I’ve been unemployed for four years. But I do have an important job – to act as a warning to others | Antimony Deor

When I think of the future, I imagine being in the same precarious position I’m in now, but fatter, wrinklier and even more fed up with my old, cold share house Get our breaking news email, free app or daily news podcast Every Friday I write a little essay about how great I am and send it off to a stranger. Sometimes I receive a generic rejection two or 12 weeks later, but usually they never reply. I used to apply for jobs more often, but after a few hundred applications and increasingly worse mental health, I found I got exactly the same response whether I sent a thoroughly researched and edited cover letter or a picture of my cat, so I gave up trying so hard. I used to obsess about what was wrong with me. Everyone told me that it was them, not me; that it was business, not personal; that doing the same thing over and over while expecting a different outcome was extremely sane. But still, every rejection fed the little worm in my brain that said I was useless. I don’t think the worm is entirely in the wrong. I think it’s normal to feel like a reject after being repeatedly rejected, to feel worthless when your bank balance is zero, to feel lost after losing. Continue reading...