So, you find yourself unemployed. Now what?
The recession has officially been declared and the proverbial elephant in the living room is now visible, so to speak. It seems people are finally getting a grip on how the economy has, and will continue to impact the job market. It has been distressing to watch over the past six months as many people continued to disregard the writing on the wall, and have failed to capture the need to take immediate action when an opportunity arises. Finally, it seems people are beginning to get a sense of urgency about their predicament, and perhaps recognizing that a passive (or nonexistent) job search is not fruitful. Unfortunately, those that were in the job market six months ago, are now being joined by scores more.
If you have found yourself in that boat (unemployed), then it is time to take a deep breath and forge ahead. Take action. It may mean that your course will need to change, perhaps bend a bit as you move toward the goals you set in prior years, but didn’t achieve. It doesn’t mean you will forever go off course. It means you are taking evasive action to save your standard of living, and preserve the ability to have choices. This may be a different kind of recession, but it pretty much seems to be having the same bottom line impact of those in the past: fewer jobs, fewer options, and more families unable to make ends meet.
For the newly unemployed job seeker, it is time to make hay while the sun shines (how trite is that?), which may also mean jumping on every possibility as if it is the only one. Why? Because you can’t turn down something that hasn’t been offered! It may mean that something you wouldn’t have done two years ago may now be a reasonable option to carry you on to the next step as the economy improves. That doesn’t mean you need to work for a company that is killing dolphins or infringing on people’s civil rights. It means you work for a company that shows evidence of values you can support, to take care of your family or living expenses and prevent yourself from going any further off course.
It’s much easier to move yourself in the right direction once you are off the bench and in the game. (I don’t think I’ve seen any sports teams pull people from the stands when it was time to press forward.) Your decision to accept less than a “Plan A” role only needs to be backed by a strategy for moving forward. It needs to be tied to your over all life goals, and values, even if it isn’t the exact picture of what you had hoped for yourself. The funny (ok, maybe not funny) thing about a recession is that it does tend to change the best laid plans, but overall resiliency is developed by adjusting to what is really going on, rather than what you wish were going on.
Adjust, adapt, and take care of business. I don’t mean to do it willy-nilly. Do it with thoughtfulness about where you can go from here. The role you take now needs to be connected to the future in some meaningful way. It may not be obvious to you. It requires thinking through, in some detail, how you will get back to the fast track or perhaps simply back on course from this point. It may require continued, extensive, and dedicated networking, with a plan for when and how it will happen.
To get there, it means you need to be up early, prepared, and on every lead, before the next 500 people respond. It means you turn over every rock, and give every possibility your best shot. Before you decide that a role isn’t enough money to pursue, I’d invite you to think of how much money you made last week, or the week before, or ask yourself if relying on unemployment really makes a lot of sense in the bigger scheme of things. Actively working and engaging with people is far more likely to open a door than staying home painting the bathroom. It is only after you get an offer that you have a choice about what happens next.
What to do?
- Think out of the box
- Consider every possibility
- Be prepared and ready to act immediately
- Go the extra mile – do what others are unwilling to do to show your interest
- Be realistic about your situation
What fears are you fighting that keep you from moving forward?
Making Changes
Changing your job search techniques, or changing any behavior that isn’t working first requires getting conscious about it.
If you want something to be different,
then something needs to change.
This is a simple dynamic. Are you still chasing postings on job boards, but not getting the results you want? Is your idea of networking to ask people if they know of job leads? Do you face each day without any idea of what you should be doing? Bottom line: have you continued to do the same things over and over expecting to get different results? We’ve all heard it before — that’s the definition of insanity!
If you agree that your methodology or thinking needs to change, then pick just one or two thing to do differently. It is too hard to try to change everything at once, and, it is too hard to sustain multiple changes. It is possible to make minor changes to begin with, and build on them as they become habits. Making one or two small changes to your approach can dramatically change the outcomes you are getting.
But getting started is hard too. Developing a plan for making necessary changes is as critical as the plan you will make for specifically accomplishing your goals. With a strong commitment to changing your behavior, your plan for addressing the needed changes will make it easier to do than you would think.
Get started:
The first step in making a plan for change is to identify your barriers to doing something differently than how you have done it in the past. You’ll need to establish which internal elements and which external elements have been affecting your job search results. Is it your health? Bad planning? Procrastination? Lack of focus? Or is it the economy? The weather? Competition? If the issues are external, your reaction to them is the only thing you can control, and that is what may need to change.
- Face your barriers.
- Take a closer look. Deal with reality. What can you change?
- Which one behavior can you work on for the next 30 days? Write it down.
- Make a decision about what you need to do differently.
- Write out the steps you need to take. Plan them. Do them.
What changes have been most difficult for you to make: changing your actions or changing your re-actions?
Tags: choosing a career
Develop a Plan to Reach Your Career Goals
Developing a plan for your career seems simple enough: Start with a specific goal. Then break it down into actionable items.
But, many issues can make it difficult to stay on track — the weather, traffic, the economy, company politics, and health issues to name a few. Creating structure to your activities will allow you to gauge what hasn’t happened and what needs to happen, much more clearly than if you wait and see each day.
Knowing what you need to get done, and then getting it done, is a method for creating structure that is closest to what you would have if you were working. Don’t allow distractions to prevent you from completing what you have set out to do. If you are employed, you’ll have fewer available hours to work on your goals, and it will be even tougher to stay on track.
Here are some pointers that will help you make and stay on with your plan:
- Plan your schedule in advance, making a commitment to do the activities that lead you to the accomplishment of your goal.
- Know what you need to do every day.
- Plan exactly which hours you will work on your tasks.
- If you are not working, plan ahead at least 30 days to help you stay focused.
- If you are working, plan ahead at least 90 days to help ensure you will stay on track to get where you want to be next year.
- Don’t allow distractions to prevent you from completing what you have set out to do.
- What has been toughest for you: making a plan or sticking with it?
Tags: choosing a career
