by Laura
(California)
I can’t say enough great about Chris and this website! This is kind of long, but trust me WORTH A READ!!!!
I was fired, for the first time in my life, on 5-9-2011. It was, as I am sure the people on this site know, an unsettling experience. I have savings, but the idea of living until I found another job with no money coming in, just going out, was scary. So I decided to do all I could to handle this situation.
I filed for unemployment on the day I was fired. I received all of the paperwork in the mail as well as my “phone interview” appointment. EEEKKKK So, I started looking around on the internet for advice. There are horror stories, and websites that say one thing on one page and something else on the next (those don;t inspire confidence) and then I found this one.
The info is excellent, and accurate. Chris does a great job of not only explaining what to expect, but explaining it in a way that makes SENSE!!!
So, I read pretty much everything I could, but I was still nervous. There was this link at the top to e-mail Chris, and i thought to myself “what do I have to lose, I have already been fired and am worried about the interview”. So I told Chris my story in an email and thought I may or may not hear back. I sent the email about 1pm on a Sunday. I heard from Chris at about 4, THE SAME DAY!!!! Chris read my email, he responded to my questions and gave me tips on how to handle that dreaded phone interview. And the best part: Chris told me to focus on the fact that I was told I was “not a good fit” and to stress that I was “doing my job to the best of my ability”. Both statements were true, so it was easy to remember. When the interviewer called, I stressed both of these points. I had documentation to prove what I was telling the interviewer (I figured he would want me to fax them) but guess what the interviewer said…..he said “Well, it looks to me like you were told you weren’t a good fit and we’re probably fired for a reason completely different than they told you, and as you mentioned you were doing your job to the best of your ability, they have nothing to fight your claim. You’ll get your benefits.”
I was fired on 5-9-2011.
I had my interview on 5-23-2011
I said what Chris told me to during the interview.
My first unemployment benefit check was issued 5-25-2011 2 DAYS AFTER THE INTERVIEW!!!!
Thanks Chris!!!!