09-02-2014, 06:08 AM
I guess I'm not as optimistic as the others, though I AM sorry to hear you've lost your job. I've been in the same position before, but for different reasons. To make matters worse, I have no clue what they told prospective employers when I applied for jobs. What I do know are the lies they told the state when I applied for unemployment benefits. I also know what they told me when they let me go which was wildly different. The state ultimately awarded me unemployment benefits.
If the lies told to the state are what they told to prospective employers, I definitely had grounds for a lawsuit. Given your boss frequently called you a girl, you may have good grounds for a harassment lawsuit.
Regardless of whether you decide to pursue legal action, apply for unemployment as soon as possible. Most states have a way to apply online. I'm guessing most states do not pay benefits the first week in which they were applied for once they are retroactively awarded. You do have copies of your most recent evaluations, don't you, and they do not support the reason given for termination, do they? Can you refute their "cause?"
Also, dust off your résumé and begin updating it now. Try to think of people at your former place of employment who can be used as references and contact them as soon as you can. If you haven't already done so, start cutting your expenses. Separate the "wants" from the "needs" and start eliminating things that aren't necessary. Reduce your cellphone plan to something smaller or go pre-paid. Think in terms of basic survival, but also needed for job hunting.
I don't know how long it usually takes you to find another job in your field, but it takes me longer and longer as I get older. It took me 18 months before I finally broke down and took a minimum-wage job in a call center just so I had something coming in to stop the hemorrhaging of my savings, though I was prepared to raid my retirement accounts, if necessary. Before that, I worked all kinds of temporary jobs for a 1-3 days. Often, I broke even, but it looked better than doing nothing. Four or five months after taking the call center job, I finally landed another job in my field. It required a background investigation, and it pays better on paper than any job I've had, but in terms of buying power, I'm behind where I was 12 years ago. I had applied a couple months before taking the call center job.
I'm not making excuses for your employer or your boss, but maybe it is just coincidence that your boss started treating you differently after Halloween. The decision to terminate you could have been made independent of your costume, and the noticeable change in treatment was the result of her not really wanting to fire you, but being forced to do so by those above her simply as a cost-cutting measure. Waiting until now was possibly the result of waiting to see how things went after the holidays were over.
If the lies told to the state are what they told to prospective employers, I definitely had grounds for a lawsuit. Given your boss frequently called you a girl, you may have good grounds for a harassment lawsuit.
Regardless of whether you decide to pursue legal action, apply for unemployment as soon as possible. Most states have a way to apply online. I'm guessing most states do not pay benefits the first week in which they were applied for once they are retroactively awarded. You do have copies of your most recent evaluations, don't you, and they do not support the reason given for termination, do they? Can you refute their "cause?"
Also, dust off your résumé and begin updating it now. Try to think of people at your former place of employment who can be used as references and contact them as soon as you can. If you haven't already done so, start cutting your expenses. Separate the "wants" from the "needs" and start eliminating things that aren't necessary. Reduce your cellphone plan to something smaller or go pre-paid. Think in terms of basic survival, but also needed for job hunting.
I don't know how long it usually takes you to find another job in your field, but it takes me longer and longer as I get older. It took me 18 months before I finally broke down and took a minimum-wage job in a call center just so I had something coming in to stop the hemorrhaging of my savings, though I was prepared to raid my retirement accounts, if necessary. Before that, I worked all kinds of temporary jobs for a 1-3 days. Often, I broke even, but it looked better than doing nothing. Four or five months after taking the call center job, I finally landed another job in my field. It required a background investigation, and it pays better on paper than any job I've had, but in terms of buying power, I'm behind where I was 12 years ago. I had applied a couple months before taking the call center job.
I'm not making excuses for your employer or your boss, but maybe it is just coincidence that your boss started treating you differently after Halloween. The decision to terminate you could have been made independent of your costume, and the noticeable change in treatment was the result of her not really wanting to fire you, but being forced to do so by those above her simply as a cost-cutting measure. Waiting until now was possibly the result of waiting to see how things went after the holidays were over.