When You are Out of Work, Don't Look Unemployed!

It is normal for us to display the state of our being in how we project ourselves and how others see us. So, when we’re happy we look happy and others who look at us witness our happiness. The same thing happens to many when they are out of work and looking for a job. I routinely see clients, who are out of work and are looking to get back in. So, even before we start working on getting their résumé and LinkedIn Profile in shape to start their campaign, my first admonition to such clients is often, Don’t wear your unemployment on your sleeves; it will get in the way of getting you the very job you’re after!

Why?

When you are out of work it is easy to get in a state of funk. I personally have been laid off three times and had been out of work until I found a job (in each case by re-inventing myself into a new career). Getting into a new career is even harder when you are out of work because you must demonstrate something special in how the potential employer sees you in what you can do for them. What I learned from that experience was that how you project yourself and the confidence you display in selling your re-invention is what gets you past the obstacle you are facing. Your lack of expertise in the area of your re-invention is rarely a showstopper—as I found this out three times in my own case. On the other hand if you look diffident, downtrodden, and desperate no one is going to offer you a job regardless of how competent you are in the area of your specialty.

So, what does this all mean? Here is my guidance to those who are out of work and are trying to get back into the work force:

1. First and foremost, do not translate being unemployed into something personal. Do not personalize your plight by wondering what you might have done to avoid what happened. Instead, take what has happened personally, which means taking charge of what you can do to move ahead and figuring out the best strategy to do that.
2. Prepare a really strong branding message by redoing your résumé and by charging up your LinkedIn Profile. Learn how to come out at the top of any search on LinkedIn by correctly Profiling yourself. Avoid showing your current state of unemployment by volunteering and by engaging in contract or consulting work.
3. Launch a campaign that combines responding to open jobs with prospectively looking into companies of your choosing. Approach someone in senior position to present an idea and get in front of them.
4. Avoid going only to networking events where others looking for work also congregate. Although such support groups are helpful, going there too often can bring you down and it will show in how you project yourself.
5. Quickly build your search pipeline and campaign hard to generate action. See where the setbacks and obstacles are. Each rejection should tell you something that you need to do differently the next time. Do not be shy to ask recruiters when they call you with a rejection about what you could have done differently.
6. Keep in shape through physical exercise and through meditation. When things are not going well it is normal to resort to alcohol and other substances. Avoid those and keep your mind and yourself looking sharp.
7. Keep a daily routine. Our work provides us our daily structure. So, when we are out of work that structure goes way, exposing us to an undisciplined personal routine, which can wreak havoc in our productivity and self-esteem. Find a space where you can stay as if you are at work and try to maintain a disciplined routine. Get lost in your work!
8. Meet people, who are energized about what they do, and frequently engage with them in activities that energize you. Do not be bothered by where they are in their lives compared to where you are. We all deal with life’s vicissitudes, and must learn how to deal with our setbacks without getting down on ourselves.
9. Regardless of how bad things become or get, always treat yourself and your family well (you do not need to spend money to indulge in this). Just remember that being unemployed for a while is a just a stage that you must deal with and learn from it.
10. No matter how much you need help in finding yourself a job, find someone or some cause where you can help others. Helping others, especially when you are hurting yourself, can be quite empowering and can make you forget your own troubles.
Good luck!