By Alicia Pozsony
If you want to know if the economy is picking up for 2010, turn on any news channel. If you want to know recent labor statistics, go to http://www.bls.gov/news.release/empsit.nr0.htm. On the other hand, if you don’t want to read the numbers, because you are one of the unemployed, then perhaps think for a moment of all those of us still hanging in there trying to find a position, wait it out, or even deciding to move on.
A friend recently told me of her weighing the options she had, and she was right in finally deciding to get out and try all over again in a different place. It’s not always as simple of just a choice for those of us, with family and friends nearby, kids in school, lack of money to get out, stuck in a mortgage (or two or three) that we can’t pay off. So what then? I’ve written in past months about the importance of updating your resume, focusing your time and energy on staying motivated, not giving up, and considering your back-up careers and back up plans for different kind of work. “Now what?”, you ask.
Now I say the time is right to align with your peers and collaborate, commiserate if you must. Get together more often for coffee, lunch or dinner, or even a jog; exercise is great to lift depression and fight fatigue. Others at PSG are in the same boat as you are (believe it or not) and can shed light on your situation, not to mention, share contacts or make other connections to people that might open doors for you. And do it more than once or twice. With our busy stressful lives, it’s important to make more than a first impression.
If you are like me, I have made real friends at PSG and they have been invaluable to me. Not just for a smile, and “Hello; How’s it going?” but as a pick me up and a sounding board. They know where you are coming from and they can help. They know of events that might be beneficial to you, websites you have not yet visited, ways to improve your resume (yes, AGAIN!), and act as a sounding board for those times when you have nothing but time on your hands.
One day, you will be able to look back at this time together and recall how short it seemed!
Until then, may employment find you!
Alicia! Sounds like we're in the same boat—and so are thousands of others—phew! it's crowded in here!!! My job search began 4 years ago, and the market was so tight then that I just stayed at the job I didn't think was secure. As time went by, my office laid off more than a third of my department. Two years ago, Accenture laid off me.
ReplyDeleteAccenture has mastered the Boa constrictor business model—take over the managing of another business and increase profits by squeezing the staff down to the bare minimum. Stop squeezing juuuuuussssst before the pulse stops, and call it, "Optimizing efficiencies."
It has been so bad that job interviews have been cancelled before they happened because budgets tightened and positions were eliminated. It had me in direct competition with zero-experience designers right out of school because those kids are willing to work 70-hours+ a week for 40k and free Domino's on late nights. Just let them plug in their iPods and watch 'em go, go, go! When they burn out, there are 20 others just like them dying to take their place. When I replied that I was looking for a 40-hour work week, one firm said, "Oh, so you're looking more for a part-time job."
Long story a little less long, I gave up my field—let the newbies grind away at it! My nearly 40-year old eyes are bedeviled with those tiny pixels anyway! I'm now in the process of becoming a high school English teacher. I hope for more meaning, more security, and a little less secretarial spread in my new career. (teachershift.blogspot.com if you want the less condensed version).
Be strong Alicia! There's a lot of company in this misery!
Thanks for your comment and sharing your experiences, Jennie. Glad you found work as did I and may the times stay as improved as they did in 2012 in the coming year!
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