Tips for Job Seekers
(By Bill Gaffney)
It is no secret that the economy is slow and the job market is
not what it was during the hiring craze of the .com 90’s. In those days
all you had to do was put your resume out on the web and you would have
3-5 offers within a week. So in today’s market am I ever going to find a
job? Yes, but it takes hard work and a little more imagination than was
required in the 90’s.
Many job seekers have become
discouraged, even depressed over this situation. They are wondering if
they will ever find work again. I have been in sales for over 20 years.
One of the first things I learned is you are not very effective when you
are down or depressed. Also it shows when you are selling from a
state of desperation. Remember in job search you are selling
yourself.
Here are some practical tips you may not have
considered:
- Get any kind of job. This is especially true
for men, who have so much of their self esteem based on work. This
can also be a very humbling experience, but provide a very valuable
perspective on what really is important. A second or third shift
job can also keep the daytime hours open for job search. Can this
be tiring? Sure, but remember it is only temporary. I have done
some of this myself to supplement income and help with the other
things I also mentioned.
- Do some volunteer work. This
will help you to feel more positive about yourself, feel productive,
and get out of yourself. It might well also lead to some great
networking contacts.
- Do at least one thing nice for someone
else every day. And if you want to be really challenged do
it without the person finding out. In Judaism this is regarded as
the highest act of kindness. You would be surprised at how quickly
this can lift your mood.
- I once heard a well known sales trainer and
motivational speaker say not to regard each turned down sales call
as just another rejection but as being one step closer. In other
words if it takes 50 calls to make a sale that pays a $1000
commission that rejection was worth $20. The same principle can be
applied in job search.
- Help to start or join an existing support
group for out of work people. And meet once a week. This doesn't
have to be 30 or 40 people. It can be as little as 2 or 3. One of
the things you can do in this group is each person set goals and
have the others hold them accountable. And remember to keep the
meetings positive. Don't let them turn into sessions where everyone
is complaining and talking about how bad things are.
- If you can find a few extra hundred dollars in
your budget get a career coach. They will do two things for you,
give you some skills that will help in your job search and help you
to be more positively focused. I have found in my career coaching
practice I spend part of our early time together reinforcing the
positive in people and helping them to feel better about
themselves . Believe me this is not something I thought I would be
doing when I got into career coaching.
- Make a gratitude list. There
is a great commercial for the Presbyterian church where someone has
ended up doing exactly this and feels much better about themselves.
Sometimes we forget how many blessings we have as opposed to how
many "challenges" or problems we have going on. This also helps
keep things in perspective.
- You may have already done this, but remember
to cut the extra things out of your budget you don't really need,
like cable, the cable modem or DSL (yes it might be faster but is it
absolutely necessary) as opposed to a dial-up ISP, the extra cell
phone(s), etc. It is easy to forget that most of us grew up without
a lot of those little conveniences and we came through it just fine.
- Remember it says that God's righteous
will not go begging bread. I sincerely know this to be
true. Our family went through a very challenging time financially
and job wise back in the early 90's. We literally were so broke
that we did not have grocery money and were being evicted (this from
a six figure income just a couple of years before). I can't begin
to tell you how friends and family rallied around us and even today
I don't know how financially it all occurred because from a
financial perspective our outgo far exceeded our income. But it did
work. I don't tell you this to scare or discourage you, but rather
to remind you of where provision comes from.
I have a couple of thoughts in closing. Having been a recruiter
for ten plus years I have seen the dramatic change in the job market.
And people who have been employed continuously and maybe even with just
one or two employers over a 25 year career are starting to see what many
others have seen over the last few years. So if you fall into that
category you are not alone and you are getting exposure to what the work
world looks like going forward. This leads to my last comment.
KEEP NETWORKING!!! You are going to talk with
plenty of people who will empathize with you and have been exactly where
you are. You may thank them for their empathy (sympathy) but make sure
you ask them for ideas, suggestions and contacts.
