Transcript
Speaker: Hello. Welcome everybody. My name is Jackie and i lost my job. 2025 has been one heck of a year.
Speaker: one heck of a year Like many of you, I recently joined a community that I never thought I would be a part of. To put it simply, being laid off sucks.
Speaker: And many of you know that. In fact, that's probably why you're here. I'm sure most of you have been on LinkedIn lately and seen the absolute barrage of stories of people who have been looking for jobs for 15 months, 18 months, about to lose their house, and similarly seen all of the bloating of information about, if you're job searching, do this, if you're job searching, do that, and all the conflicting advice.
Speaker: And seeing all of that, all I could think of was, we need a place for real stories. We need a place for the laid off community to be able to speak and not just throw text at the wall on LinkedIn.
Speaker: And that is how this podcast was born. My hope is that this podcast can help you find the person behind the story and some reassurance that truly you don't have to be alone in going through this experience.
Speaker: I want to bring some commonality to the feelings that people have when they've been laid off. The thoughts and the patterns that you go through. These are things that, while they shouldn't be normal, they do happen to many of us.
Speaker: And I want you to know that it's going to be okay. And there are people here for you. I'm very excited to kick this podcast off with this week's interview.
Speaker: Mac was an absolute gem of a human being, such an amazing person to talk to, and I can't wait for you all to hear his story. So without any further delay, here's my conversation with Mac.
Speaker: Mac, it is so exciting to have you here. Thank you so much for joining me today. Of course. I'm so excited to do it. I think this is great idea for a podcast.
Speaker: Crazy times right now. So thank you for having me. it really It really is. Crazy times is such a nice way to put it. That's such a nice way to put what's going right now. I try to keep a positive spit on things. so It's necessary. You got to have those lighthearted moments and sometimes those light takes on what otherwise is a really crappy scenario.
Speaker: Yes, yes, it is. But yeah, brighter things in the future. So I'm excited to, I think, talk about it, dive into it, kind of flesh it out a little bit. Yeah, absolutely.
Speaker: Well, um first and foremost, welcome as the inaugural guest on the I Lost My Job podcast. I am very excited for this. Before we jump into all things layoff related, why don't we start with your professional background? Give us a little bit of an idea of what you know what your professional background looks like.
Speaker: Yeah, I'll kind of start. I graduated college in Moorhead, Kentucky with a bachelor's in criminal justice criminology. Really wanted to go into that CSI like kind of realm.
Speaker: um Ended up not doing that. I got out of college and worked for a florist as a delivery driver for about a year in my hometown. And then I got into leasing in Kentucky. So rent out properties, do stuff like that, really excelled there.
Speaker: And then I moved to San Diego. And from there, things have kind of just built on. Since being here four years, I probably had like eight or so jobs. Most of those have been contract.
Speaker: um Started with leasing for about six months. And then I got into admin work. And that's where I really started to kind of excel, figure out that's what I wanted to do. um Started a contract at a company for six months.
Speaker: They closed. So I went to another company. And then after that, six months there, realized there no room for growth for me and kind of what I wanted to do. It was a law firm.
Speaker: Next step would have been like a paralegal. And I just knew that wasn't for me. I wanted admin work. Um, so from there went to my most previous job that I got laid off from where I was an office coordinator to start and then got promoted about a year into an office manager. So really excelling kind of that admin, like ah HR kind of background, kind of stuff like that. That's what I enjoy doing. I'm a people person like to manage people. So stuff like that.
Speaker: And how did you know that that was what you wanted to do? I really don't know. i think the idea of working on the backend of a company, um working with the other people kind of around me. I just, I enjoy processes.
Speaker: I like when things are understood, like everything has to go a certain way. So I think kind of once I got into a role like that, that was doing that, I realized, oh, I really enjoy this. I'm specifically in an office manager role because you're kind of talking and coordinating with everybody all the time.
Speaker: You get to know people and I just, I'm outgoing when I have to be. So I think just doing that type of work is what I really excelled in and then realized I kind of started to enjoy it.
Speaker: Yeah. I will say a lot of the the operational and admin folks, you do get that exposure to everybody within the company. You know, some roles you kind of get more exposure to one department and you're later, you're like, who that department over there, who? Yeah. but like In that type of role and the type of role that you've been in, you get more of that like, oh, I know IT, I know prod dev, you get that variety. It's really cool to kind of know all the different pieces of the of the company.
Speaker: And I think that's why I really like admin work too, because it's a little bit of everything. Even growing up, I wasn't sure any one thing I wanted to do. i always called myself a a Mac of all trades. So admin work kind of fits and into that perfectly for me.
Speaker: And tell me about some of the fun parts of what you got to do. Like what were some of those things that were really satisfying or really enjoyable about your job? Majority would probably be like event planning.
Speaker: ah Employees like to do stuff during work hours that is not work. So planning the yes the lunches, the birthday parties, the the monthly meetings. It's just really cool to see everybody get together. And admittedly, I usually get a shout out when things like that happen because I did so much. So really enjoyed kind of that aspect of getting everyone together for things that are outside of work. Like work is work, but you also you're spending eight hours a day with these people.
Speaker: You need to have some sort of like rapport and like community within a job. So think that's kind of what I enjoy the most. Yeah, it is neat seeing that like everybody come together to your point. Everybody's always excited for a work event during work hours that is not work.
Speaker: yeah You know, it's that like. It's almost like recess as a kid, right? When you're in school and you're like, it's recess time. I can't wait. That's exactly what it is. Everyone would so excited. So, for example, at one of my previous jobs, would do birthday parties. I'd always ask the employees, like, what do you want to do? what do you want your sweet treat to be?
Speaker: And a lot of people don't like sweet treats. I worked with some crunchy people. So we had, like, pickle parties or pot pie parties. So it was always really surprising because we would keep it on the down low. Then everyone gets surrounded and be like, what are we doing? We're like, oh we're doing a pickle party. So it's fun. I enjoy it.
Speaker: Okay. I need you to expand on this pickle party. I am i am a fan of, I love like pickles are such a good snack. What is this pickle party? Tell me everything about it. I would literally go just shopping to like three or four stores and find the basic pickle stuff, ah just basic dill, stuff like that. But I would also try to find other stuff. So it wasn't just pickles. It was sometimes like stuffed olives or stuff like that. So very savory snacks. But yeah, i would just get it all and I would just set it out like a charcuterie board, have plates for everyone. So it wasn't anything grandulous.
Speaker: And we just had a lot of pickles and people were liking it. We just had a lot of pickles. That is that is like my favorite line. It was for everyone, I promise. they People love pickles nowadays.
Speaker: It's so true. Pickles are having a moment. that you know Everything, especially food related, everything has its moment. Cottage cheese has been having its moment.
Speaker: Pickles are having a moment. Pickles and cottage cheese together are having like a moment with this like pickle dip and everything. It's wild. I love it.
Speaker: It's different. It's something different. i'm I'm on the edge of pickles. I like pickle juice, but I usually don't eat pickles that often. I'm more of a give me the juice. So have you ever seen that Blastic has like pickle juicers now? It's like a little five hour energy of pickle juice. I've gotten those a couple times.
Speaker: Yes, the shots of pickle juice. Yeah. And it's supposed to be so good for you for like the electrolytes and everything in it. Exactly. So I don't know if I ever felt those benefits, but I was happy while was drinking it. So well, after this, I'll have to send you like a box of pickle juice with no pickles. It'll just be the pickle juice box.
Speaker: they They make gallon containers of it. I wouldn't be upset. I'll take a scoop every every morning. See, this is the part that I love is hearing the stories about the things people have done. Cause there are these things that you just would not have known.
Speaker: Never in my life would I have imagined that somebody at an office threw a pickle party. It's amazing. I love it so much. Yeah. And I think just as an office, I've been paying attention to employees. I think that's also why i excelled in a role like that. You just pay attention to people. You know what people like. So it,
Speaker: It's really enjoyable. People get a good kick, a good laugh, and everybody has a good time. So, yeah. and I think it really means a lot to people when somebody pays attention to those little nuances.
Speaker: Because you could easily say, okay, Joe's birthday is coming up. We got to get him a cake. Let's do something generic like half chocolate, half vanilla, something that everybody will eat. And people would be perfectly professional and happy with that.
Speaker: But going the extra mile to know those nuances of Joe actually loves everything about pickled food. So let's get him every single pickled food. That's the stuff that really, it gives you a pick me up during the day that knowing that somebody paid attention enough to know that about you.
Speaker: Yeah, and you really can't tell a difference when like, you show up with a bunch of pickles, that people are excited and pop pies like we've done ice cream sandwiches. So it's just a plethora of things and just finding joy in the workplace is I think one of the most important things. And that's one of the ways that I was able to do that for people.
Speaker: Well, if nothing else, you have an absolutely golden future in unique, nuanced party planning because you have thrown pickle parties, you have thrown pot pie parties.
Speaker: If you want to create a savory party business, you would be golden. Golden with that. Might have to write it down. So you were working at your last job.
Speaker: Unfortunately, a layoff happened. So tell me a bit about that initial reaction you had to getting that news.
Speaker: Was it something you expected? Was it out of the blue? And then what were those like first couple of days like after learning that news? Yeah, absolutely. It was definitely ah weird time for me.
Speaker: It was on the back burner. So our company had been acquired at the end of 2024. So with that change, we knew some things were changing. There was no major changes for us. But then as time got on, everything was just unknown.
Speaker: In our meetings, we would talk about it, like, what are our next steps? Like, what's happening? to Be like, oh, we're still in the talks. We're not sure. And it it is really tough because we were kind of guaranteed, like, you would know, like, if anything's going to happen, you're going to know, you're going to know.
Speaker: And that unfortunately was not the case. had a little bit of weird predicament. I had gotten into a wreck the Monday before i got laid off and my car got totaled. So i had taken, yeah it was it was tough. Just staying still on the highway and somebody wasn't paying attention. So I dealt with that for like Monday through ah Wednesday.
Speaker: Then Thursday, went into the office, had to Uber because my partner the only one with the car. So got the office Thursday, no issues. Our person contacted me like, hey hope you're doing okay like make sure to input your hours for like the time you were sick or anything like that i was like okay like sounds good i can do that and then randomly 15 minutes later got a email like hey 15 minute meeting on friday morning i was like that's a little bit weird maybe she just wants to see if i'm okay because my company was great like everyone really cared for people um ubered into work on that friday kind of was doing my stuff went into the meeting
Speaker: And they're just like yeah unfortunately, we're going to have to let you go. Like, this is your last day. When can you leave? i was like, well, don't have a car. My car partner will have to pick me up. So initially when they told me, i knew. i kind of was like, okay, I know i know what this is.
Speaker: ah So I was like, thanks for letting know. Like, thanks for the paperwork. I guess, what do you need from me? There was like, just type them in email, what you're working on. I said, sounds good. and Went back to my desk, kind of sat down with my coworker in the same office space.
Speaker: And I was like, well, I just got laid off. She said, you're lying. I was like, nope. That's when it kind of hit me seeing her reaction. um Had a really good relationship with her. So I think she kind of got upset.
Speaker: Can't believe it happens. Also scared for her job because she was in the admin space. So i was like, I'm good. I'm good. And then just started kind of tearing up, just couldn't hold it in. It was just, it was a shock. I felt like I'd been doing such a good job, really doing good work. Felt like I had that reassurance from the people at my job, like doing great. Nothing's going to happen. We really appreciate you.
Speaker: yeah, unfortunately had to step outside. And as homeless boy does, I called my mom and was like, Hey, just, just got laid off from my job. I'm i'm in tears. She's like, Oh my goodness. She tells my dad, they're like,
Speaker: it's okay. You'll find your next steps. Like it's all good. So once I got off the phone with my mom, calmed down a little bit, just kind of like releasing a cry, letting that out. It's frustrating. Went back in and my coworker was stiller tear still tearing up.
Speaker: She was like, do you want a hug? I was like, no. I was like, do you need a hug? She said, yes. So we like hugged. was like, okay. I was like, it was good. I kind of needed that. Then just kind of sat down, typed up a list of what I was working on and just sent it. And then just kind of went home.
Speaker: It was just shocking. It didn't feel real at first. um I couldn't even think of next steps because so much had been going on with me. So I just kind of like accepted it. I was like, there's nothing I can do.
Speaker: So yeah, I just kind of came home, took took the weekend, kind of hung out with my partner, didn't do anything too extraneous, probably got outside. I don't exactly remember. It just, it kind of happened so quick.
Speaker: And then, yeah, on that Monday, I had to like go turn in my paperwork and stuff like that. So yeah, Overall, it was just a shock. I just truly wasn't prepared. I think I was like Icarus flew a little too close to the sun because I'd been mentioning like looking for new stuff.
Speaker: But you talk about it. You're never serious. I never applied. But you just never know. You like to keep your options open. But when it happens, when you get laid off, it it sucks because that was that was the first time that's happened to me being fired, laid off anything.
Speaker: So it just kind of planted a seed of uncertainty in me, which makes it difficult going into the next step of job interviews, job applications and stuff like that. Yeah. And tell me about that uncertainty. Uncertainty around what?
Speaker: What did you feel uncertain about? Mostly job security um because I felt secure in my job. i I didn't see an issue. No one told me there was an issue. And then all of a sudden there was. So moving forward, it's like it's hard to want to look for another job and submit myself into a place of work when at any time it can just be, OK, we're done. Like you're out.
Speaker: So I mean, even and that was at the end of March that happened. And even still, I like show I've had a few interviews and stuff, but I'm like, I don't want to put all this, invest all this time and effort into something to just be told, okay, like, no, it's okay.
Speaker: That tough. It's just the uncertainty of like feeling that insecurity. Yeah, absolutely. And I think you, you brought up a really good point too, that,
Speaker: prior to the layoff happening, there was the confidence that was trying to be instilled that everything's fine. Even if something were to happen, you would know.
Speaker: And that seems like not an uncommon thing in today's world that there will be this sense of maybe the rumblings of something going on, something may happen, but internally,
Speaker: building the confidence of no, no, no, nothing's happening. And if something were, we would let you know. which is really unfortunate because I feel like that is an attempt to ease people's concerns and also does people a disservice because then when inevitably a layoff does happen, almost nobody is getting a heads up.
Speaker: And then the confidence that you had is now shattered, which I think feeds into that uncertainty of, well, they told me that If anything were to happen, I would know.
Speaker: Well, something happened. I didn't know. I had no heads up. So now how do I have confidence in anything else going forward? Yeah, that's exactly what it is. And it really is tough because like I said, you spend eight hours a day with these people. You get to know these people. So you would like to think they have your best interests. And sometimes there's only so much they can do. So one of the things I had to really push past was like orders are just coming down.
Speaker: So really trying to not hold any resentment for those people I did work with. Everyone was really great. Like, we didn't want this. Like, you were great. And everyone said, like, you need a reference. We got you. So I think there was some sort of ease in that, knowing that, like, people have my back.
Speaker: Right. It's crappy all around. Right. It's crappy all around. And I don't feel... too bad about because I know so many people at that company had my back. i And let's talk a little bit about that because what I have seen is that typically, you know, after somebody gets laid off, people go to their community, right? You mentioned um calling your mom, you know, you talk to your friends, whether those are your now former co-workers or other friends, you know, it's natural to start reaching out to your network.
Speaker: Tell me a bit about what that was like for you how how people supported you in what was imaginably a really rough time. Yeah, I think ah initially it was a lot of people reaching out to me, specifically old co-workers. I think the first two weeks I had someone reach out almost every day, like thinking about you, how are you doing? Like, how's the job hunting going?
Speaker: ah My old manager there who also got laid off, um she's messaged me a couple times, been out to eat with her. She's like sending me job applications online. Like, hey, I know the hiring person. Let me know.
Speaker: um So a lot of it was my partner, my parents. um Partners kind of my lifeline, spend all day together. So he was just there and he has a lot of confidence in me.
Speaker: So his confidence kind of rubs off onto me knowing like there are better things. This isn't the end of the world. I have people in my corner. And yeah, I think it is double ended with my car wreck because a lot of people knew about that. So reaching out about that, finding out about my job, it was a weird time. A lot of people were supportive.
Speaker: I think I just spent a lot of time kind of looking inwards and finding out how to like get rid of that uneasiness of being laid off and like that uncertainty.
Speaker: So just knowing that I have people to reach out to, people reaching out to me just makes you feel less lonely. the world really isn't going to end there are more important things than a job that's something i will die on a hill on like work-life balance is incredibly important to me you need to leave work at work come home and be home and spend time with those you care about so i think it just really shifted my perspective to like understanding that the community i have around me is my most important thing right now yeah having that community having that group there for you so that
Speaker: you're not feeling that in a tunnel, right? Like it's just you all alone trying to process a really horrible event. That support is so needed.
Speaker: Yeah, it it is. And it it's been great. Everyone's been incredibly supportive and giving me kind words. So that boosts my confidence a lot. So you you get that on that Friday, you're laid off, go through the weekend, Monday comes back around.
Speaker: Talk me through getting through that first week. And then how did you kind of pick yourself up during those times that were really, really hard to get through?
Speaker: Yeah, so I think initially on that first Monday, first priority was ah resume. Don't have a job, don't have income, got to get my resume finished. So I really spent, I think, two or three days working on that. I wanted to make sure it looked good and sounded good.
Speaker: And also, I was still just dealing with the effects the layoff. I wasn't in any rush to start applying to places. um I wasn't ready to interview. And I don't even to think... um I recently honestly just started having interviews about a week ago.
Speaker: Before that, I had nothing. And I don't even know wasn't ready for it. I think still just working on building my confidence and stuff like that. So I spent that first week really diving into like what I wanted to do, what are the things I enjoy doing, how can this translate to a resume, how can I translate these things into an interview to make it sound like I'm the best candidate for a job or something like that. So first week was really a lot of just like introspective thinking, planning out my resume, figuring out what I wanted to do and I had a lot of help from my partner on that. He was sending job postings from like LinkedIn and stuff.
Speaker: And he was just there to support. He was like, what do you need help with? What can I do? Okay, cool. If you just need to take a day, get outside, go for a walk, do whatever. yeah, it was just a lot of introspective thinking, just taking the time to sit in the discomfort of being laid off and understanding what that meant.
Speaker: And then yeah, dealing with all the determination paperwork and and all the thankful Thankfully benefits I got from being laid off because my company was still great. Things could have been worse, kind of thankful that they weren't.
Speaker: But yeah, just kind of taking that first week, maybe even two weeks to get the resume right, figuring out what I want to do and just thinking a lot on how to move forward and get past that discomfort.
Speaker: But yeah, think that first week, first, I guess second week once I finished my resume, probably applied for like 25 something jobs. It was one of those things, anything and everything I can find, I just need income.
Speaker: So anything that was below my current pay, above my current pay, like just trying to find something. And that also seems like a very common thing in that first week or two is that I have to get something, anything. i will just apply, apply, apply, apply.
Speaker: Was there a point where you feel like that drive to apply to anything and everything dropped off a bit or eased up a little bit? Yeah. I mean, I think it was even after the end of that second week when I really pushed to apply for everything, and just got exhausting. Applications can be so exhausting now and you truly just feel like a drop in the bucket. I mean, I typically use LinkedIn. I like that because you can typically go to the company, see who the hiring manager is and stuff like that. So I like LinkedIn for applying for jobs, but you would click on a job, 500 applications, 200 applications. You just really feel like a drop in the bucket. And
Speaker: Even now in 2025 from 2023 when I applied for my job got laid off from, the the application process is so much different. So many people are using AI and using all these different tools to get through to your application.
Speaker: Part of me feels like it's just unfair. I know you people get a lot of applications. A lot of people are laid off. There's a high unemployment rate. So it's just... It's just hard. So I think after applying for all those initially, I slowed down a lot and really started to pick and choose what I was doing.
Speaker: And some of that came from the support of my partner, knowing I can't live on my own with no income. So him giving me the okay in a sense, which is just giving me confidence, like do what you want to do, find the job you want to do apply for those jobs, like be very intentional, send messages to hiring managers and items like that.
Speaker: So yeah, it, it fell off quite a lot once like week three and four hit because it just gets exhausting. You can only sit in front of a computer and click apply and retype your things in so many times before you just get burnt out on just applying for jobs.
Speaker: Yes. That feeling of just sitting there and going through everything and refreshing and refreshing. And then another one pops up and you submit your application and you refresh again.
Speaker: it is so easy to get burnt out on that. And honestly, can feel like more work than a full-time job. It a thousand percent is. I don't think...
Speaker: I mean, i work hard on my jobs, but applying for jobs is such a different field. It's tough. It's just so repetitive. And let's talk a bit about your experience applying for jobs. So what has been your experience so far? And let's start with just kind of filling out applications. What has that been like for you as a job seeker?
Speaker: I personally really enjoy the easy apply on LinkedIn. I know there's probably some reason a lot of people don't do it, but as somebody who's applying for a job and having to do so many, being able to cook easy apply, just click the...
Speaker: How it works is you just click easy apply and then you have your resume already attached to your profile. You click that one, you confirm your information. They might ask a few other questions like how much experience do you have in like HR or have you ever worked in this field and then you just send it off. So I really enjoy those. It's not as much time to think.
Speaker: I still feel like they're getting the same information, but then there are some where you do have to go onto the website and apply. um Some of them are still just as easy. You just go in, click apply, add your resume, maybe some contact info and be done with it. And some of them are so much more involved.
Speaker: I feel like I'm giving a dissertation for doctor like a doctorate. It is insane. Specifically this past week, I've applied, think, to three jobs where I would have to go to their website.
Speaker: And then I would fill out all my information along with the information that's on my resume, which is one of the most frustrating things. I know like there's a reason you're doing it, but I curate my resume for a reason. And I have to retype everything in is really frustrating and time consuming and honestly turns me off from the job.
Speaker: There been a few that and once it gets that, it's just too overwhelming. And I'm just like, okay, this, this is too much. Like I'd, do not have the motivation to continue this application. And then even once you do all that, you'll get two or three more emails.
Speaker: Fill out a culture index survey, which is one I've got, or fill out this other form or go online and create an account. it's just, it's just a lot because I'm spending 30 minutes to fill out this application and get nothing back.
Speaker: Not a, not a read, not a thanks for submitting. So it's it's really discouraging at some point, once you get and into those more in depth jobs, it's just, you don't hear anything. So it's just disheartening, disfrustrating kind of feels like there's no motivation to continue when I'm not getting anything back. And just tough. I mean, that's that's how it is today with job applications.
Speaker: And it just sucks that it's like that. Absolutely. To go through all of that hassle. To your point, there's still those companies out there that will have you submit your resume.
Speaker: And then you're going through pages of applications that are like, please tell us what you did at this job. That's what my resume is for. And I will say, as somebody who who has been on the other end of hiring,
Speaker: I even don't understand why that's done because I can just look at your resume. why Why on earth would I need you to input the same information that you're sending me on your resume?
Speaker: and So it's safe to say that there are many, many hiring practices and processes out there that desperately need to be improved. I will save that soapbox for another day, but I could go on for hours about how People are not always doing it right. Companies are definitely not always doing it right.
Speaker: Some are. Some have room to to improve. And it's a challenge. And it is disheartening when you don't have a job. You really feel that need, like I need to get the job.
Speaker: And you're putting so much heart and soul into these applications, hoping to hear anything back. And 90% of the time, it's nothing, not even a no, it's just nothing. And you sit there and you're like, what did I do it all for? Like, why did I even spend all the time applying?
Speaker: And you just lose the courage even reach out and follow up. Like I said, a drop in the bucket, which is is really tough. And so many people are dealing with that. It's just, it's hard.
Speaker: It is. Well, let's switch gears a bit. Tell me about, you know, aside from applying for jobs, how do you keep yourself busy during the day? What are some things that you're doing to kind of take your mind or ease your mind off of that job application process a bit?
Speaker: Just initially, I do like to play video games. So ah spend some of my time kind of playing video games with friends online. like to get outside. Usually, weather's nice all the time, so try to get out and go tide pooling or just go to the beach.
Speaker: But aside from that, my partner actually started his own ad agency business. So I've been helping him in my free time with doing some of that working on the admin side of that so still kind of finding the passion for that and helping him with that has been really nice kind of makes you feel like you have a purpose especially when it's your partner's business you're kind of growing it together in a sense but yeah and then me and my partner are also into wnba so we watch a lot of wnba games and we do a fantasy draft and we actually buy the packs of cards and open cards and stuff like that so
Speaker: Everyone watches women's sports. That's amazing. I love the cards. That's so much fun. My partner really likes Caitlin Clark. He's from Iowa. So we have a lot of Caitlin Clark cards and we even have some of where graded, where you send it off to a company and they put it in like a protective slab and they grade it based off of the condition it's in. So like a 10 is the best. Those usually sell for a lot. And then 987 kind of down from there. So we kind of like to collect what we think is cool, the people we think are cool and stuff like that and then i'm also into pokemon cards and pokemon card games so i do a lot of pokemon stuff too do you play pokemon go and i do i haven't in a while but i was really big into it for a while so yeah i'm a 20 29 years old i'm still a kid honestly those things are made for us right like that's for our generation like pokemon we grew up on pokemon
Speaker: I'm still growing up on it. I love it so much. So let me ask you too, are there any hobbies that you haven't gone into yet, but that you would want to explore if given the opportunity?
Speaker: Yeah, are actually two kind of specifically. So I forgot about this, but once I got laid off, I think it was either first or second week, I decided I really wanted to get into like IT and understanding the IT world because I did that a little bit in my previous job.
Speaker: Just basic, like, troubleshooting, but I thought it'd be a really good skill to have. So I started doing the, it's like a Google certificate through Coursera, I think, just learn the basics of IT. t Didn't finish, got a little over-simulated with it.
Speaker: um Just things started happening. We had trips, but that was something I think I'd like to get back into just Advancing my skills, specifically in IT, t I mean, I feel like technology is not going anywhere anytime soon.
Speaker: So learning skills like that will just further me for like career advancement. And then also robotics. I got into like robotics a little bit, watching videos, little bit of the BattleBots, but more of like the the arms that go and pick stuff up, like the automation.
Speaker: ah really have a passion for something called solar punk, which... If you think of cyberpunk, it's like the cyber risk future, but solar punk is kind of using robotic to create a more sustainable life.
Speaker: So imagine like it's all kind of fantasy, but a floating solar panel on like a balloon that powers a house down below and then powers the water to the garden.
Speaker: So it's kind of thinking of that like environmental sustainability. landscape ah while using technology that we currently have. i think that's something that's really cool. I wish the future could look like that. And honestly, we're not horribly far away, right? We're making the steps with things. I don't know about you, but I see plenty of people near me who've got the solar panels on their house where they're not having to pay much for power anymore because they're using the solar energy.
Speaker: I have a fully electric car that I love. I love that I don't have to go to the gas station anymore. We're making those steps and those strides. And it is really cool to think about if we have that now, what could our future look like? What are some of the things that are impacting our environment that we could minimize or even eliminate if we do more of the sustainable,
Speaker: energy, right? So more of these sustainable practices. It's just so cool. I mean, you think like rooftop garden, just anything like that, anything to like, just connect us as people with nature.
Speaker: ah think tech and nature are not two opposites. They're not two separate things. I think they can coincide. And I think there's a future that can happen. I know That's wishful thinking. But i think keeping that positive attitude, like things can work out, things can be better for the future, ah is very beneficial just in daily life. I try to keep a positive attitude. Absolutely.
Speaker: And it is needed because... It is very easy to get into a spiral of one thing's not going well, something else doesn't go well.
Speaker: It starts going downhill from there. And then it feels like your brain can only pay attention to things not going well or things that could go poorly.
Speaker: pulling yourself back out of that is so difficult and also so important. And I guess my question for you is, if you find yourself in one of those spirals, like if you're having that bad day where you're like, nothing is going right, what strategies do you use to try and overcome that massive hill of of despair?
Speaker: I think the biggest thing is getting rid of tech. I mean, you're on your phone a lot That's where a lot of your information comes from. So if you can just set your phone down, that is the biggest thing. And I'm not the best of it at all times. so I mean, it's a balance. Everything's not perfect. And ah think giving yourself grace, understanding that you're understanding your feelings is the most important part. And then giving yourself grace on them. Like, wow, I feel really bad. I'm spiraling. Like, this is not good. Like,
Speaker: You just need to take a minute getting outside. i know it's, it's basic going for a walk. I, everyone says it, but it really does help. I mean, I got two pets, so I'm like, perfect. Let's go on a trot.
Speaker: We're going like, I don't know if you want to or not, but I need to get outside and be nice to have somebody to walk with. So getting outside. And I think just reaching out to your community, you're spiraling. You're not doing, doing great.
Speaker: Pick up your phone. Like I said, don't do call a friend. call your mom, call your dad. I think you just need to distract yourself with better things. Yeah. I love that you bring up the putting down your phone because it is something where I mean, at this point, we all have our phones like permanently attached to our hands. It's how we're getting all of our news. It's how we're getting all of our updates. It's how we're staying connected.
Speaker: But it's also that really slippery slope, that black hole that first you're just going on Instagram to see if you have any messages. Then you're scrolling through. Then all of a sudden you're seeing all of this content that's being fed to you that is not helping your mental health at all. And and then it just...
Speaker: It's so hard to get out of that spiral, that death, like that doom scrolling. It's hard. It's hard to separate from that. Yeah. And I mean, there are times where I don't even do it. I even know I'm spiraling. I'm not great. And it's so hard to put down the phone.
Speaker: But it's tough. it's It's a hard time. you You just have to do it. Just put it down. Just talk to someone. i think people get so caught up in themselves and being on their phones.
Speaker: having that interaction, you kind of forget the things around you. yeah, I mean, even in our daily life, me and my partner, we we make it an effort to try to be more social as well, saying hi to people.
Speaker: Like, oh, they have a dog. Let's go say hi to them. Say hi to their dog. Because just everyday interactions like that with other people, you don't feel so alone. The world doesn't feel so big.
Speaker: And just overall, you just usually feel better just talking to someone. So yeah, I think that that's something we like to do. That makes me think of a really good question. So hypothetically speaking, let's say you are out walking in your neighborhood and you see somebody walking towards you.
Speaker: As you walk towards them, do you stop and say hi? ah I would usually, it depends on the vibes and my mood. Usually I'll like nod and say hello or something like that.
Speaker: Don't usually stop and have a full on conversation. um That's why I bring up the dog, but because usually if they have a dog, that's a good segue. Like, Oh, you have a dog. I have a dog. But it just depends because i I started doing this in middle school, but I usually try to, i like to give a compliment at least once a day to someone that I see.
Speaker: um And usually you always try to compliments on something that people can change within like 20 to 30 seconds. So, oh, that's a really cool shirt. Wow, those shoes are really cool. Where did you get those? I really like doing stuff like that because it is a segue to get people to talk to you.
Speaker: Just a quick... easy like hey how's your day like oh i like this cool like great you have a great day it just lifts me up it makes you feel better you see somebody else smile so yeah it it just depends not all the time while i stop and talk to someone yeah sometimes if something piques my interest something vibes are there i'll i'll say what's up and so So the reason I bring this up is because I live in an area where if you are in the neighborhood and walking by somebody, unless you have like a personal relationship with them, the standard protocol is you you do the like the nod and the hey and you move on.
Speaker: i I have gone to other places where I see people stop and strike up a conversation and I'll be like, oh, how do you know them? And they'll oh, no, I don't know who they are. I'm like, this is so so you just stop and talk to people on the sidewalk. I'm used to the whole we all got places to go. We're all 10 minutes late to everything. You don't stop and chat with strangers on the sidewalk.
Speaker: Yeah, I will say i have a different opinion. I'm from Kentucky. So born and raised, very Southern hospitality. You're stopping at every grocery store, every gas station, anyone you see. Also a little bit of small town vibes because you kind of know everyone.
Speaker: But yeah, when I was living back in Kentucky, that definitely happened a lot more just casual, longer conversations. On the street. So it is interesting. I do feel like I see less of that now that I moved out to California.
Speaker: Not to say that California people are more mean or like less approachable or anything like that. It's just different. I think people are just going about their day, just enjoying the weather. Yes. I'm with you. i My impression is that the closer you are to like a big city, the more likely you are to have that nod, say hi, and move on.
Speaker: but from what I've seen, a lot of the smaller town areas, there is more of that, I don't know i don't know if congeniality is the right word, but more of that stop, say hi, have that conversation. How's your coffee this morning? you know it's wild. It's wild, the differences in in different areas and how people approach that.
Speaker: It is. Thinking about it now, like the only time we've really, we speaking with my partner is when we go to a coffee shop for him. and you're waiting on your coffee, that's when some conversations will start to rumble.
Speaker: And that's just like a proximity thing. You're kind of there waiting with nothing else to do. Yeah, that's that's so interesting. I know. Anybody listening, I definitely want to hear folks write in about this. Do you generally, what kind of area are you in? And are you in a place where you stop and say hi and have that conversation? or are you in an area where you do the nod, hey, and then you move on with your life?
Speaker: I know. Maybe we we encourage people to have a conversation, get to know the people in your community. Don't feel less lonely. Build that community. One tiny hello conversation on the sidewalk at a time.
Speaker: Yep. Yeah. I mean, i will say we, ah we got, it me and my partner got our rings custom made when we did our wedding and everything. And we go to some small, what are they like pop-up shops? Yeah. to the one that our ring person, she made.
Speaker: And usually at the small shops, they are trying to sell you something, but there's a little bit more community there. So if you have any like pop-up shops or anything like that, near you and you want to get out and meet people. That's, I will say, probably the best way to do it. You're getting a great mix of people, people who are interested in their craft.
Speaker: You get to learn a lot about people from doing stuff like that. Absolutely. And the folks who do more of those smaller pop-up shops, you really get to feel the passion they have for what they're doing, for the pieces that they put out, because they put their heart and soul into that.
Speaker: And not to say that you know bigger companies don't, but... I do feel like it is, there's a difference in going to i don't know, like a Macy's and getting a necklace versus going to a small shop where somebody literally sat there hand crafting it and and even just asking them about it. Like what inspired this piece?
Speaker: What, you know, what were your feelings to put into this? Where did this come from? it is really cool. And they're almost always so excited to talk about it because that's their, that's their handwork.
Speaker: Yeah, it's beautiful. And I mean, it's even good because you can find motivation. You can find new hobbies and stuff like that. We went to one recently, recently, it's like two months ago. And my partner saw a ceramics artist there.
Speaker: And he was like, wow, these are really cool. Like, where do you do so your ceramics? And he looked them up and he like took a class. He was like, it's really cool. I want to get into doing something like that. And he found like a passion of doing stuff just from going and talking to someone. So community is such an important thing.
Speaker: And there's levels of it. Some people aren't as outgoing. They're homebodies. They don't like community. But it is important to like, understand the people you're around and like where you're living. i think it brings a sense of joy. A hundred percent. A hundred percent. It can definitely fill a little bit of that, that void and minimize some of those lonely feelings when, when you can get out there and talk to somebody in your community. And, you know, it has the potential to spark up ideas of, Oh, I would love to try something like that.
Speaker: Where can I go to You know, try that. Take that class. Try something new. And honestly, even if you try it and you don't like it, you've discovered one more thing that you know you don't want to do, but that gets you closer to something that you would like to do.
Speaker: Yep. Yeah. I mean, failure is the best teacher. Even if you don't fail, if even if you just don't like it a sense of failure, like, it's the best teacher. you you You get to learn about yourself and learn about something new. so Yeah.
Speaker: Let's come back to kind of your job search. You mentioned that your interviewing is kind of picking up now. How are you feeling about your interview, like your experience in these interviews in general? Like, do you feel like it's generally positive? Do you feel like there's things that need to be improved in the interview process? What's your take on all this?
Speaker: Yeah. ah So I'll preface with, i've probably submitted like 60 to 70 applications in total and I've only had two interviews so I think that that says a lot and I'm not it's not like I'm applying for things that I'm totally not qualified for I'm not trying to be the CEO of something so it's weird the uh both of the interviews I've done have been for kind of lower level jobs they were results of some of the ones where I was stress applying so yeah I mean I think they were fine they felt pretty standard It was tough for me because a lot of the information and stuff talked about in the interviews were kind of like second nature to me through my experience. I was like, oh yeah, that that's easy. Like it felt good because I was so knowledgeable, but yeah, it was not demeaning. I don't want to say demeaning, but it kind of sucks because ah kind of felt like I was downplaying myself. Like i'm I'm worth more than this. I know more than this job requires.
Speaker: So it's nice to be interviewing. feel like it's a great, boost of confidence, knowing that I can do my job, whatever job is, but it's also tough because you're kind of stuck with, okay, like I could do this.
Speaker: I'm losing $10 an hour. So it's, it's like a double-edged sword. I'm glad to be interviewing. But I'm sad that it's not for jobs that would actually benefit me overall.
Speaker: But the interviews themselves have been pretty standard, ah mostly just reviewing the job, like, can you be in office? Is a remote? So fairly basic, nothing...
Speaker: two out of the ordinary that I can think of. Yeah, they've been good. i also, one of the ones, it wasn't technically an interview. Once I got laid off from my job, at that job, we worked with a IT t consulting company.
Speaker: So once I got laid off, I went and had lunch with the owner of that company. And then he was like, hey, it's not an interview right now, but like, if you want to come work for us, like we know you do good work. We have stuff you can do.
Speaker: I actually started doing contract work with them about two weeks after ah lost my job. So it's been nice to be doing that as well. But yeah, I've been doing that. go about five hours for two days a week. So it's nothing extraneous, but being able to get into an office and spend a dedicated time there has actually helped me a lot in other things because I don't I don't feel as lazy and I don't feel as guilty for not doing anything.
Speaker: so yeah, just going in, dedicating time, then I can come home and I instantly feel more motivated coming home from that. It's like, oh, cool. I was able to sit down and do this work, get home. it's like, oh, I still the motivation. Let's apply for jobs. And having that positive mindset coming out of being motivated and like doing the work has helped me identify the jobs, apply for jobs, feel more confidence when I'm doing that as well.
Speaker: It is wild how you almost need to get that ball rolling. And once you get that ball rolling with anything productive, right? It doesn't have to be like specifically another job, but if you're working towards something, anything, just getting that initial push of I did something productive, right?
Speaker: that can also snowball in the most positive way of, okay, well, I got that off of my list or, you know, I started doing that. I'm feeling pretty good about this. Now I can go and do X, Y, and Z. Or, you know, to your point, sometimes it refreshes you so that you're like, okay,
Speaker: I'll go apply to the next jobs, right? I'll apply to another batch. It won't be like the stress, pull my hair out applying, but I'll go, I'll give it a good effort and then I'll know when to put it down. It is crazy how that just, just that little push to doing everything Anything productive can really just lift you even even a little bit. And then if you build on that and build on that, all of a sudden you're in a much better space than you were when you're stress applying to 5,000 jobs
Speaker: Yeah, I know. And that's honestly exactly where I'm at the point now. I've been working with them for a bit. So, I mean, this week alone, I've had three different people reach out for interviews. So i don't know if there's been a shift, but it this week alone, I don't know if it was something from last week where I was working a job, got home and applied for those jobs and felt motivated and felt very secure and went through the application process online.
Speaker: So that's probably part of it. I just felt more motivated and more dedicated and didn't have that like sour mood. to apply Right. was like cool i can work i know what it feels like i want to keep doing this i like dedicating time to this because then then it comes back to work like balance when i don't have work it's all like life balance and it's boring and then i feel guilty so it really does kind of kickstart doing something like that so I don't know Maybe my suggestion to people would be if you can't do contract work, maybe between applying for jobs, get out and volunteer, go out and pick up trash, get outside. It's, you just have to find ways to feel your time. So you're not bed rotting and feeling guilty about it. Cause that's when personally I would really start to spiral. I feel bad about being lazy cause I'm too tired to do anything. And then just a ladder after that. So,
Speaker: Yeah, it's tough, but things are really on the come up for me right now. So just that extra push and motivation feels great. That makes me so happy to hear because the layoff experience is...
Speaker: Very, very, it's extremely difficult. And I'll be honest, before before my experience of being laid off, I thought I understood what it would be like. And then when the tides turned for me, I realized it hit me in the face that I had no idea what it was going to be like. And it is just something that you may think you know, but if you have not gone through it, you truly don't feel the full impact of it.
Speaker: And it's nice to think about, you know, have a plan of what would I do if I were laid off? You also need to give yourself that grace that if it does happen to you, your plan may go out the window or get stalled for a bit because you do, you have to go through that grieving process, right? Unless...
Speaker: Unless for that very small percentage of people who are like, woohoo, I didn't like that job anyway. And I'm sure there's yeah people out there who are like, being laid off was the best thing for me. But for a lot of the population, it is...
Speaker: It is an experience like never before and not in a good way. And there's a lot of negative thoughts that come along with it and having to reconcile those. And especially when like most of us can't afford therapy if we're not making any money for it.
Speaker: It's hard. It's hard to go through it. And you have to make the space for yourself to heal before you can really get up and go again.
Speaker: Yeah, that that's probably the biggest thing. It's very unlikely you'll find another job within a week of being laid off. It happens. I guarantee it happens. But it is not that easy. And you truly give yourself grace.
Speaker: It may feel like the world is ending. Reach out to your support. Figure out the resources you have. There is unemployment if you're up for that. There's like Cobra. So that there are resources if you do get laid off.
Speaker: And yeah, you're you're just not alone. I think understanding you're not alone is the biggest thing. And even as like an empath, like when I was on my job, we'd had two or three people will be let go or fired. it was iffy on which was which. And I was like, oh, that really sucks. I can't imagine.
Speaker: But till it happens, there are so many minute things you don't think of that like come up, especially in that first week. And it feels like your world is going to crash down. It feels like there's no light at the end of the tunnel.
Speaker: So it is tough. Yeah, it's just it's just a process. I mean, it's it is truly a grieving process. You go through every step. You get mad, you get sad. So just understanding those emotions and giving yourself grace is the biggest thing.
Speaker: Yeah. Well, Mac, let me ask you, ideally, tell me about your dream next job. If you could craft the perfect job for yourself, what would it look like?
Speaker: What would you be doing? What would your day-to-day Honestly, I really enjoyed my office manager job at my last spot. I i think my ideal job would be working for a small company, probably 50 or less people.
Speaker: I feel like it's more personal then. and working as like an office manager. i want to figure out the office layout. I want to provide the snacks. I want to make sure things are set up.
Speaker: I just really do enjoy admin work because it is fulfilling. People ask you to do something, you do it and it's a huge help on them. So I think any sort of like office manager role, admin role, getting into HR, i like to manage people. I'm a people person.
Speaker: So I think that really is where I can excel. So anything within that realm is what excites me and what motivates me. yeah, I think just doing something what I've previously been doing, I enjoy the work I do. So Good. And throwing more pickle parties, of course. You have to have more pickle parties.
Speaker: A pickle party planner. That's my ideal job. there. People want Go ahead and put that on your LinkedIn. you When you apply, you should put in there your next pickle party planner. like put that as your name. that don't even yeah Don't even put Mac. Just want to ask you for your first name. Just your next pickle party planner.
Speaker: I guarantee you people will look right at your resume after that. No one's overlooking that. ill I'll get a couple calls back. Hey. I'll be honest.
Speaker: If I ever saw that as I was looking through resumes and I saw somebody's name that was like something catchy like that, that's the first person I'm looking at. A hundred percent. That's the first person I'm looking at. So y'all get creative when you throw in your applications.
Speaker: Standing out is hard. Right. And especially if you're laid off and you don't have a job, what do you have to lose? What do have to lose at this point?
Speaker: Take risk. Yeah. I mean, I'm a big risk taker. I'm also somebody who's admittedly quite out of the box. So I do tend to be that person that does things that make other people go, you really just did that? and I'm like,
Speaker: Yeah, because it you maybe people think I'm crazy. Maybe it gets me my next job. Who knows? yeah Like, why not take the shot? Yep.
Speaker: And if you miss out an opportunity, it just wasn't meant to be. They didn't understand you as a person. so Exactly. ah Well, Mac, the last thing I want to do. So earlier you mentioned that you are somebody who likes to give compliments to other people.
Speaker: I want to challenge you to give a compliment to yourself. So how would you compliment yourself today? I would say, that is a great question. How would I compliment myself?
Speaker: I would say that you are a good person and continue to be a good person. And that's it. Because I truly think having a positive attitude, being a good person will get you so far in life.
Speaker: I feel like it's gotten me this far, gotten me to where I am. And I do feel like I'm a good person. im like I like people. i like people to be happy. So yeah, you're a good person. Continue to be a good person. Absolutely.
Speaker: I fully sign off on that compliment. Not that you need me to whatsoever, but I do sign off on that. You are such a light. And and and you know to be clear, it's not like you and I have known each other for for years or anything. We only met recently.
Speaker: and yeah Even in just the recent time that you know we've gotten to know each other, I can tell you that you do bring a light to every conversation. You bring this lightheartedness that even though things can really go south, even though things can be difficult, you have this really great way of lighting up a conversation and making it feel...
Speaker: not heavy, right? Like that the bad things aren't so bad. And I mean, heck, you went through a major car accident and a layoff all in the same week and you've come out on the other side of it.
Speaker: Then, you know, to be continued as it continues on the up and up. But the fact that you just mentally made it through two incredibly major negative life events in the same week and still have come out on the other side of that,
Speaker: That deserves some major props. It is not easy to do. It is not easy to handle and nobody should have to go through it. But you have and you are stronger for it. So I seriously, I commend you a lot because that's not easy at all.
Speaker: Thank you so much. i really appreciate it. It has been a pleasure. I mean, it has been a whirlwind, but... pressure makes diamonds and I am on the way to be a diamond. You are a diamond. She's not even on the way. You are a diamond. You are a diamond that continues to be polished every single day.
Speaker: Thank you so much. I'm blushing. I really appreciate it. It's it's great to hear some kind words. Always. Mac, it is, ah like I said, such a pleasure. i have had such a great time chatting with you. It has flown by. So once again, thank you so, so much for coming to share your story and share your experience. I know it's not always easy, but I also know that it will be so helpful to a lot of people out there. So seriously, we appreciate you.
Speaker: Well, thank you so much. It was a pleasure to talk about the experience. And I think it's a great conversation for people to have. So just thank you again. I'm glad I could share my story. And hopefully some people can watch this and realize that things will get better. Yes.
Speaker: And I can't wait to have you back to share your success story when you land that next perfect job and you're back to planning all of the parties, all of the pickle parties. i have to hear all about them again.
Speaker: Yes, check out for an update. Hopefully it's soon. All right. Thank you, Mac. I just want to thank Mac again for coming on to the podcast and sharing his story with us.
Speaker: If you have any questions for Mac, or if you're ready to hire an office assistant because he's available, feel free to email us at lostmyjobpodcast at gmail.com.
Speaker: That's lostmyjobpodcast at gmail.com.
