By CAREEREALISM-Approved Expert, Mary Sevinsky
How do you cope with unemployment a during the holidays? Like any loss, a job loss results in grief. In Part I outlined some basic stages you may pass through in dealing with job loss. You can read that article in full by clicking here. In this sequel, you will find practical suggestions for how to ease your progress through these stages.
1.SHOCK & DENIAL-
In this stage you will feel generally numb. You should take this opportunity to breathe. Literally. Keep a notebook with you during this and following stages and right EVERYTHING down. The smallest thought and feelings, when they come. Let yourself be emotional and feel. The worst thing you can do is to block yourself off from your emotions. To refocus: Keep a separate section for any ides that come to mind – you will find comfort in these as you progress through the various stages.
2.PAIN & GUILT-
Pain and heart-break are laced with guilt in this stage. Accept comfort and seek out others who care about you and/or who have had similar experiences or are currently working through this process themselves. To refocus: Think about when you have experienced similar feelings – what helped? What didn’t? Repeat those things or techniques that are tried and true.
3.ANGER & BARGAINING-
Anger is normal. Scream into a pillow or an empty field (if you have one available). Jump up and down and throw a tantrum. Sometimes you just need to physically express your anger to get through it. If you are a religious person, you might plead with your higher power at this point, promising anything from a new and improved you to all the money you will ever earn if you can just get a new job. To refocus: Continue to write in your notebook (call it a journal if you want!). Ask yourself what you are angry about. Return to the section of your notebook in which you wrote any ideas you might have for your Return To Work.
4."DEPRESSION", REFLECTION, LONELINESS-
It is important for you to “feel” how you feel – you are likely to feel depressed and lonely. If that is the case, take this time to be alone and think about your current situation. If you feel too lonely seek out others who you respect and/or have a positive, supportive nature. To refocus: Take stock of your assets (literally and figuratively). These may include your skills and abilities as well as your financial assets.
5.THE UPWARD TURN-
Eventually you will be able to begin and attain a rhythm in your job search and networking. Have a goal, complete with time frame, and steps that you can take toward that goal. Make your goal more specific and meaningful than “Get a job.” For example, will you settle for any job right now and then move on to find a better one? Or, do you have the resources to spend X number of months to search for a job at a given level? To refocus: Write down your goal and when you want to achieve it (it can be modified if necessary), develop a schedule (also in writing) that will allow you to reach your goal. Review your schedule and goal daily. For more information on setting goals, read my article: Dare to dream of change.6.RECONSTRUCTION & WORKING THROUGH-
As you begin the upward turn, you will eventually be able to think about where you want to be and what type of job you might like to have. To refocus: Keep writing in your notebook and re-evaluate your progress and which goals you want to keep on at least a weekly basis. What is working? What is not getting you the interviews you need to get hired? Try to use a critical eye, if this is difficult, seek the help of an expert or a mentor.
7.ACCEPTANCE & HOPE-
Eventually, you will be able to accept that you may not be the same exact person you were before your “loss.” Who are you now? What is important to you? You may find it easier to be positive. To refocus: you will gain confidence and hope from your activity. Stay organized and act on every lead as soon as possible without being overly hasty.
You may not progress neatly through these stages, but most people will experience some level of each. Treat this part of your life as a leg of a journey, secure in the knowledge that you will end up where you need to be.
Mary is a Masters-prepared Career Counselor with over 18 years experience in resume writing, personal branding, career assessment and counseling. Specializing in non-traditional specialized careers and career-transitioning, she has the ability to synthesize and focus your unique skills and abilities to obtain interviews for the positions you want with the employers you want to notice you. Follow her on Twitter at @MarySevinsky.
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Is your job search turning into a grind with no end in sight? It may be time to take a step back and reevaluate your entire approach.
In cold weather climates, the beginning of spring is a time to clean the house and get organized—a practice known as spring cleaning. Through the years, spring cleaning has taken on a larger meaning with people using the time to organize and declutter things in their lives.
For professionals on the job hunt, a little spring cleaning (metaphorically speaking) could be a great way to reinvigorate your job search. Here are a few strategies your job search spring cleaning should include.
Reevaluate Your Job Search Approach
BigstockMake a list of the last handful of jobs you applied for and see if you can identify any positive or negative trends. Consider things like:
- How did I learn about this job?
- How did I apply for the job?
- Did I earn an interview?
- What was the ultimate result?
A lot can be learned about your job search approach just by answering these questions and identifying patterns. For example:
Negative Trends
You discovered five jobs through job boards, applied to all of them via the job boards, and never heard back from any of them.
The common pattern here is applying through job boards. This isn't to say that job boards don't serve a purpose in the job search process, but they have their limitations, and you can't run your job search entirely off of them. When you apply through a job board, there's a good chance that your materials will never get past the applicant tracking system (ATS) and never be seen by an actual person.
One simple fix is to research who the hiring manager or recruiter is that posted the position and email your materials to them directly.
The more efficient fix would be to take a proactive approach by putting together a bucket list of companies that you want to work for and start making connections on LinkedIn with people who work at those companies. You may already know some people who work there or have connections that can refer you to some individuals.
This is a great way to network your way onto a company's radar.
Positive Trends
You applied to three jobs via referral, were invited to two job interviews, and made it through multiple rounds of interviews for one of the jobs before being passed over for someone with a little more experience.
The pattern here is that getting referred to a job by a professional acquaintance is a great way to land a job interview. This indicates that you're leveraging your network well and you should continue to focus on your networking efforts.
The next step is to review the interview process and determine what went well and what needs to be improved. Sometimes the interviewer will provide feedback, and that feedback can be valuable. However, not everyone is comfortable with giving feedback.
Chances are you probably have a good idea about areas of improvement and the skills you need to gain. Put together a plan for addressing those shortfalls.
The good news in making it deep into any interview process is that it indicates that the company likes you as a potential employee (even if the timing just wasn't right) and the experience could be a roadmap to a job with that company at a later date, or another similar opportunity elsewhere.
Give Your Resume & Cover Letter Some Much-Needed Attention
BigstockAre you continuously sending similar resumes and cover letters to each job opening with only minor adjustments? If so, your strategy needs some serious spring cleaning.
Let's start with resumes!
Every resume should be tailored to the position in order for it to stand out to recruiters and hiring managers. It may seem like a lot of work, but it's actually less work than submitting the same resume over and over again and never hearing back.
The reason why it's so important to tailor your resume is that throughout your career, you acquire numerous skills, but the job you're applying for may only be focusing on 6-8 of those skills. In that case, those skills must rise to the top of the resume with quantifiable examples of how you successfully used those skills at previous jobs.
Remember, recruiters go through hundreds of resumes. They need to be able to tell from a quick glance whether or not you're a potential candidate for the position.
While updating your resume, you could also spruce up your LinkedIn profile by highlighting the skill sets that you want to be noticed for by recruiters.
As for writing a good cover letter, the key to success is writing a disruptive cover letter. When you write a disruptive cover letter, you're basically telling a story. The story should focus on how you connect with the particular company and job position. The story could also focus on your personal journey, and how you got to where you currently are in your career.
If your resumes and cover letters aren't unique, now is the time to clean things up and get on track.
Build Your Personal Brand
Just because you're looking for work doesn't mean that you don't have anything to offer. Use previous career experiences and passions to build your personal brand.
Ask yourself, "How do I want other professionals to view me?"
Pick an area of expertise and start sharing your knowledge and experience with your professional network by pushing out content on your LinkedIn and social media accounts. Good content can include blogs, social media posts, and videos.
By sharing content about your experiences and passions, you slowly build your personal brand, and others will start to notice. The content could lead to good discussions with others in your network. It could also lead to reconnecting with connections that you haven't spoken to in years, or making new connections.
You never know when one of these connections could turn into a job lead or referral. The trick is to get on people's radars. So, when you're cleaning up your job search, be sure to build a plan for personal branding.
Maintain Healthy Habits During Your Job Search
BigstockYour job search is important, but it's even more important to know when to pull back and focus on personal health and spending time with family and friends.
There are actually things that you can do for your own enjoyment that could help your job search in the long run, such as:
- Grab coffee with a friend - It's good to engage in light conversation with friends during challenging times. And if your job search does come up, remember that most people have been through it themselves and you never know when a friend may provide you with a good idea or lead on a job.
- Volunteer - Volunteering is a great way to get involved in the community and help others. In addition, if you develop a little bit of a career gap while looking for a job, you can always talk about how you filled that time volunteering, if you're asked about it during a job interview.
- Continue to focus on other passions - Are you a fitness nut? Blogger? Crafter? Continue to do the things that bring you happiness. And if you're in a position to profit from your passion through a freelance job or side hustle, even better!
Spring is the perfect time to clean up and improve your job search so you can land the job you want. If you're struggling to find a job, follow the tips above to reinvigorate your job search—and watch your career blossom!
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This article was originally published at an earlier date.
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