Down But Not Out: Readers' stories of unemployment

12.3 million Americans are jobless, including 5 million who are considered long-term unemployed because they haven't worked in more than 27 weeks. Numbers tell one side of the story, but it's personal anecdotes that spotlight what unemployment is truly like. Yahoo! News asked readers to share their personal story of job-hunting. Below is a collection of stories we received this month.

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Read more stories from Down But Not Out:

• 'Looking for a job has been my full-time job'
• Voices of the long-term unemployed
• Underwater mortgage crisis in photos
• 'Student loans have basically ruined my life'
• Down But Not Out on Tumblr

How I Made Unemployment Work for Me by Evan Wade
Mon, Feb 11, 2013
Five million Americans are among the long-term unemployed--those without a job for 27 weeks or longer--according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics. Another 7.3 million … More » How I Made Unemployment Work for Me
Over-Qualified, Under-Educated and Surviving on Food Stamps by Jacquelyn Dienst
Mon, Dec 3, 2012
"Why did you apply for this position?" That's a question during the few interviews I've had in the last four years that caused me to cringe. More » Over-Qualified, Under-Educated and Surviving on Food Stamps
Raring to Go to Work at 65 by Manny Green
Tue, Dec 4, 2012
This country needs to be more protective of its older citizen work force. Many of us already have health insurance, happily will work on a contract basis and would relish … More » Raring to Go to Work at 65

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