It has been 147 days since the Dog was laid off with 20% of the workforce at his old company. Since then there have been 1,200 job applications. There have been 15 first interviews, three-second interviews and one-third interview. This has resulted in zero job offers. This is not a uncommon tale in the U.S. job market these days, so there is no need to have a lot of sympathy for the Dog's plight. The reason to list these numbers is to talk about the process of being unemployed and what to do to keep going.
"Originally posted at Squarestate.net"
In the United States people are often defined by their work. They are Electricians, Six Sigma Black Belts, Lawyers, or Bus Drivers. Our jobs are an integral part of our self worth. When you find yourself suddenly out of work, one of the pillars of self is flattened.
Most folks will go through a grieving process, with all the stages of grief (Anger, Bargaining, Denial, Depression, and Acceptance) for their lost jobs. It is natural to feel as though the world were pissing on you from a great height. While it is natural, indulging it and allowing it to shape your life is not helpful in the long term.
The goal of any unemployed person is to become employed. It is not enough to just have a job, though you might get there, it is to replace the good (if it was a good job) you had with a new good job. To do this, there is a lot of work that has to happen, but it is not just about the applications and beating the bushes, you have to be ready to be employed and that is what the Dog wants to talk about.
Take it from the Dog, losing your job does more than reduce your income, it has a tendency to destroy your normalcy. If you are used to getting up for work, putting a full day and then going home, being home all the time is far outside the normal rhythm of life.
This is one of the things that you have to fight tooth and nail. When one is employed, there is a very distinct set of boundaries that you live within. The work day determines when you wake up, when you eat lunch, when you exercise, when you are off, when the weekend is. You adapt your life to fit these conditions, but once they are removed, there is no specific time for any of that anymore.
It is easy to get into the habit of staying up late, sleeping in, and doing thing sporadically. Not only does this make you more likely to become depressed, it makes it less likely you will be able to find a job. When you work on a regular basis, you are in the work mode, if you allow it slip away from you, there is less chance that you will be that sharp as a tact, Johnny on the spot person employers are looking for.
So, if that is the problem what is the solution? You have to defend your normalcy as aggressively as you can. If you got up at 5am for your last job, you need to keep getting up then. Act as though you are going to work, have breakfast, shower, and get dressed in clothes you do no wear on the weekends.
The job you are going to is finding work. These days that is mostly on the internet, so have a time when you will be in front of the computer and looking. Schedule and take a lunch break. Eat lunch. Go back to work. Stop working when it is the normal time.
This all seems common sense but if there is anything the Dog has learned from being unemployed for coming on half a year is that there is nothing common about being unemployed. You are at home a lot, this is isolating and isolation is not good for anyone. It is hard to get the level of interaction folks have at work, so there is not much that can be done about it, which all the more reason to maintain what level of normalcy you can.
It is also a good idea to set goals, so many applications per week, so many follow-ups, so many calls to anyone and everyone in your network to see if there is any work to be had. By setting some numeric goals, you can have some small wins to keep you going in what is a very tough job market.
Now, the Dog does not want to make this sound easy, it is not. There are a million and two things pulling you away from maintaining your normalcy, but what is most important is the effort. By putting the effort to keep your life in some kind of work mode, you will be more focused, you will be more ready to interview and put your best foot forward and you will be more ready to start when you do get that job.
The Dog does not have to tell you it is tough out there. Still if we keep our heads and keep focused then we can get through this thing, together. Hopefully this will help those who are in active search for work find it.
The floor is yours.