For your information, I totally intended to write a post yesterday about my thoughts on nudist resorts (apparently the term 'colonies' is offensive and outdated...who knew?). While I have a nice little medley of opinions, questions and concerns regarding these 'resorts', I found that I was completely unable to share them in a post. Why? I am suffering from a serious case of cover letter burn out.
So I had two options: grudgingly write about a topic simply to appease you all OR get the job hunt issue off of my chest. I choose option 2. However, instead of writing about my experiences (aka complaining while shaking my fist at employers who have not hired me) I am going to put a positive spin on all of this. Perhaps you are in the same boat or have been at some point in your life and you know exactly where I am coming from when I say that being unemployed for a long time has been a serious blow to my ego. I've had several melodramatic breakdowns where I have wondered who I am and what life is and days where I just simply hate inanimate objects or certain radio broadcasts. It is the unemployed funk, ladies and gents. It happens to a person who is 1. unemployed and 2. does not want to be unemployed.
The key here is "does not want to be unemployed". I cannot emphasize this point enough. I feel like I have had hundreds of responses from various people when they ask what I do and I have to explain that I am presently unemployed and looking. I've found that the majority of responses fall into two categories. Most people will try to dish out some serious pearls of wisdom and say "You should go to Monster.com" (or some other equally ubiquitous job search engine). In the beginning of my job hunt, I really appreciated all of this. Now? I would simply like to know how to get a job after doing all of the things everyone has told me to do.
The second group of people will comment on how lucky I am to be unemployed. "Enjoy it while it lasts" or "You must be having such a great time!". While watching re-runs of CSI, spending time with my family and dogs and sleeping in are all wonderful things (emphasis on watching re-runs of CSI), I do not love this existence. Some people like this life. I suppose I get it, it's really not too bad at all. I've had a lot of fun being a grown up kid for a while. But at the end of the day, I don't just need a job, I want a job. I've been working since I was 15 years old and have loved every minute of it. So I have been actively seeking out employment. For a while, everyday that went by without me getting some sort of offer was like being stood up on a date by someone you really like, over and over and over again. Basically, my ego felt like a punching bag.
This bruised ego business could only go on for so long, I had to do something. About a month ago, I switched up some things. I know there are many unemployed big-kids out there who really do not want to be unemployed. If you just started the job hunt or have been on it for a long time, I can relate to how you feel. I am going to let you all know what I have done in my life that has helped to keep me going and more importantly, has helped to keep me sane. Let's face it, no one is going to hire someone who walks into an interview completely tripped out that he or she has been granted one in the first place. Here are my tips on how to avoid that scenario:
- Maintain an Excel or Access spreadsheet to track all of the places you have applied to. Great for organizational purposes but also for the psyche. On days where I feel like I am leading a lazy existence, I open it up and remind myself that I have been trying very very hard to change this situation. It's cold, hard proof of your efforts.
- Have a core group of job search engines that you visit every day. I'd advise about three or so. When it comes to job search engines, it can be daunting to navigate through them all. I've often felt like I was embarking on some sort of black hole or a yet unexplored portion of the ocean floor. I suggest picking three that you are comfortable with and stick with them. A few times a week, throw in a couple other sites or try some new ones. It is very easy to get burned out in the beginning if you are hell bent on checking every region on Craigslist. Sites I recommend? Not every job search is the same, but I have been highly impressed by the search engines on Aftercollege.com, Idealist.org and Indeed.com. Local newspaper classifieds are wonderful, as well. Okay, I sound like the pearls of wisdom people. Moving on.
- Pick up a new (or old) hobby. Nothing too time-consuming, the key is to cut stress out of your life. I began drawing (horribly) again, swimming a lot during the summer and I also started this blog. Do something in the morning to get your blood pumping, do something at night to relax you. I hear reading books is fun.
- Build a support system. Surround yourself with people who believe in and know you. It sounds really obvious and ridiculously cliche, but it has helped me tremendously. There are days where I think I am awesome and I can face the world alone, but there are also days where I am certain I fail at life (Who am I? What does it all mean????). I need friends and family who genuinely enjoy having me around and are also adept at delicately dealing with meltdowns and/or impromptu self-aggrandizing speeches (i.e. "Google would be lucky to have me on staff"). I don't expect an expert psychologist to hold me and tell me it will be okay, a simple "Rachel, you'll get a job, chill out" suffices.
- Write a top 10 list of things that you have done that you are proud of. Do not type it. Write it nicely on a piece of paper. You can jot down traits such as "I'm a good listener" or grand things you have done like "I've been to 16 countries", but it needs to remind you of why you are awesome and it should be somewhere near your workspace.
Have an awesome day! Happy hunting (for jobs, not Bambi).
~Rach
1 comments:
I feel like I could have written this. I know exactly how you feel.
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