I recommend you focus on dispensing advice to others and not as much on your current situation.

That way the focus of attention becomes your knowledge of a system (MA bureaucracy, for example) or expertise in a skill set (social media, eg) which differentiate you, instead of being out of work and searching for a job, which does not.

You're doing a great job of self-marketing and PR -- just be cognizant that you're promoting the product (you) in the proper light.

Hi Dave - great topic. My recent unemployment experience in MA was a bureaucratic fog. Lucky for me I got a job and don't have to deal with the server crashing on Sunday nights anymore. I just got a notice that I have to take a mandatory career counseling class ~ but I have a job now! As Martin Sheen says to Col. Kurtz, "I don't see any method.."

I think their blog is great start in connecting with constituents. However, I think perhaps the employees at the teleclaim center might need a little training in how to handle the influx of claims/deal with the public as well. I am curious what is being done along these lines.

Just today I waited on the phone for 30 minutes, spoke to an agent for a few minutes and then had her say "I need to go" and hang up without even a goodbye or "I'm sorry but.." I was not asking ridiculous questions, I was not complaining about the unemployment process, I was not impolite, I was simply trying to understand a complicated process. The answers to my questions were not online -- I spent hours looking.

Furthermore, our conversation could have been much shorter had she not consistently interrupted me and/or felt the need to correct me on every piece of unemployment jargon that I used incorrectly -- aka I need to talk to a teleclaims "agent" rather then a "person" at teleclaims.

I understand these folks are stressed, but I don't think a rude attitude helps anyone. How is the EOLWD's attitude of really helping/reaching out to constituents filtering down to the day to day employees -- or is it not at all.

Hello,

I'm ineligible for Unemployment Insurance here in Massachusetts because I am just getting out of school. I have no 'base period' of wages to draw upon. I'm also a white male with no children, so I am not eligible for any other help- state or federal. I am supposed to just die off. There isn't even temp work available in Boston!

Is Obama going to help this, or will the unemployment rate just continue to be under-represented (only shown as number of those claiming UI benefits)?

I'd love some help, but I'm not holding my breath.

Thanks for sharing your story. I have been unemployed for exactly two months now and have started a website to gather articles on unemployment and provide a forum for others to discuss their experiences. Working on this project has helped me work through my own unemployment experience. I would love for you to share your story and join the forum at http://www.suddenlyunemployed.com/forums

I am a union electrician and am by no means a newbie to unemployment.i recently excepted a 4 week job from a contractor in my local.upon the fourth week of this job a asked for a layoff to avoid losing my position on our local referal list.the contractor was very understanding and wilfully granted me my request and laid me off.I then re-opened an existing unemployment claim and waited for 4 weeks for my first check,but it never came.I then called ma unemployment and they told me my employer stated that i quit when unemployment contacted them and that my claim is still being processed.i have written proof that proves i was laid off.they told me that now my claim request goes into review by someone at unemployment that will call my previous employer and take a statement and then call me and take a statement.This could take 6 weeks,iv'e already waited 5 weeks for a check and have now gone back to work to confuse matters.will i get my money?has anyone had a similar problem?situation?can you offer any advice?my current job is in the middle of nowhere and i have no cell service,so wondering how will they ever get in touch with me if work beyond there buisness hours and am unable to call themm during there buisness hours.anyone?very frustrating!

We are all adults here for the most part and we should all realize by now that when it comes to the government and government employees that they don't care. They have a semi secure decent paying job and really rotten attitudes and stupids unions to protect their rotten I don't give a crap about the constituent attitudes and that might seem harsh but for the most part very true. Some of them are nice but the rest should realize that there are no jobs out here in the non government sector and either be nice or give one of us there job. They don't care that we have rent, that we have bills, or even if we are homeless. They find away to delay our benefits or just not pay us and for the most part we all want to work and cant. If you need help with benefits call the governors office and they are actually nice and will email them and help you out.

I think one thing I learned from my experience working in government is that there is no shortage of good intent among government workers. It's unfair to blame them personally. At the highest levels of government...people who have so much "power" and authority are daily frustrated by their inability to do all the things they would like to do to make life better for people.

I believe if that personal story could be told authentically and transparently, those in authority could marshall true power to achieve change. But until that day, communication will be managed...and mediocrity and the status quo tolerated as inevitable.

I have been waiting for 7 weeks since
they told me i was eligible for compensation as of n0v.15 2009.
How long should i be waiting?

I have enjoyed reading your blog and some of the insights you have about the UI process in Mass.

I have been laid off since May as and Engineer and it is the first time I have ever collected UI in my life. I am veteran who also served time in Afghanistan and Iraq working for the Army as a civilian contractor. The reason why I note these things is because I have always been proud to be a productive member of society, do the right thing, and to contribute to our society.

My experience with unemployment though has left me very bitter and disturbed. When I was laid off I looked for work right away but found there was nothing out there in my field, so I decided to finish the one semester I had left to complete my degree. I used the GI Bill I had earned from my military service to pay for school, I could of got money from the State but felt that would be exploiting the system since the GI Bill covered all my expenses. I was told by an UI agent that I could work part-time to supplement my UI so I started working as a Dishwasher at a Restaurant 30 min from where I live.

In November I found out my Mother who lives in NJ was diagnosed with Stage 4 Lung Cancer. I took a leave of absense from my part time job so I could travel back and forth from here to NJ, finish school, and continue to look for a Full Time Job in my field. I came back 6 weeks later for one week then quit because I was finished school and wanted to fully concentrate on finding a full time position in my field.

I was told by UI that I was disqualified from collecting UI during the period of my LOA and from the point I quit the part time job. I don't understand why. I was trying to do the right thing when I was laid off by going back to school and making sure I never had to go back on UI again.

What really disturbs me is that if I never had taken that part time job, I would still be collecting. It seems the system is set up to reward people for not working and not trying to better themselves and get off the Government rolls. When I talk to people about it, most suggest that I should of lied to UI.

I called my state senator and asked for help, his staff said they would call UI but I don't think I will get any relief.

Bottom line is this, I used to defend the idea of Government Programs for those who need help, until I actually had use them and realized that it is designed reward dependency on Government and punish those who are trying to use it to get back on their feet and off the Government Rolls.

Any Suggestions?

Thank You
Dan Lahey

You have the right to request a hearing from DUA. I'm going to post something now with more information on that...

HEELP!
Ok, I feel like I'm in a bureaucratic, Kafka-esque nightmare and am wondering if anyone has any insights.
I owned my own business for over 10 years and closed in August. I paid contributions for myself and for my employees (who are now collecting).

Can anyone tell me if I am eligible to file myself (granted, I only made about 20K in 2009 since cash was tight).

Can I apply for UI? And do I have health insurance assistance avaiable to me?

The big problem every agent has is they don't know what to say when I say I owned the business. UGH!!!

Thanks,
Mark

I was laid off on 6/3/09. That was my Notification Date. My termination date was 6/17/09. When I initially called UI, I was told to call back on 6/18, which I did. Here is the problem, I collected for 7 weeks while also collecting transition pay from my company. This is not the same as severance, which is not a problem in MA if one signs a release of claims to get the severance. Now I am being asked to pay the money back, about 4400+. I can request a hearing and even get a lawyer but does anyone have any advice for me? Should I bother with a lawyer? Obviously I can't afford one. I never hid the fact that I received transition pay but the simply truth is......I was never asked during my initial interview.