I was laid off two years ago and have been searching for a job ever since. I have had part-time and seasonal jobs, but have slowly used up my savings. I am starting to feel hopeless. – Alex

Kate: There was a long period when my business was not doing well. No one knew it, but I was forced to move out of my apartment, sell everything I had and sleep on a sofa in my office. I kept my underclothes in a bag in the bottom drawer of a filing cabinet and told the staff that the clothes I kept in a closet were there in case I had to do a TV interview. At the end of the work day, I’d leave and walk around until everyone was gone, then come back to the office, my new home. Now, with my business booming, I don’t live the high life, but do so out of choice, not necessity. I tell you this, Alex, to let you know that I’ve felt what you’re feeling.

Dale: Kate has an uplifting chapter in her book “Shortcut Your Search,” that includes this: “When you were in your old job, there were days you didn’t feel like it, but you did it anyway because it was your responsibility. Job-hunting is your job right now. Some days you don’t feel like doing it, but you must. Make a phone call. Write a proposal. Research a company. Do your best every day. No matter how you feel.” Yes, you must soldier on. You can’t fight discouragement with mere happy talk; you fight back with work, with accomplishment. And, as Kate would be the first to tell you, don’t fight it alone. There are marvelous resources to help job-hunters – federal programs that will retrain you and pay an employer to give you your first few months of experience; state and local programs to help you with lists of jobs and companies to contact; and church programs (especially Catholic and Lutheran ones) to help you meet with other job-hunters and learn together, no matter what your religious beliefs. Go to every job center and career program you can find, and one of them will be right for you, showing you that there’s nothing wrong with you, just with your job-hunting techniques.