Higher education but still unemployed - why isn't NYS Department of Labor helping me find work?
I have a master's degree and three professional certifications but I've been unemployed for 7 months now. My weekly claims keep getting processed but I'm not finding any work through the job search requirements. The NYS Department of Labor career center keeps suggesting entry-level positions that don't match my qualifications. Is anyone else experiencing this? It feels like having more education is actually hurting my chances because employers think I'm overqualified or will want too much money. My benefit year ends in 4 months and I'm getting really worried.
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Keisha Thompson
This is actually a common issue called 'overqualification bias' in the job market. The NYS Department of Labor job search requirements don't really account for this problem. You might want to consider temporarily removing some credentials from your resume or applying for positions slightly below your education level to get back into the workforce. Also make sure you're documenting all your job search activities properly in your work search record.
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TechNinja
•That makes sense but it feels wrong to hide my education. Should I still be applying to jobs that require my degree level for the work search requirement?
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Paolo Bianchi
ugh same thing happened to me!! had my phd and couldnt get hired anywhere for like 8 months. employers kept saying i was overqualified even for jobs i really wanted. the unemployment office people dont understand this at all
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TechNinja
•Did you eventually find something? How did you handle the overqualification issue?
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Paolo Bianchi
•ended up taking a temp position that turned permanent. had to really emphasize in interviews that i was committed to staying long term
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Yara Assad
You need to be strategic about this. Create different versions of your resume for different job levels. For the NYS Department of Labor work search requirements, you can apply to a mix of positions - some at your education level and some below. The key is showing consistent effort. Also, consider networking events and professional associations rather than just online applications. Document everything for your weekly claims.
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TechNinja
•That's really helpful advice. Can I count networking events toward my job search activities for the weekly certification?
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Yara Assad
•Yes, networking events typically count as job search activities as long as you document them properly with dates, contacts made, and follow-up actions.
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Olivia Clark
I had a similar situation and couldn't get through to anyone at NYS Department of Labor to discuss my specific circumstances. I tried calling dozens of times but always got busy signals or was disconnected. Finally found this service called Claimyr (claimyr.com) that actually got me connected to a real person at the unemployment office. They have a video demo at https://youtu.be/qyftW-mnTNI showing how it works. The agent was able to help me understand alternative job search strategies that would still meet the requirements.
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Javier Morales
•Interesting, never heard of that service before. Did they charge you for it or was it free?
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Olivia Clark
•They do charge but it was worth it to actually talk to someone who understood my situation instead of just getting form letter responses.
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Natasha Petrov
this whole system is backwards! why should someone with more education have a harder time getting unemployment help? the computer algorithms probably flag people with advanced degrees as flight risks or something. its all messed up
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Connor O'Brien
Same boat here... kinda. I have my bachelors and cant find anything either but maybe not as bad as masters level. hang in there!
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