A Deluge of Rejection

It's been nearly six months since I was unexpectedly laid off of the job I thought I'd have until the end. It's the same old story--savings gone, no medical, etc., no family, and unemployment about to run out...don't know where next month's rent will come from. (Tension builds.) I've applied to countless jobs, had some interviews (amazing when according to interviewers, 2-300 apply for each position), but no job. Job hunting for people over 50 is not for sissies. Massive layoffs are happening at an alarming rate, and many (most?) positions I've applied for have been cut before I've had a chance to interview.

Here are a couple of examples that appeared today. Neither the rejection letter nor the headline are unusual in themselves, but that they arrived the same day, regarding the same positions strikes me as grimly ironic. The headline is from the 10/15/08 Seattle P-I; the email (names removed) arrived the same day regarding a position I had applied for over a month ago.

The Headline:

"King County Issues Layoff Notices to 237 Workers" --Seattle P-I, October 15, 2008

The Rejection:

Dear applicant:

Thank you for applying for the position of XXXXXXX with the Department of XXXXXXX Services - XXXXXXX Division. Currently, this recruitment is on hold pending internal layoff process review. Thank you for your interest in working for XXXXXXX. We encourage you to apply for other positions for which you may be qualified.

Sincerely,

XXXXXXX
XXXXXXX
Human Resources