I was out of work for six months last year, on unemployment, and applying for many, many job openings in my field the whole time.

In all that time I got two callbacks and one interview. The interview was for a temporary, seasonal job in a field I have 17 years of experience in, I did not get the job.

The job I ended up getting was at a friend's business for a position that was never listed anywhere, I am cleaning there part time, but through that job I heard of another cleaning job which was also not listed anywhere, so now I have two part time jobs, it is very physically demanding and today was my first day off in over a month, but hey, it beats paying to go to a gym to work out.

Both jobs are in very cool places and the people at both places are really great. Cleaning isn't bad if you can handle it physically, it has been kind of challenging for me, luckily I had been doing exercises regularly the whole time I was out of work so that working again wouldn't be such a shock.

Sorry to ramble, just wanted to say it was more my efforts at trying to have a social life while I was unemployed, that paid off, more than all the resumes I wrote and re-wrote or all the sites I registered with or all the classes I went to at the job center, etc.

I was seriously starting to worry that no one would ever hire me again. I am 50 and I do everything I can to compensate for that, lost about 20 lbs this year, super physically fit, try to keep up with fashion, cover the grey, all of that as much as possible.

The job market is tough to the point of being frightening, that's for sure. And I know now you can get laid off when you least expect it, best not to be complacent.

I worked really hard on starting a couple of business ideas, but all of that is still on the drawing board, and being worked on on the side.

OP I wish you the best of luck. Don't be above food stamps, you've paid taxes your whole life, it's your own money they make you jump through hoops to get back.