Out of work? Reinvent yourself

sometimes, injustice happens to us. Have you been retrenched or laid off and in the process of looking for a job? Lest the statistics on retrenchment is too mind-boggling for your comprehension, you can rest assured that you are not alone in facing the looming uncertainty of sudden unemployment. You may be facing this issue now or hear stories from your personal friends or read about them in the newspaper. You may be barraged with a stream of questions: HOw do I face my family? Friends? Myself? What if I can’t find a job?

An author, Marie Stilkind, wrote the following inspiration message:

“Today, I know that I cannot control the ocean tide – I can only go with the flow. When i struggle and try to organize the Atlantic to my specifications, I sink. If I fail and thrash and growl and grumble,. I go under. But if I let go and float, I am borne aloft.”

It is true that in times of uncertainty, we need to stay calm in order to be focused on how to maintain our sanity, juggle our finances and at the same time, strategize your next career move.

At this point, you find yourself having much free time and uncertain financial resources. YOu may even cringe at the thought of how to start all over again whilst your mind is bombarded with questions about financial commitments for your family and household.

Self re-invention is the buzzword in times of change. This is the time for you to sit back and re-evaluate your career development, which up to this point, may have been boringly humdrum or otherwise, your working life was represented by a mad rush through the day trying to meet deadline after deadline. Whichever is the case that is now in the past, I believe that the golden opportunity is here for you to get down to seriously discover yourself, i.e. who you are and what you want to become.

Re-discover yourself

Before you scurry to look for jobs, it is good for you to ask yourself the simple question: “Am I happy with the ex-job or is there something that I really like to do?” Listen to the inner voice to guide you to discover your niche. It takes courage to walk away from the comfort zone into the unknown territory. If you allow yourself to take a life journey to learn from your experiences – the thrills and spills, pain, anxiety, joy and success, you will come to a point that you can honestly tell yourself that you deserve not just a job but working on something that you truly care about.

Job hunting

Start to look out for the vacancies available in the newspaper or register yourself with Jobstreet.com. When you look for a new full-time job, it is important to stay focused on your job preference and use your time well to write to the prospective employers. In the meantime, you may want to get a part-time or temporary job to keep yourself occupied and at the same time, earn some allowance.

Get smarter

use your free time to upgrade yourself by attending short courses, example in IT or a foreign language which will give you an edge over the others. Visit the bookstores or libraries to get the right materials to keep yourself informed.

Make financial plans

Losing your source of income is not the end of the world. It is merely a time that you have to temporarily do away with the luxuries and learn to spend wisely. Investing in a computer and having an internet access is a necessity to allow you to work on your job applications and also seek online recruitment services. You cannot afford to compromise the pre-requisite of a good impression which you can project in a nearly well-typed Resume and application letter.

List out your assets and liabilities or commitments. Paying off your bills, mortgages and household needs should top the list of your expenditures as compared to an overseas vacation or buying a new car. However, once in a while, do treat yourself to a nice dinner. Networking.

It is not a sin to tell people, like your family, friends or neighbors about your unemployed status. Let them know what kind of job that you are looking for as they may have information on vacancies available.

Volunteer programs

There are many non-profit organizations that require volunteers to assist them in their missions. You can easily check up their websites to find out more information and offer yourself as a volunteer whilst you have free time. There is nothing nobler than to contribute your time and energy to a good cause.

Interviews

When there are opportunities for you to attend interviews, you should not be too concerned whether you will be successful or not. Take it as a change to hone your skills in interviews. Practice makes perfect!

Above everything else, this is the time for you to be adventurous. With no boss and deadlines to meet, you can take this moment to rejuvenate yourself. Relax. You may never know when you will get those lightbulb ‘a-ha’ moments for your next career move. –From JObstreet.com