Career

3 battles for the Unemployed

To those unemployment, much sympathy goes out for there are three massive obstacles and pending factors to battle.

1. Finding work.

And in this recession not necessarily a easy feat. Many have accepted the fact that they will be accepting a position of lesser significance, lesser responsibility, and most certainly lesser pay. They also are probably aware their next job will not be their last, for as soon as the market improves in a few years, they’re pursue the similar opportunity and salary they held in 2008.

Get moving:

• Utilize social networking platforms like Twitter, LinkedIn, Facebook to connect with friends, old co-workers and managers, and new persons of interest (either career coaches, experts in your field)
• Utilize social networking platforms to showcase your expertise
• Utilize social networking platforms to engage your connections
• Request recommendations from managers and old-workers via LinkedIn. And get the ball moving by leaving recommendations first
• Create a visually appealing resume highlighting your achievements (remember, a company wants to know how your experience and skills will benefit them)
• Showcase your resume on your social networking platforms
• Tell the world you are looking and what you do
• Recognize that companies utilize Google and social networking sites during their hiring process. This means no beer drinking photos
• Utilize the web to create your personal brand: if you want to be a CMO in your next role start acting like one by showing off your expertise
• Because people do Google you, make sure you give them the content you want them to see (again, no beer drinking photos)
• Everything you put online has a footprint; so before posting ask yourself if you’d want a hiring manager to see this content (would it benefit you or not)
• Purchase your own domain: www.johndoe.com (this will increase your personal branding)
• Utilize your own domain to showcase your skills and experience
• Utilize your own domain as a blogging platform to talk about your expertise (or make sure to leverage twitter using your name and not 135jobseeker)
• Create a portfolio: a 1 page document very visual that shows your skills and experience. Maybe use power point, dreamwaver, etc. Brochure like.
• Always send a very specific cover letter. Please don’t send just your resume. Add a personal touch. If they say they want customer service skills explain in the cover letter your background in customer service
• Never underestimate the power of a Thank You. Make sure to send a thank you letter highlighting your experience and skills pertaining to job and how you can add value

The strategy to keep in mind is that this is a strategy and you must execute it as if you are the product and the lead sales person. You are selling yourself, your skills, integrity and experience.

2. The Financial stress.

More haunting of a task than the predecessor. The stress of looking for a job is and can be overwhelming. Not only do you have to find work but then there’s rent, mortgage, loans, kids, food. And unfortunately unemployment barely cuts it. Do you take a part-time job to get by…but then no unemployment and less time spent on looking for a job in your field. You might be over working yourself applying, perfecting your skills and resume and no one calls. You feel as if you are on some deadline, a clock ticking to some final countdown-the truth is there is a ticking clock.

3. Emotional stress.

The single greatest obstacle of unemployment is the emotional. The rejection: first you were rejected by your employer. You were the one cast out. You were told you have been chosen over John and Sandy-they’re be staying, you are going. How can you not take this personal. Obviously John and Sandy have some advantage over you-maybe been there longer, made less, had that extra skill, had a friend in the C-suite. Either way, this feels like a personal attack, a blow of massive rejection. Your skills are being rejected, the value you think you were creating has been rejected, your significance to the team rejected. You are the weakest link.

Then there’s the hidden rejection: you don’t see this one but it’s obvious. Your resume is going somewhere but no one calls. You are submitting online, to HR mailboxes. Its obviously going somewhere. Obviously it’s going to the trash. You aren’t what they are looking for. You aren’t good enough for company abc. Not enough skills. Or maybe too many.

And then you get excited. You get a call. And after two outstanding interviews they decide on Jimmy over you. And you will never know why. Before you know it self-doubt surfaces (if it hasn’t already months ago); you feel less of a person, you feel inadequate. Now your family relationships are being impacted. You don’t want to wake up at 8am anymore. You sleep past noon. You don’t want to shower. You don’t want to hit the gym. You feel defeated. Looking for a job is hard…if you have one. Looking for a job without a job is a massive undertaking.

Remain positive:

• Engage your friends in the same boat: meet weekly for coffee
• Volunteer and recognize others are in similar situations but worse off then you
• When you do interview, recognize that the hiring manager is fully aware you were laid-off due to financial struggles and NOT performance. There are millions of people looking and you are not alone
• Despite how easy it is to take it personal, recognize that it isn’t and that your identity lies in the unique soul that you are and not in some career skills
• Utilize this time-off to brush up on old skills, gain new ones, finally study, take classes, spend more time with family and friends

And to those who are employed…help your unemployed friends out. They feel discouraged and alone.

© 2010 Ramblings of JayS.