Today, I am in the Atlanta Journal-Constitution, page D6 (for those of you reading along at home). Earlier this week, I responded to a blog post on AJC's The Biz Beat blog that encouraged Atlanta citizens who had lost their job in the past year to share their story. I emailed Sunday Business Editor Michael Gray with my story and it was chosen as one of three featured in today's paper.

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When searching for the article online, I found that it had not been published online. I found this very interesting that they solicited stories for the piece on a blog then didn't publish the piece online, only print. Yes, the piece is capable of standing completely independent of the solicitation but do they not expect that readers who stumbled across the blog post might be interested in reading the highlighted stories? Are they assuming that their online readers also read the print edition? This move is a disconnect â€" it is a content-tease for online readers by not delivering online.

While searching to see if the piece had been published online, I stumbled across this interesting error on the AJC site. The search results for "tessa horehled"? The results give me two links to the exact same article on the exact same page. It looks like someone needs to fix their on-site search.

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For those of you not in Atlanta or not able to grab a paper, here is my story as it was published.

"After 37 interviews, I gave up"
Tessa Horehled, 25, Midtown West
Social Media / Online Marketing Manager
Unemployed since May 2008

Background: Laid off from Turner Broadcasting System last May when Turner dropped the property she worked for as a full-time contractor. Had to drop out of college, move home with her mother (also laid off). Picked up assorted contract work to help her cover the mortgage.
What she's done: "I spent six solid months applying for jobs, interviewing, working my ample professional network and networking every opportunity I could find. My resume and interviewing skills were reviewed and re-read by dozens of previous bosses and advisers. Even after relenting to a lesser salary, position and even opening up to the idea of temporarily switching industries, I still was unable to find a position that would work. After 37 interviews, I gave up."
What she's learned: As a contractor, she was not eligible for severance or unemployment benefits. "Myself and others in my position aren't even factored into [the] unemployment rate.
How she's coping: "I have mostly given up on looking for a full-time position at this time and have been offering consulting/contract services under my LLC I founded last year and spending time on growing and generating more income from my culture and entertainment blog, Drive A Faster Car. I have defaulted on my federal student loan, which now mar my credit report. I've barely kept up with my private loans, but finally caught up and am in good standing on them. My mother is employed again after having to take a pay cut and learn a new position."
Her outlook: "As trying as the past year (now 14 months under-employed) has been, it's also provided me an opportunity to re-evaluate my career goals and path. I have been able to travel more, become actively involved in professional organizations, grow my blog into a business and spend more time with family. I keep one eye on the job listings but don't expect to be able to find another full-time position until 2010."