I’ve worked at least one job, sometimes two, since I was 16. Except for when I was transitioning between jobs I’ve only been out of work twice in my life. The first time, I was laid off from my job at 
a News/Talk radio station in Oklahoma City. This was my first job in radio right out of college and I moved my entire life to Oklahoma. Seven months later I was laid off. I didn’t work for almost two months, I collected unemployment and I felt really miserable about myself and upset that I wasn’t finding another job. I felt like I had only been at that station for seven months and I have very little experience. Who would want to hire me??
One day, one of my old bosses from the station that laid me off called me and said someone I worked with had resigned and would I like to come back. I jumped at the chance, I said yes and within two weeks I was back at work. I worked there for another four years and during that time I saw a lot more good people let go from that station.
I moved back to Dallas, took a job working in television and within two years, I was let go again. All those old feelings of anxiety about not finding another job came flooding back to me and for almost two months, I was out of work again. I called every single person I knew that worked in radio, TV or an assortment of other professions and asked for advice. One of those people was Rick Hadley, I had interned at WBAP in 2005 and I figured if anyone could point me in the right direction, it would be Rick. I wasn’t even thinking of asking him for a job, I was just looking for advice on what to do, I hadn’t worked in six weeks and I was getting really worried. At the end of our phone conversation, he asked me if I’d like to work part-time at WBAP, anchoring weekend overnights. I was surprised, but I said yes. Every weekend for the next 6 weeks I anchored from 9:00 p.m. until 4:30 a.m. It was hard staying awake that long but I did it and eventually, I was training a replacement for that shift and I was offered a full-time position as a reporter for WBAP/KLIF.
My point is, that it gets better. I have been out of work for a total of four months. That doesn’t come anywhere close to how long many people out there have been looking for a job, some have been looking for years. I’ve been very lucky to be in the position I’m in right now. My advice to anyone that is out of a job right now is to keep looking. Call every person you know and ask if they know of anything; be willing to work terrible hours, holidays, and weekends. One day, someone will see the value you bring to a job and they will hire you full-time. Don’t give up.
Robbie Hoy
