David Dyatt (Original Draft)

By Ashlee Phillips

An untidy pile of papers laid on top of the computer desk David Dyatt was sitting at, as

he applied for his fifth job of the day. Along the wall ran rows of ski boots of different sizes and

colors, waiting to be sold on KSL. Being fifty-four years old, David didn’t have many grey hairs

to show for his age. After having 8 different careers in his lifetime, David had been unemployed

since November of 2019. He had applied for more than 50 jobs and participated in many

interviews, but no one hired him.

For the past 3 months David had been optimistically searching to find a full-time job to

help provide for him and his family of six. Countless American’s struggle with the difficult

situation of being unemployed. In the article, “Lots of Job Hunting, but No Job, Despite Low

Unemployment,” Patricia Cohen states, “Workers...cannot find jobs that provide a middle-class

income that don’t come with an expiration date.” This had been the case for David with many of

his jobs.

A few years ago, David was elated to be hired by 2 brothers who owned a trucking

company, with both dump trucks and flatbeds. The business included landscaping, renovations,

and improvements. Being hired as the Director of Operations, he supervised expanding the

trucking division of this company. Within a 12-month period, David helped them increase their

revenue from $300,000 to almost $1.7 million. David explained, “Helping them grow and

expand that trucking business was the target goal that I was brought on to do and I accomplished

that.”

However, once the company began to progress, things changed. David was told his spot

was being taken over by one of the brothers and then was asked to turn in his work phone. He
did so, but first transferred all the numbers of his clients and drivers to his personal phone to

continue working with them. David knew something was going on when he started to receive

notifications from some of his drivers that their paychecks were inaccurate. The company began

withholding money from their employees by not paying them based on the hours they worked.

When he brought this to the attention of the owners, he was ignored. David became worried

because they wouldn’t meet with him and he felt he could not effectively work without his

company phone. His concerns continued when just a few weeks later, on a Friday night, a truck

driver did not follow his OSHA requirements and the company allowed him to drive through the

night, past his allotted time, and continued to work through the next day. David brought this

additional issue to the company’s attention. The Monday after he told them, being too much of a

liability, they let him go. Despite losing his job, David immediately began thinking about the

things he could improve about himself. Instead of getting stuck wallowing in self-pity, David

expressed, “You just have to be positive about it. It is what it is.”

Suddenly, David’s family no longer had a source of income. Initially his family was

frustrated and a bit frantic as they transitioned to living off of unemployment benefits and their

savings account. In the article, “Unemployment and Job Displacement: The Impact On Families

and Children” from the Ivey Business Journal, it describes that when the 2003 recession hit,

families were substantially affected by “parental unemployment and job displacement,”

especially when they had to reduce the things they spent their money on. 17 years later, David’s

family is experiencing this same thing. His house has become overrun by things he sells on KSL

to earn extra money; like the ski boots. Many people would be worried for their future if they

were in this situation. However, David focuses the worry and uses it to come up with ideas of
how he can continue to progress. Whether that is continuing his education, using his real estate

license, or possibly buying a franchise.

Since David has needed a lot of help, he has turned to workforce services and other

organizations. Day after day he applies for jobs. In each interview he receives responses like,

“We have no doubt you could do the job, but you are overqualified.” or “We can’t pay as much

as we think you expect.” Rose Johnson from Career Trend shares, “Unemployed people with low

self-esteem must find ways to build their confidence to make good impressions with

interviewers.” Being rejected from countless jobs would bring down anyone’s self-esteem.

Surprisingly, David has had an extremely idealistic attitude about his circumstances. He said, “I

take something from every interview and learn what I could have done differently.”

Even with his positive outlook, there is still a lot of stress that he is carrying. Each month

that passes is another month that he feels he is not providing for his family. Other people share

this same type of load and it could begin to build up and affect the outlook they have when

applying for jobs. There is even a possibility that those individuals who are unemployed may

begin to see themselves as unemployable. That alone can affect their chances at getting a job,

even if they are qualified.

It is a rough road that these individuals are walking, and it can truly take a toll on them.

These people may spend months applying for jobs only to be rejected. They must increase their

efforts and choose to keep improving. If they don’t, they may find themselves unemployed for

the rest of their lives. Only tomorrow knows what is in store for these many Americans.

References
Cohen, P. (2019, October 31). Lots of Job Hunting, but No Job, Despite Low

Unemployment. Retrieved February 19, 2020, from

https://www.nytimes.com/2019/10/31/business/economy/long-term-unemployed.html

Johnson, R. (2017, September 28). The Impact of Unemployment on an Individual.

Retrieved February 19, 2020, from https://careertrend.com/the-impact-of-unemployment-

on-an-individual-12598959.html

Kalil, A. (2005, August). Unemployment and Job Displacement: The Impact On Families

and Children. Retrieved February 19, 2020, from

https://iveybusinessjournal.com/publication/unemployment-and-job-displacement-the-

impact-on-families-and-children/