unemployed as of this Friday.
Fortunately, having witnessed colleages fall in various ditches while unemployed, I have a Plan. Capital P PLAN.
Schedule:
1. Wake up at my usual time and hit the gym. Go home, shower, and dress in dressy jeans, heels, a blazer, and pearls. Or a cute skirt with tall leather books and a turtleneck sweater. Professional enough. Wear make-up. It will make you feel good about yourself.
2. Day 1: get my "brag book" updated. Update resume. Call headhunters and friends and ask if they know who is hiring. All other days: go to all my law commitee luncheons and tell everyone I need a job. Go to a cute coffee house (vary it up, of course) and spent 4-8 hours/day applying for jobs, depending on how many are listed that day. Harass the headhunters who harrassed me to leave a good firm (now since split into 2, long story).
3. Go home and take the dogs for a walk or to a park.
4. Go home, shower, and meet up with friends for tea or drinks, or hit up bar association happy hours.
5. Go home, respond to any interview requests, and prepare for the next day: lay out my gym clothes, lay out my applying-for-jobs clothes, and, if necessary, a proper suit for an interview.
6. Go to bed at a reasonable hour.
#1 is important: do not sleep till noon and spend all day in your pajamas. Keep yourself physically active! And dress like a professional. No need to wear a suit to Starbucks, but at least look like someone who is well-pulled together.
#2 Network, network, network. Very few jobs are filled by an ad. Consider using a resume writer. (I have a great one for those in looking for higher-level or exec positions). Oh, and never never never send out a form resume or cover letter. Both documents should be specifically tailored to where are are applying.
#3 and 4: Have fun. You need some fun in your day. Get some fresh air and sunshine. You will also be networking.
#5 Always best to keep to a pattern of preparedness.
#6 You are unemployed - not a college student. No more 2am web-surfing. Remember: you still have a job to do (i.e. get a job!) even if you are unemployed.
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6 comments:
I am sorry you are going to find yourself unemployed at the end of the week! What a bummer. However, I do love your plan of attack. Sounds good to me! I had to laugh at the last #6 though. I have a good friend who is unemployed and 60. 2:00 a.m. is exactly the hour at which she does her job hunting on line! :)l
You go girl!
Fun's important. I did a LOT of motorcycle riding in between jobs, hehehe. Figured I might as well put the free time to good use! Plus, doing something I enjoy kept my mental outlook positive.
I'm so sorry. I hope you find a new job quickly. Your plan sounds like a very good one!
The reason it's important to mix some fun stuff in is because, done in the right way, you can challenge yourself too. Not only do you have fun in your chosen activity; you experience the JOY of reaching goals doing that activity. You can set goals for achieving a higher level of excellence; the mindset & confidence you derive (from reaching the goals you set) can be applied elsewhere too.
When I was in between jobs, I spent much of my fun time learning better bike handling, and it did me a wonder of good. Not only could I charge into a 40 mph curve @ 80 and get away with it; my overall mental outlook was better from having set goals and achieved them. I thought & felt that, no matter what the challenge, I'll come out on top! This can be applied to any activity you choose: running, surfing, writing, anything. The successes you have in your fun activity can be carried over to the bigger challenges awaiting you. A calm, confident, can-do attitude is priceless! Henry Ford said it best: Whether you think you can, or whether you think you can't, you're right. That 'bout says it all...
Oh very sorry to read that. Well, there may be some wonderful opportunities right around the corner that you otherwise would not have discovered. Stay positive!
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