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Fran Hopkins

Long-unemployed writer-editor-PR specialist who's found a full-time job at last!
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Blog Posts

Setting a Deadline for Finding a Job: Smart Strategy or Recipe for Disaster?

My new goal is to find a job by Christmas. I think that a deadline will give my job search more focus. But what happens if I miss the deadline?

Politics

When What You’re Doing Isn’t Working, Then It’s Time to Try Something Else

They've tried it their way for four years but the economy is still awful. It's time (past time, really) to try something else.

Why I Decided to Turn Down a Job Interview

A potential employer invited me in for a job interview last week. I decided not to go. Why?

The Quiet Desperation of the Long-Term Unemployed

The long-term unemployed don't get a lot of attention, but we're still out here. I think it's easy for the media and politicians to avoid focusing on what's really happening to us. Why?

Job Dreams and an Upcoming Phone Interview: Could This Be the One?

So I've got a phone interview coming up! Should I be nonchalant about it, like it's no big deal?Or should I permit myself to feel excited and hopeful?

A Dose of Reality for the Jobless: Some Things Can’t be ‘Fixed’

Sometimes we unemployed view ourselves as "fixer-uppers": we'll get new jobs if we just revise or change something about our job-candidate selves. But not everything can be fixed.

“Oh, the Inhumanity!” – of the Job-Application Process

They used to say, "It takes a tough man to make a tender chicken." I say, "It takes a tough person to make a resilient job applicant."

Unemployed and Unworthy of a Vacation?

I haven't been sitting here with my feet up, eating Bon Bons. I'm unemployed and worn out and I need a vacation!

Business

The Jobhunting Doldrums

It's been really hard to find jobs worth applying for lately. Why is that -- is it me? The economy? Summer? Or all of the above?

Politics

What I Wanted to Say to Governor Christie About Unemployment

Governor Christie holds town hall meetings all over the state to learn what residents are thinking and experiencing. I wanted to tell him something I think is important about unemployment.

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