I haven't been posting buy I do check in every few days. So sad to see the sad news from some of you. I'm so sorry for those of you going through loss. Here is my sad news. I lost my job last week. I am now looking for work. I went for an interview today and was really shocked by the appearance of some of the applicants. I was told to come dressed in business casual. It was a cattle call when I got there. No big deal but some of the people were seriously not dressed for a job. One woman was wearing an oversized T-shirt as a mini dress, no pants. You could see her pink undies through the fabric. Her green flip flops added a touch of color to her ensemble. Then there were the two women in bold pattern leggings with sandles and the woman wearing pajama bottoms. It was quite an experience.
I feel your pain. I was laid off almost a year ago and it took me 6 months to find new a job.
If, as I suspect, you're of a "certain age," here's the ugly truth that I had to find out the hard way: HR professionals have "run the numbers," and the metrics they've collectively agreed upon seem to indicate that employees older than -- say -- age 45 are statistically more likely to cost more (in terms of company-provided healthcare benefits) than whatever skill-sets they have would add to the company's bottom-line. They see "older" workers as a liability more than they value what your years of experience can do to add to their success.
It's age discrimination and in some cases sex discrimination, both of which are illegal, but good luck as an unemployed person fighting it. It's the elephant in the room.
My best advice is to throw as much energy as you can possibly muster into networking. Use LinkedIn as a tool (i.e., don't just cut & paste from your resume; use it as a platform to sell yourself to prospective employers -- be creative and don't be shy -- toot your own horn!). Be persistent, don't get discouraged, and most of all, give yourself a break. When reality is beating up on you, it's human nature to protect yourself from the blows. Don't feel bad about taking whatever measures feel right to you in terms of maintaining your self-esteem.

ETA
On the bright side, during that six months I was unemployed, in my free time I wandered around websleuths and made some wonderful friends here! I'll be forever grateful for that. Thanks, all!
