Becoming unemployed in this climate of we will call you or the endless online application fiascos sends shivers down spines to heads of households and being without necessities hurts. Most have kids starting school or college and the bills relentlessly appear on time yielding little comfort other than they will be there like clockwork. Over the last few years we have the unexpected although we should have seen it coming, new reality of having to reduce our talent to an online application mill system capturing key words is less than helpful. You are in the pool yet not getting a life line or even a bubble of oxygen letting you know the water is safe and warm.
Adding insult to injury, getting the call six months or a year later by and a third party hired to handle call backs asks you the same questions you just spent two hours answering online. In most cases the same questions asked in several ways as if we are not intelligent enough to realize it. By the time you have reviewed and submitted your application you might as well have visited the actual business. Many more never receive a call back ever and this is maddening because you invested the time and at the very least deserve to hear a human voice. You should consider networking with those who have good jobs. Ask for hiring managers and invite them to network. This may be a new concept to those only networking for start-ups and entrepreneurs but you need to change your mindset.
Conducting a networking meeting for the sole purpose of obtaining employment is not new. Seasonal businesses and larger companies often cast a wide net while offering soft drinks and snacks to reel you in. Companies trying to get your attention will have anniversary events to draw your attention to new products and services and will often have applications for new hires throughout the event. You have to want it. Remember the Washington man Frederick Callison who moved to Sacramento California hoping to land a job with the Salvation Army. Despite it not working out he sat outside of a local store for two years with applications and a readiness to share his skills with anyone who could help him find work and food.
What is fascinating about his story is not only did he seek work without the worries of a suit and tie, he applied due diligence in having on hand copies of his resume in his current environment. In truth, no one from the store gave him an opportunity however a young man and his family noticed him and were inspired to help him because he was seeking a hand up not a hand out. He did get a job at a local pizza restaurant and his story at the least should cultivate a little wisdom in those wanting employment. Understandably this is not the normal circumstance but a life lesson. Stop waiting around for the other shoe to drop and create your own opportunities. This gentleman had extreme circumstances to work with and a major portion of the states do not equal his challenges yet they can have his persistence.
Unemployment is nothing to be ashamed of and everyone deserves a chance at obtaining the basics of life. If personality flaws are keeping good opportunities from coming your way, seeking counseling may be an avenue to explore. Not a people person, look for ways to work through those roadblocks. Free community services, libraries and other municipalities offer classes and may connect you to certifications and lend themselves to open doors you did not realize were available. Internalizing will not help your cause. Research ways to reach out and you never know who is looking. Libraries also help with Linkedin in sessions which you can create your own profile listing your attributes. Contact past employers you had positive experiences with for recommendations. Listing attributes along with hobbies give employers more to work with. Hobbies to you may mean growth opportunities unrealized until now.
Your best inspiration is you. Don’t waste it or allow anyone to take it away from you. Own it and live your life –it’s your move.
Until next time~