Getting a Job Close to Home

Hello. I was laid off back in November 2009 and have yet to be back in Human Resources. I was Senior HR Coordinator at the time and left holding fourteen years experience. Although I have applied for numerous positions through out my area and state I have not yet been hired back into the Human Resources department. I worked for two months in a shop as a laborer and two months as a dockhand for an environmental company due in regards to the recent oil spill disaster. I don't want to go too much further than where I live, because there is just so much that will need to be done to move my family. I have another problem... no degree. I have a high school diploma and a few training certificates but that's all. I don't have the money right now to go to college since I am out of work. What more should I do to get a job that fits my HR career?

Hello Joshuapb,
I am a very similar situation when it comes to tenure in the Human Resources field and no degree.
Unfortunately, this does make it extremely difficult to compete with those that do possess the formal education.
However, I am finding that we can apply the talent and skills utilized during our career by: networking, using key words out of our resume to perform searches for other opportunities in related fields.
Additionally, I have treated my unemployment status as a full time job by continuing to search and respond during normal business hours so that I do not fall to far back from a normal work schedule in hopes that this tedious work will pay off soon.

Respectfully,
A