Coping with Unemployment
The last two years has seen a massive upheaval in the old order of things, so far as global business and finance is concerned. Huge conglomerates that were meant to be the anchors of sensibility have collapsed due to ineptitude and simple greed, and the knock-on effects on the rest of the world are proving to be disastrous. Due to the trickle-down effect that the sudden lack of finance and credit is having on businesses, the rate of unemployment is steadily rising, with no definite end in sight in the near future. Suddenly, all sorts of people in stable and secure jobs are being forced into retrenchment or unemployment when the realities of cash flows hit employers. The spectrum of people suddenly finding themselves out of working is shocking. The axe is not discriminating against who it targets. Many highly qualified people are also being affected; even if it means taking forced unpaid working days. There is simply not enough money or credit available to pay wages and salaries to everybody anymore. So how can you cope with the truly depressing position of unemployment?
Put your situation into perspective
Yes, it is humiliating to lose your job, as your pride and income goes with it. Then your problems really begin with missed creditor payments, incessant phone calls at all hours demanding money, whole rain forests of threatening mail; it soon becomes overpowering. Then you start to get depressed and feel worthless. The rut you find yourself in becomes deeper and more depressing by the day, and is in no way conducive to getting back into employment. It is no wonder that thoughts of suicide can sometimes seem like a viable option.
This cycle needs to be broken as quickly as possible if any respite from your situation is to be found. So be honest with yourself. Acknowledge that yes; you are currently out of work and in serious need of an income. Have your sulk, let out your feelings of resentment and anger. But do it quickly. You need to clear your mind and obsessively pursue your new goal. That of getting a job.
Swallow your pride
This is crucial. You urgently need another regular income, and the quickest and easiest way to attain this is by getting a job. Assuming that you do not have a cash pile of some sort that you feel would be better suited to starting your own business, then the majority of people would be best suited to the traditional route of job hunting. Unfortunately for you and millions of others, not a lot of employers are hiring at the minute, and won't be for the foreseeable future. So you need to lower your standards! You have to accept your position and realise that your dream job is further away than you wished, and that your priority is an income at the minute, not the career of your dreams. You must be prepared to take on a lower paid, far less prestigious, and unfortunately, what probably feels like a demeaning job. Bar work, restaurants, call centres, labouring and the like are the most promising.
'There is no way I am working as a bar tender at my age! I've owned my own business!' Well, unfortunately, this is the reality of the world at the moment. The fact is that the longer you stay unemployed the harder it is to re-enter the job market. You start to feel contaminated. But at least if you are doing some sort of work it means you are on someone's payroll. At least you will have some sort of springboard to use in the future. You will have some sort of income, new and current references and fewer stigmas attached to you.
People are often more understanding than you think. Nobody really knows how safe their own job is at the moment, and most people can appreciate your situation and the effort you are making to recover. They know how close they are to joining you. There are not too many smug people around at the moment, and when you do encounter them they will definitely be in the minority, and won't be appreciated by anyone else who is battling to make ends meet.
Devise a plan of attack
You have to make a comeback you owe it to yourself and anyone who may rely on you. You need to transform your mind and outlook of the world before you can successfully land an interview and secure a new job. This whole optimism will permeate throughout everything you do in your job search. So, even if you have to mentally switch on your 'optimistic button' then do it whenever you do anything job related.
Be systematic, and write down what you want to achieve. Keep track of contact details and results. There is a ton of useful information on the internet relating to securing a new job, so even if you think you know it all, brush up on your knowledge. It is extremely competitive out there now, even at the low end of the market. And don't just use job search databases. Seek out companies you are targeting through their own website. You may get lucky.
Totally eliminate anything negative from your CV, rehearse your interview and how you will answer certain questions they are bound to ask. Put a positive spin on everything. The UK government have been doing it for over ten years, and look at what they get away with! Just make sure nothing is an outright lie. And be both proactive in your search and reactive in how you deal with rejections. Make sure that every application and interview is better than the last one. Ironically, the more rejections you receive, the better you should become at writing CVs and attending interviews.
Be ruthless and persistent
This bit is hard. Stay focused, determined, and above all optimistic through all the rejections you are about to face. Continually improve on your CV and interviewing through the feedback that you gather. Think about the next probable step and plan for it. Be swift in applying to positions, relentless in your job hunting and always examine yourself for ways to better express who you are. Forget about pride for the minute, you need to make a comeback very quickly, so temporarily lower the bar. You can raise it again once you are working in some type of job. At least you will have room to manoeuvre then. Force yourself to stay positive at the times that matter. Get as many odds as possible in your favour, and eventually you will succeed. Eventually an employer will crack.
