The ups and downs of the unemployed

AUSTIN (KXAN) - It was their creative marketing campaigns that first caught people’s attention. Jesse Johns and Eric Jacobsen are just two of the 63,700 unemployed people in the Austin area as of June.

Layoffs at Dell left both married men who each have a daughter - without a job.

Jesse Johns won a 30-second radio resume spot on KASE-101 in July. The former program manager had submitted more than 775 resumes when his ad hit the airwaves.

He is now into the ninth month without a job, and the total is nearing 900.

“It’s a waiting game,” said Johns.

Another rejection letter arrived in his inbox right before our interview.

"It's real difficult when you look at your family and you can't provide,” said Johns.

His unemployment assistance has timed out. Johns’ wife and 16-year-old daughter are barely surviving on a 13-week emergency assistance extension.

"My severence package is gone…we're already going into savings,” said Johns. “We're already considering now, my retirement.”

Selling his family’s Cedar Park home may be next. Johns is holding out hope for a West Coast company who called out of the blue last week.

"I've received so far three telephone interviews and I'm still waiting on the fourth one which is to actually fly me out to California and interview there,” said Johns.

In an effort to get hired, Jacobsen plastered his picture on a billboard in Northwest Austin. The move led to half a million hits on his website. He also found himself answering e-mails from other people out of work all over the world.

Jacobsen does not have a job yet, but he has been putting his information technology expertise to work these last two weeks.

"It really kind of struck me that I need to do something to help these people,” said Jacobsen.

He has launched a new non-profit called American Life Assistance Fund where people can donate time or money to the unemployed. The goal is to provide everything from money for basic needs to financial and career counseling.

He has come a long way from the first day his billboard went up in the Austin sky.

"Back then I would have had no idea that I would've been where I'm at right now, so this has actually been a pretty neat thing,” said Jacobsen.

In an effort to help the unemployed, the state has jumped on the blogging bandwagon for the first time ever. Texas Workforce Commission Chairman Tom Pauken launched a new blog called Texas2Work.com. He is posting ever-changing economic conditions for employers and job-seekers.