- Title: USA: Former Manhattan high-flyer coping with unemployment
- Date: 3rd August 2009
- Summary: (SOUNDBITE) (English) JANET RAIFFA, UNEMPLOYED RECRUITER, SAYING: "If I can just earn some money each day and sometimes, it's I redeem books at the strand that I haven't read or I recycle my bottles and get a dollar. But when you're used to earning a living, the idea of going days without making anything, it's more about just saying I made something today." NEW YORK CITY,
- Embargoed: 18th August 2009 13:00
- Keywords:
- Location: Usa
- Country: USA
- Topics: Economic News,Light / Amusing / Unusual / Quirky
- Reuters ID: LVAA5YGWQWZUU4OU0G26NCS06PGG
- Story Text: Janet Raiffa spends her day sticking flyers on a lamppost. It's a world away from when she was making more than 200,000 dollars a year as a recruiter for a top Manhattan law firm.
After working for 18 consecutive years, with barely any vacation time, the self-proclaimed workaholic was laid off in March. She was given a week's notice.
"When I was first laid off I was incredibly depressed. I had no idea what to do with myself," said Raiffa.
Feelings of hopelessness and depression among the unemployed is very common, according to Dr. Rachel Yehuda, a professor of Psychiatry at Mt. Sinai in New York City.
"Not being gainfully employed, not earning a living is a profound life stresser and it can have a very strong impact on mood and behaviour and self worth - just about every domain," said Dr. Yehuda.
Dr. Yehuda says being isolated can magnify feelings of depression. She says it is vitally important to get out of the house and interact with other people. That is exactly what Raiffa is doing.
She now contributes to a blog for the unemployed called the 405 Club. For writing material and to make a few dollars in the process, she takes on any odd job she can find - including distributing flyers to help in the casting of a reality tv show. Raiffa also bird sits a cockatoo named Beaky. She earns anyway from 10 to 25 dollars for her odd jobs.
"If I can just earn some money each day and sometimes, it's I redeem books at the Strand that I haven't read or I recycle my bottles and get a dollar. But when you're used to earning a living, the idea of going days without making anything, it's more about just saying I made something today," said Raiffa.
Raiffa refinanced her mortgage before being laid off and has some savings. She looks at this period of unemployment as temporary and an opportunity to explore different professions. It helps that she has a sense of humour.
"It's not like I'm a streetwalker but I'm doing some things that I think are sort of below what people would expect me to be doing now," she said.
Between odd jobs Raiffa is actively pursuing work in recruiting but is realistic about the job market. She says she understands she might have to take a 50 percent pay cut. - Copyright Holder: REUTERS
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