One of the positive things about viewing Unemploymentville as a destination, as a travel destination especially, is it makes it easier to think about it as being some place you travel through as temporary surroundings. There is a reader comment on Amazon on the book, Landing on the Right Side of Your Ass: A Survival Guide for the Recently Unemployed about what if you don’t land on the right side of your ass and they talk about how they took…
Previously I disagreed with some common advice for people who have lost their job. I want to add another familiar piece of advice to the list that you should throw in the garbage. Do NOT follow the advice to ‘treat looking for a job as a full-time job.’ Here’s why: 1) Looking for a job is emotionally bruising. You give yourself a pep-talk, research a company or position, get psyched about getting the job so that you can convey genuine…
P.S. If you can’t hear anything with this video, you may be watching it on Firefox. Try another browser. Due to the feud between Google which owns YouTube and Yahoo which owns Firefox, YouTube and Firefox also aren’t talking to each other.
So this is the first blog post I’m trying by dictating it into my cellphone as I drive along. It occurred to me that one of the things keeping me from posting more regularly on Unemploymentville is feeling like a fraud. I’m in such a different place than who I’m talking to, the audience I’m writing for. The audience I’m writing for are people who don’t have a job and want to have a job and have been looking for…
First, who the hell is Helga? Helga is the naysayer voice in my head. I heard someone talk about how we all have such a voice and she had named her voice, Helga. I passed the name on to the Debbie Downer in my head as well. Helga has kept me from writing a single blog post in the last week even though I found/made time to plant a vegetable garden and clean two kitchen cabinets out. I mean, really,…
In, Emotional Stages of a Job Loss, the author suggests that similar to grief in a death, going through a job loss will put you through several emotional stages, namely: – Denial – Disbelief – Outward Anger – Inner Self-Criticism – Withdrawal – Reflection – Acceptance The author goes on to state, “By recognizing the different stages, you are able to move through them quickly, rather than languish in them for weeks.” No! no, no. Job loss and unemployment are…
Get Out of the House – Preferably Every Day Get out of your house EVERY day when unemployed (or as close as you can come). This will have a domino effect of also making you more likely to SHOWER and CHANGE your clothes which will also make you feel better. You will see OTHER PEOPLE. You can even talk to them! People are social animals, so socialize! If you are inclined to exercise with others, consider joining a gym or…
One of the toughest things about looking for a job is dealing with rejection, whether it comes in the form of a form letter, “Thanks for your interest, however….” or having a job application ignored, or seeing someone else chosen for a job that you interviewed for. Sometimes the fear of rejection or anticipating rejection can keep people from exploring new options. If you can relate, then you should watch the very funny story of 100 Days of Rejection. Jia…
Music can change my mood faster than almost anything. The music I choose depends on whether I am seeking a) a more peaceful feeling b) to brighten a sour mood c) to energize myself d) find my fighting spirit e) all of the above I still have a Playlist I created for “the final day”. Since we were given advance notice of our impending layoff, there was the day we were to come in, collect any final belongings and have…
What’s wrong with Anne’s face in this drawing? I was unemployed, that’s what. My eyes show that I’ve been left behind by the rest of the world and I’m pretty damn broken up about it. My mouth isn’t even able to find the center of my face. Because…. nothing in my life was lining up like it was supposed to. Not even the features on my face. I’ve got such a puny neck that it’s no wonder it was difficult…