Former nonprofit deputy director endures two-year job hunt before landing call-center role

Kymberly McClain left a deputy director role at a California nonprofit focused on homelessness in August 2024, citing insufficient leadership support. Confident in her experience and armed with a recommendation letter, she launched an extensive job search using platforms such as LinkedIn, Indeed, and ZipRecruiter, targeting similar senior positions. As months passed without responses, she expanded applications to retail jobs like Burlington Coat Factory and eventually removed her LinkedIn account in exasperation.

The prolonged unemployment led to financial hardship, prompting her to seek government aid and shuffle between staying with friends in California and family in Las Vegas, even losing belongings stored in a unit. While she continued to run a nonprofit she founded for homeless and domestic-violence survivors, a remote customer-service role finally materialized after her daughter shared a job link, giving her a full-time position despite a lower wage than her previous role.