Week 4 of my unemployment was jam packed, in spite of it being a holiday weekend. Let’s dive right into it.

The Phone Interviews

On Monday, I had two phone interviews. The first one was with Advanced Systems Concepts, where I spoke with Marie Rosenberg from their human resources department regarding a Digital Marketing Specialist role. They’re a software company that offers work automation products. After interviewing with them, I didn’t feel that comfortable with the material.

The second one was with DigitasLBi, a client of Infinity Consulting Solutions who I previously blogged about. They’re a technology & marketing agency, which sounded more my speed. I interviewed with them over the phone and was even offered an in-person interview.  However, I was told on the day before the interview that they filled the role. That was pretty disappointing, especially since I didn’t get to meet with them.

The In-Person Interviews

I also had two in-person interviews on Wednesday, which were very different. The first one with Creative Circle, a job recruiter. I have my thoughts about job recruiters, which I’ve expressed in a previous blog post.

I met with Danny Luna and he’s definitely one of the good ones. We talked for about an hour about my talents and what type of roles would be ideal for me. Although the in-person application process was long, it was thorough and relevant to the job.

I even received a handbook from them, so it seemed like they were that much more prepared than the other recruiters I saw.

The second interview I had was at the unemployment office. It was interesting since it was a meeting with about 15 people and a guy who did a presentation. He basically said it was all common sense stuff.

Another interesting factoid that I got is that I was lumped in with the “advanced” group, or the ones who they thought would get reemployed before our benefits lapsed.

I met with someone one-on-one, who seemed to not care at all. I just talked and he just “uhhuhed” me. Government bureaucracy at work.

I also learned that I have four scheduled meetings at the unemployment office for trainings on:

• Changing Employment Landscape/Job Search Skills
• Résumé
• Interviewing
• Networking/Skills-Based Volunteering

The Funeral

My last in-person interview was with the New Jersey State Funeral Directors Association (NJSFDA). They’re a resource for people to plan funerals and act as an alliance for funeral directors in NJ. I spoke with Lorraine Walker and Jacqueline Healey regarding a Digital Editor role.

It was an intriguing hour of talking about everything associated with funerals, as well as about them building their digital marketing strategy from scratch using their monthly print magazine as a source of their content.

I felt like everything meshed well in the interview. I’m waiting to hear back, so we’ll see what comes of it. It would be for a second interview.

What was your experience with these companies and dealing with the unemployment office? Let me know in the comments below or on Twitter @ChrisKeuling!