I’m starting a new interview series called “The Pain Of It All,” where I will talk with underemployed and displaced Americans about their job loss.  I want to hear from folks about the circumstances surrounding “the kick in the teeth,” how it made them feel immediately after it happened, how they coped with their feelings, and what they ended up doing about it.

I believe that folks looking for a job often tune up their résumé and think that’s the most important step towards securing employment. Actually, you can have the most wonderful credentials, but if you’re not in the right mindset, you won’t come across well in an interview. And people often overlook that, when a person loses their job, it can throw them into the wrong mindset! A traumatic event like a firing or layoff can really mess with your head, and how people deal with this fascinates me. You have to “get over it” before you can go after your next job.

My hope is that, if people hear about the struggles of others, and perhaps the positive (or negative) way they dealt with the blow, they’ll gain the inspiration they need to go after their dream.

My “guinea pig” – my first ever interview – is Kesha Facen, Video Editor and Blogger Extraordinaire from St. Louis, MO.  Kesha worked for KMOV for nearly 6 years, and was laid off in late 2007.  When I first met her a few months ago, she shared her story with me, and told me of her new blog and her plans to get her next great job. She graciously offered to talk with me as part of my new interview series. Thanks Kesha!

Check out her new blog Facen411! And I’d be curious to hear your comments below – what did you like, what did you not like? Give it to me straight, Rizzo Nation!

(I apologize for the relatively poor video and audio quality – damn webernet!)