Temp-To-Hire Position and Unemployment Benefits in New Jersey
My question involves unemployment benefits for the state of: New Jersey
I had been out of work for a year and 3 months due to my prior company going bankrupt and closing. I was collecting unemployment and also collected all the extensions and next week I would have been eligible for a new NJ benefit extenion. I had applied to literally hundreds of jobs over all this time and got maybe 14 interviews all together but was always told "I was not the right fit". Now..I do also have some disabilities and it is visible to others. However, even with my problems, I feel I am still able to work, though I cannot stand for long nor lift things. I can sit, although, sitting too long really kills me with pain. But I have done this at my prior job, I went to work every single day, even when I got to the point that I could barely walk anymore. I still showed up and did a great job. I survived many lay-offs at my prior job because my boss liked me and liked my work. But anyway, sometimes I wondered if I didn't get the other jobs because they saw I was limping, I will never know. Since I really need a job, I had gone to 5 or 6 staffing agencies and did get a few interviews them. Two weeks ago, I got another interview through an agency, and while there, the company actually told me they liked my enthusiasm and resume, etc..and they would give me a chance for a temp-to-hire position.
I was pretty confident that I would learn quickly, as I usually do, and had to keep confident that this company would permanently hire me. Unfortunately, my sister had planned a wedding over the past year and got married last week, so I had told the agency & employer in advance about this. Both said it was no problem.
Of course, with all the prolonged sitting I was doing for 3 and 1/2 hours straight, then another 4 1/2 straight, my pain was getting worse, though it did not affect my work. But people around the office noticed, some even asked why I had a handicapped placard and what was wrong with me.
So anyway, I started this temp-to-hire position last Monday. I worked 4 days for 8 hours, and off the end of the week for my sister's wedding. This week I worked up until Wednesday, then received notice from the agency that unfortunately the employer had decided that their work load did not constitute hiring another employee, so I guess you could say that I was laid-off from this temp-to-hire position. In total, I worked 7 days.
I have been told by others that it is extremely difficult trying to get unemployment back after working for an agency in NJ. You know, I really thought that would end up as a permanent full-time job, but now it didn't work out. I certainly did not work enough hours to file a new claim. Also, since I had to take a day off for a wedding, that would not be a good reason for not working that day. So, technically, I only worked part-time in total each week, except that I took off one day. But it was supposed to be full-time work, at least temporarily for a while until they hired or did not hire me. The whole thing ended suddenly, before my temporary term even ended.
Has anyone else ever gone through something like this? I think I am now out of luck and will not be able to get my unemployment again. I know I cannot file a new claim, but wonder if I can collect again on my old one. Again, what I have left is a 13 week NJ Extended Benefits extension, which is something that kicks in after one exhausts all regular and federal extensions.
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