehow get waded through (or played eenie-meenie-miney-moe with) and someone makes the decision to bring in maybe ten to interview, then a little later, a bit less for a follow-up interview. Before a final decision is made, personal choices are weighed, departmental needs figured out, business decisions are decided and then, after all of that, somebody gets the Golden Ticket.

All of this is done without them knowing that much about each individual person's situation. To them, you're just another resume- another person brought in for an interview, another possible person to fill a position. The people who do the hiring have other things to do, their own jobs to work, and their own lives to live. Who you are doesn't really mean much to them. Which is how it is and how it will always be. And which is perfectly reasonable.

Yet for every decision being made, every resume being tossed, people rejected, there is a story behind them and their resume. It could be that the person is about to sell their car because of unemployment. Or riddled with anxiety attacks and insomnia. Or having problems with their Significant Other because of stress, anxiety and money. Or contemplating giving up and going home. Or, in some cases, there's absolutely nothing that bad going on with them other than trying to pay off their credit car bills from travelling for three months in Thailand. I know that's true of a lot of people out there looking for work because I'm one of them. I'm one of the one's riddled with anxiety plagued insomnia. I'm one of the one's facing difficult decisions ahead. I'm one of the one's who desperately needs a job. And I know I'm not the only one out there. Just look at how many more apartments are available, or how many things are for sale on Craig's List, or how many people have taken lesser positions in jobs they don't even really want just to earn some money.

If you've been reading this thing (all five of you) or even talked to me about things over the past year or so, you know I've been ranting and raving about things gone wrong. I've dissed places, I've made nasty comments, I've burned business cards, and I've even signed up someone to receive a whole bunch of spam mail. And while I know I shouldn't take it personally, I do.

But not all the time. I have been turned down from jobs and not said a thing. Had nary a bad word to say about the whole thing. Even after the whole thing with Spam Co. and how they brought in another even after giving me a job offer, I don't have anything bad to say about them.

The reason why? Because they treated me with respect.

All those places told me what happened and were honest about it. They let me know I didn't get the job and wished me luck. Some did it by e-mail, some by phone, but at least they told me. And when I interviewed with them, they treated me decently and gave me a chance. Afterwards, all I could say was thanks for letting me know and leave it at that. As I was treated fairly and courteously, I have nothing bad to say about them.

But, as you know, it's not something that's true with a lot of places I've talked to. Which is why when it all comes down, I go here and rant about it. And rant about it. And rant some more. And then rant some more to friends on the phone and then rant some more will drinking away my sorrows. Because while they don't know my situation or should care that much about it, they didn't treat me fairly. They didn't treat me with respect. Instead they dithered around, interviewing me and then telling me for months they were about to make a decision yet never able to actually make a decision or tell me what was up. And are still doing it. Or being too busy answering the phone and checking e-mail to give me a decent interview. Or letting me go after a week on the job for unknown reasons. Or burning me because a bunch of departments were all busy miscommunicating with each other (ooops, sorry about that).

And that's when I get pissed. Because while it's not part of their jobs to consider or even care about everyone's situation, it is part of their jobs to treat people honestly and fairly. Or at least should be.

In other words…

"I am not a resume, I am a human being!"