Can potential employers tell I am collecting unemployment?

[J dub]

I have gotten all the way up to the LAST TWO people in hiring firms three times (in just the past three months, I have not been working full-time for over a year and have been on SOOOOOOOOOO many interviews its embaressing. I should have 9345820321 jobs by now) and somehow they keep picking the other individual despite them telling me in every way, shape and form that I am their #1 pick.

 

My only guess lately has been that they can somehow tell on a background check that I collect a bit of unemployment to make up for the part time wages that do not hold me up financially...would that be a reason to nix someone?!

 

I checked my credit and didnt see anything on there anywhere NEAR suggesting as much. I dont GET IT.

[Tony T]

My guess is that if the employer pays unemployment insurance for its employees it has ways to see what your status is in that regard. When people who are terminated or laid off from a firm file for unemployment, that firm's unemployment insurance rate goes up...not by too much...but every little bit cuts into profits.

 

In the days of hold, people had privacy but today everybody knows everything about you so it's a safe bet that this company knows you are collecting unemployment...and they may fear that if they have to lay you off at some point you will start gnawing at their status and costing them money. Of course, I may be very, very wrong.

 

If you are a good candidate, they should want to hire you regardless. Work on yourself to make yourself worth every bit of what a company might have to pay to get you and keep you.

[J dub]

Yeah I can see how that would be a possible liability issue of sorts if they could see it somehow, but I wonder - HOW are they seeing it?

 

I wish I knew someone in HR who could disclose some insider info to me about how and what they find on people. I am intelligent, driven, focused; I have fantastic references (professional), I have dynamite skills, a superb portfolio and I have mastered the art of The Interview. I am not too eager, I am polished and sophisticated, friendly, well mannered and everything I tell them checks out 100%. I know how to sell myself.

 

I'm even a public notary for chripes sake! For the sake of putting it on my resume (shameless! haha)

 

This is making me crazy. We dont even know for certain where the president of our country was born, but they can find every shred of information necessary on me to determine my eligibility for an Executive Assistant position. Pathetic!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

 

/rant. Sorry...

[Star Gazer]

I don't see how potential employers would find out, and I also don't see why they'd care. I think it's fair and reasonable for an employer to assume that people who are out of work are collective UI benefits - in this economy, it's necessary! Besides that, you're employed (albeit only partially), so it's not like you're just sitting around on your bum being greedy.

[BUENG1]

I have gotten all the way up to the LAST TWO people in hiring firms three times (in just the past three months, I have not been working full-time for over a year and have been on SOOOOOOOOOO many interviews its embaressing. I should have 9345820321 jobs by now) and somehow they keep picking the other individual despite them telling me in every way, shape and form that I am their #1 pick.

 

My only guess lately has been that they can somehow tell on a background check that I collect a bit of unemployment to make up for the part time wages that do not hold me up financially...would that be a reason to nix someone?!

 

I checked my credit and didnt see anything on there anywhere NEAR suggesting as much. I dont GET IT.

 

Almost everyone who is out of work is collecting unemployment. They won't care.

[Odyssey]

Ditto. Getting unemployment benefit is the last thing they'll be thinking about. It's because there are so many people to pick, they're having a employer's field day right now. You'll have to go the extra mile just to even get noticed in this economy.

 

Keep at it man.

Edited December 23, 2009 by Odyssey

[Lauriebell82]

I think if you get laid off potential employers do assume that you collect unemployment. I'm not sure why they would care. Were you laid off and don't want them to know?

[Miko]

I'm sure you've already spent plenty of time on your approach to interviewing but keep looking at that. Unemployment is irrelevant since they aren't on the hook for you for 3 or 4 months after you start. It's on your previous employer until that point.

 

Look at the whole of your approach including your resume. If you had several jobs that you didn't stay long at that looks bad. I would rather see a blank year as opposed to a year with 3 different jobs. Check your references too! Make sure they like you, preferably Looove you. They can't say anything bad about you except "would not hire again" but they CAN gush all kinds of wonderful things about you if they want so choose carefully.

 

I've told plenty of people, based on my own experience hiring people, that if you really want to work a certain place, just plain stalk them relentlessly. A call and/or an email or stopping by every week or two or three will put you in the top of their mind when something does open up assuming you present yourself extremely well. Jobs don't stay open very long these days, you need to be the first one that pops into their head. Hiring's not always as mechanical as you may think so make them LIKE you more than anything.

 

GOOD LUCK!!!! KEEP GOING!!! One day you'll have 923547 jobs and you'll be PISSED but RICH LOL