Advice For The Newly Unemployed

Discussions about our lives, families, jobs... things may get a little personal
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skb12172
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Advice For The Newly Unemployed

Post by skb12172 »

A buddy was recently laid off. I've been providing moral support and cheerleading while he looks for a new gig. I've come up with some advice, such as…

1) Get some kind of work, ASAP, even if it is a part-time McJob. Having a place you have to report to, that pays you, is crucial for keeping yourself in that working frame of mind. It is also good for your self-esteem, which comes across as you get interviews for your new, full-time job.

2) Assign yourself job search "work hours," which you do not allow things to intrude upon, such as laundry, house-chores, etc. Finding your new job IS your job and you would no more interrupt that for chores, etc, than you would your regular job.


Anything else?

Fire Away!
Last edited by skb12172 on Mon May 12, 2014 4:26 am, edited 1 time in total.
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Aglifter
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Re: Advise For The Newly Unemployed

Post by Aglifter »

Depending on their position, find a head hunter/placement groups ASAP.
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Aesop
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Re: Advice For The Newly Unemployed

Post by Aesop »

If you can afford to, take some time off and recharge.

I rarely hear about someone getting canned from a stress-free purely enjoyable job.
In a week or two, when your batteries are recharged, pick yourself up and get back on the horse, as outlined before.

Bonus points: take a lesson from baseball.
When your club cans you, go to the most head-to-head competitor for similar work.
If they hire you, enjoy the satisfaction of sticking it to your former employer every chance you get, legally.
This helps your new company, your own sense of self-worth, and the cosmic scales of justice.
"There are four types of homicide: felonious, accidental, justifiable, and praiseworthy." -Ambrose Bierce, "The Devil's Dictionary"
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Erik
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Re: Advice For The Newly Unemployed

Post by Erik »

Aesop wrote:If you can afford to, take some time off and recharge.
Second that.
I did just that a long time ago. Turns out it was probably the best career move I ever made, it helped me get a job in my current career, and when I got it I was fully motivated to give it my all, which made me make it through the first year of learning new things.


Other things, if you cant find anything right away:
Look over your CV, and compare it to the job situation. If they don't match, look into learning skills that will help you in the future. When you have a job, it's easy to get complacent and not learn new things, so it's a good idea to look into that when you're out of work. It could mean taking a course somewhere, or learn on your own, just make sure that it's aimed at helping you in your future career, and that it doesn't become an excuse for not job hunting at all.

Look into moving. Either temporary, or permanently. This of course depends on how deep roots you have where you live now, but it's not a bad idea to look into it. It could be that there's well paid jobs in other areas that will make it worth overcoming the distance.

If you're still stuck and nothing opens up, think of starting a business at home. It can be anything that you can do, as long as your costs are kept low it wont really cost that much, and even if it wont be enough to make a living, it will give you something to do until you can find a better option.

I think the major thing is mental. Don't start to look at yourself as "unemployed" and accept it, make sure you stay active and do something positive to improve your situation.
"Life is tough, but it's tougher if you're stupid."
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mekender
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Re: Advice For The Newly Unemployed

Post by mekender »

skb12172 wrote:A buddy was recently laid off. I've been providing moral support and cheerleading while he looks for a new gig. I've come up with some advice, such as…

1) Get some kind of work, ASAP, even if it is a part-time McJob. Having a place you have to report to, that pays you, is crucial for keeping yourself in that working frame of mind. It is also good for your self-esteem, which comes across as you get interviews for your new, full-time job.

2) Assign yourself job search "work hours," which you do not allow things to intrude upon, such as laundry, house-chores, etc. Finding your new job IS your job and you would no more interrupt that for chores, etc, than you would your regular job.


Anything else?

Fire Away!
Depending on your line of former work, #1 and #2 may not actually work together.

Allow me to explain... Let's say that you are dealing with someone in a job market that is highly competitive and as such, job hunting is as you said, "IS your job"... Let's also say that your last job or couple of jobs were fairly well paying, say above $75k/yr...

If you take just any old job just to have some income, you are actually defeating yourself in your job hunt in some ways... If for example you go from a $40/hr job to a $15/hr job just to stay working, and you are working 40/hr a week. You have just effectively put yourself into a position where you cant actually look for a new job. You are working 8 hours a day, plus an hour for lunch, plus an hour or more commute time, all during the 9 to 5 business day where recruiters and hiring managers will be wanting to call you, email you, interview you, meet you for coffee, etc... Sure you can apply for jobs after work, email off hours or during breaks... Hell, you might even be able to email and make phone calls while you are working your normal job. But you will have a hell of a time trying to schedule meetings and interviews.

And, with a lower paying gig, you will be less motivated to actually work to keep the job, less likely to put up with bullshit, less likely to put in the extra effort because it is not likely to actually lead to you being promoted back to the pay levels you need, etc... Also consider that in today's job market, many of your positions are contracts which have zero stability or longevity, you can be out of work with no notice at all. Even with a full time W2 position that is not a contract this can happen, especially in right to work states and since you are way overqualified and over experienced for the position, they WILL find that you don't fit, probably because you know more than the people running your department.

Finally, you actually screw yourself financially for a couple of reasons... 1) If you work a job that pays a small fraction of your normal pay, your potential unemployment benefit levels drop significantly because they average your last 5 working quarters. 2) Your new potential employers WILL ask you what you got paid at your last job... And when they find out you were willing to work for $15/hr, they will look at that in consideration for potential compensation and it may actually hurt your chances of landing a new job paying $40/hr.

I know this is exactly what happens because I have been there more than once within the last year months and I am facing it today.
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Aesop
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Re: Advice For The Newly Unemployed

Post by Aesop »

Not entirely true.
The McJobs you can find for $10-20/hr are frequently nights and weekends.
In fact, a lot of managers would rather take older workers then, to provide some common sense and maturity when the regular boss isn't around.
No one wants a swing/night crew of all teenagers, unless they haven't been burned by that yet.

You can also tell them when you apply that this is a second job, because you're already at work from 9-5.
Which, if job-hunting is your "job", is more true than not.

And unless you tell Great Big Company you were flipping burgers or greeting at Wal-Mart, I figure it's none of their damn business how I'm paying bills between gigs.
Telling them you were a self-employed consultant but that there wasn't enough work is all they need to know.
Unless the recruiter saw you in the paper hat at the burger joint, just because they asked doesn't entitle them to do a proctology exam on your compensation history unless a TS clearance is involved.
For those stuck on "But I would never lie!", what would you tell them they if they asked about how many guns you own, or how often you have sex with your significant other?
Just like nosy bureaucrats, nosy job applications are not necessarily a command to divulge information that must be obeyed.
If it makes you feel better, put out an ad and print business cards listing yourself as a consultant.
Or an independent contractor.
Or however you can list yourself as a person of means and accomplishment in your career field that deflects the company back to what you're selling, rather than sniffing your poop and such.
Telling them you took some time off to take additional courses, with transcripts from the local educational establishment accomplishes the same purpose.
"I was picking up additional certifications in my chosen field to better meet future chalenges, and taking independent work to stay current" covers a multitude of gaps in one's corporate employment history, and much better than stating "I was canned, and collecting aluminum cans and cardboard and begging at offramps", right?

Not to mention the serendipity of actually getting consulting work (if you're in a field where such is possible), or discovering a new niche that's a better fit from your former position, and the contacts you might make through an instructor, or fellow students. A business course might find you sitting next to the guy who tips you to your next gig, or hires you for it. And just to throw out another curve, if you know your stuff, see if you can teach it to other people, or assist those who do. Even if it's a sort term volunteer gig. Impress the hell out of your next interview by telling them "I was teaching XXX to help new employees learn about the XYZ career field, to give something back, blah blah blah". You might even be good at it, and it becomes your job. Or someone taking your training decides he'd rather have you train his employees on salary. It happens.

Job hunting is a lot like getting a loan: Desperation is a poor calling card, and you'll generally get either one when you appear not to need it.
Be like the swan, grasshopper: glide along the surface, and under the water paddle like hell.

Additional Tip:
Triage recurring expenses, and cut anything non-essential ruthlessly.
Gym memberships, cable bills, money-sucking hobbies, or any other parasitic drains on the bank account have to go.
Until a new job appears, you're taking on water faster than you can bail, and things you do right away can add weeks or months of breathing room to your financial situation.
"There are four types of homicide: felonious, accidental, justifiable, and praiseworthy." -Ambrose Bierce, "The Devil's Dictionary"
MarkD
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Re: Advice For The Newly Unemployed

Post by MarkD »

I rarely hear about someone [strike]getting canned from[/strike] HAVING a stress-free purely enjoyable job.
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Yogimus
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Re: Advice For The Newly Unemployed

Post by Yogimus »

IMMEDIATELY cancel internet and cable TV
MarkD
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Re: Advice For The Newly Unemployed

Post by MarkD »

Yogimus wrote:IMMEDIATELY cancel internet and cable TV
How would you anticipate job-hunting without internet access?
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blackeagle603
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Re: Advice For The Newly Unemployed

Post by blackeagle603 »

yeah because for all the effort and time people put into job searching and applying online we hear sooooo much about how fruitful that is. 8-)


bonus pts for understanding the pareto principle as applied to employment.

~80% of positions are filled without/before being listed openly. It really _is_ who you know. So, who do you know?
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