Sean Kullman was the first to post his resume on the brand-new instantly bustling Web site, JoblessinChicago.com. Another member later posted job openings. Hoping to connect people like them is Jessica Dembo, who created the site last month after she was laid off for the second time in three years.
But so deep was the network of joblessness in Chicago that more than 70 new members found JoblessinChicago.com in under two weeks, even though Dembo thought blogging about unemployment might entertain just a few friends. A Web site about joblessness that even hints at solving the issue might be the only venture that could blast off in an economy like this.
The site has become an online support group providing job-hunting tips and observations. Members schedule networking events and exchange interviewing advice. Even people outside of Chicago can join, including people with jobs. These days, it’s never too early to network.
“It has morphed into something I wasn’t expecting,” Dembo said. “It’s amazing what people can do for you.”
Support groups for job hunters are common these days, and are as effective for maintaining morale as they are at reconnecting people with careers, said Kathryn Conway, of the Center for Grief Recovery in Chicago.
“They correct that sense of isolation that comes with job loss and role loss. People kind of lose their sense of self, so they get mirrored and kind of affirmed by people in the same situation,” Conway said. “It interrupts the self-blame and shame around job loss.”
Though most of the membership is from Chicago, some — including Dembo — hail from the suburbs or Downstate. A handful are from Pennsylvania. California, Iowa, Minnesota, Michigan, Indiana and New Jersey also are represented.
Kullman, laid off last June after eight years as a grade-school teacher, said he views the situation as a chance to broaden horizons.
“One door closes, another one opens,” said Kullman. The 35-year-old from Chicago said the job hunt can be “kind of degrading.”
“I’ve stood in line for an hour and had literally five minutes to sell myself,” Kullman said. “It was kind of like herding cattle.”
Now he is a substitute teacher in Chicago Public Schools when he isn’t temping at Northwestern University. He put his resume on CareerBuilder and Monster.com — and put on his smile at job fairs. At JoblessinChicago, he jokes about inexpensive food (Spam and pineapple on rice is a new favorite) and wonders if, years from now, Americans will look back on this recession and laugh.
“You definitely have to keep your spirits up, because you will feel miserable. You will feel useless,” Kullman said.
The motto of JoblessinChicago sets the tone: “Instead of wallowing in self pity find the strength to move on with innovative ideas, creative thinking and just plain fun.”
Dembo started the site in early February to keep her spirits up. Laid off in 2007 from her job as a project manager at a food retailer, Dembo said she struggled for a year before a mass e-mail to her network of friends helped her find a new job — putting together pages for medical catalogs. It only lasted a year or so.
She was going to e-mail her friends again to ask for help, then noticed that her inbox was full of notes from people in the same boat.
“I know I’m not the only one out there,” Dembo said. “It’s hard, but at least if I can help someone, that would make me feel a lot better.”
And so the 32-year-old mother from Skokie spends as much of each day as possible updating JoblessinChicago. It’s almost a full-time job by itself, she jokes.
If only it paid.
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jjanega@tribune.com
