My computer is broken, so I've been heading to the unemployment office on a way-too-frequent basis so I can use their computer stations for all my job searching needs. The unemployment office is not a fun place to spend your time. It's a lot like going to the DMV only more depressing and with more human interaction. Oh, the stories!
The unemployment office I frequent has about twenty-five computer stations for anyone to use for their job search. It is usually difficult to find an open station; the office is busy with job seekers. There are one or two staffers tasked with helping those using the computers with applications, building resumes, etc. You hear a lot.
Some people do not surprise me with their employment status, or lack thereof. For example, the blond Barbie-doll lookalike who sat at the next computer over. She was struggling with using the computer, and not just because of her long manicured nails. She needed help getting set up in the system because she had just lost her job. Simple instructions had to be explained to her again and again and again. It's wrong to stereotype people but I was having a hard time with that. The staffer asked her what type of work she was looking for... and she answered... "I'm a dentist."
Oddly, you hear a lot of yelling. People yell at the computers, they yell because they are hard of hearing, they yell when they see someone they used to work with across the room, and they yell into their cell phones. It is not unusual for people to be on their cell phones while at the unemployment office, but usually it is a phone call related to their job search. The staff will ask people on personal calls to hang up, especially if they are being disruptive. Most people get off their call right away. One unusually loud exception did tell his phone mate he had to go and why... but then continued... "OH YEAH, HOW'S RAY DOING? I HAVEN'T SEEN RAY IN SO LONG. IS THAT SO? WELL GOOD FOR RAY. I GOTTA GIVE HIM A CALL. OH YEAH? HAHAHAHA. RAY'S ALWAYS GOOD FOR A LAUGH. HEY DID YOU CHECK OUT THE GAME LAST NIGHT?" etc. The collective glares of everyone in the office were not enough to get this guy off the phone. Perhaps it would have been a good time to forgo the Oregonian politeness thing.
Another episode of yelling was both on the phone and at the computer. The guy was trying to be nice. He was there to help his computer-illiterate friend with his job search. The guy using the computer was on the phone with a third guy, who for some reason was the keeper of the passwords. Why? I have no idea. Anyway, the guy on the phone was relaying the password to the computer user but it wasn't working. He kept trying and trying but the password wasn't working and eventually the system kicked him out. This resulted in more yelling, which finally brought a staffer over to help figure out the problem. She immediately figured out the source of the problem. Caps Lock.
These stories only represent the first chapter in the stories I have collected during my visits to the unemployment office. You could subtitle this chapter, "OK, I get why these people may be struggling to find a job. But what's wrong with me?" Sometimes it is hard to stay up-beat.
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