When you see these two words together, what immediately springs to mind? Do those words create a positive or negative word picture? Is that picture a scenario that’s simple or complex? Does it bring to mind a problem or an opportunity? Does your mind promptly bring someone’s face into view? As you start to settle in on these two words belonging together, do you find yourself solutioning on what should happen and what should not? Or does it go downward into a negative spiral of all the situations that might be created from those words coming together?
If you’re like me, and most likely many others, your mind starts moving quickly into all of those views. Plus more. Plus revisiting them. Plus compounding them. The myriad flow of that thinking also spawns a wide variety of emotions, ranging from disbelief to anger to grief (never quite got to “joy” yet?) 🙂 For a series of blogs on the emotions of a job search, Click HERE.
When I stepped back from those two words and tried to find others with similar meaning, there are some I found:
- Suddenly – Abruptly, all of a sudden, quickly, swiftly, all at once, without warning, unawares
- Unemployed – Idle, inactive, jobless, between jobs, laid-off, out of work, on the dole, fired, closed-down
Hmmm, not much better word pictures with those words either. In fact, some of them are much worse than what I described in the first paragraph.
Summary: No matter how you word it, or how you view it, reacting to “suddenly unemployed” is a challenge. And like many challenges, how you choose to respond will make all the difference!
What NOT To Do
Many people choose to respond in what they think is a positive, “go get ’em” approach by rapidly putting together or cleaning up their resume and applying to every job remotely interesting to them.
Unfortunately, that approach is EXACTLY the wrong way to get the best results!
But let’s go with that for a moment. Many times I learn best by seeing what NOT to do before I can fully grasp what TO do. Here’s my top 5 things NOT to do when suddenly unemployed:
- Immediately dive in – just get busy and overcome!
- Tell no one – I mean, after all, why does it concern anyone else?
- Resume focus – capture all of my skills, abilities, and experiences on a couple 8.5 x 11 pieces of paper. Phew!
- Apply everywhere I can – I can trust the process here, correct?
- Go it alone – A bit different than #2, but this is my problem to solve, right?!
Pause. Big blaring game show type of buzzer sound for WRONG ANSWER!!
Yet this is the approach I’ve seen hundreds of people do over and over again in the 20 years I’ve been working with Crossroads Career. As with many things in life, you just can’t make this all up!
At its most basic level, it’s understandable. Look back at those first few paragraphs. Suddenly unemployed doesn’t usually conjure up positive and uplifting images for people. So people just jump in and start doing things they believe are true and helpful to get employed.
Unless you’re from another planet, you’ve seen the news headlines about thousands of jobs suddenly going away in the government sector. And if you’ve been just slightly paying attention, you’d know that the private sector continues to add jobs AND eliminate jobs. Odds are quite high that you personally know someone from the past few months who has lost their job.
What TO Do
So let’s now turn to the top 5 things TO do when suddenly unemployed (and no, they’re not all just the opposite of the “NOT’s):
- Pray – God isn’t surprised by this event, or anything else. What might HE have to share with you? What could praying some Psalms uncover for you?
- Reflect – Leveraging prayer, think about what exactly has transpired? What other events are happening in your life that might allow a chance for you now to connect the dots? Why are you here (purpose)? What are you here on earth to do (mission)? Take the opportunity to not just assume everything should be as it has been. Re-read that one! 🙂
- Finances – The emphasis here isn’t about how much you want to make in your next gig (that’s a different exercise), but where you currently stand financially. How long can you go without a job? What other short-term tactics might be necessary to bridge you from one place to another? Many variables here.
- Community – Do NOT go it alone! Tell everyone you can about you being back in the job market. Don’t assume someone may not be able, or willing, to help. Literally EVERYONE you know needs to know! Start to network and stay engaged with others who can help support and encourage you.
- Create targets – Rather than thrash around applying to anything and everything, take some time to think through what you’ve done, where you’ve been successful, where you’ve struggled, and what might be the right opportunity for you to pursue. As the adage goes, failing to plan is planning to fail. Don’t let that happen with your next job opportunity.
There are many other tactics to deploy in a successful, “life changing” job search, but don’t miss the crucial foundation that the 5 steps above have to offer!
Think Through First Things First
Luke 14:28 strikes me as a good grounding for this approach. In it, Jesus tells us, “Suppose one of you wants to build a tower. Won’t you first sit down and estimate the cost to see if you have enough money to complete it? Jesus gives another example in v. 31 “Or suppose a king is about to go to war against another king. Won’t he first sit down and consider whether he is able with ten thousand men to oppose the one coming against him with twenty thousand?”
While Jesus is using these examples for people to count the cost of becoming His disciples, I think an extending principle can apply to carefully thinking through first things first in every aspect of our life.
Last, if I had a 6th “TO DO” (or maybe sneak it into #4), I’d STRONGLY encourage you to reach out to one of our Crossroads Guides. They are highly qualified, kind-hearted, been-there-done-that professionals who are equipped to hear your story and offer some sound counsel. Click HERE to request a free consultation with a Crossroads Guide!
Blessings!
Dave Sparkman currently serves as the volunteer Crossroads Career board chair and local ministry leader. He is also the founder and managing director of Spark Your Culture, a corporate culture consulting firm. Prior to that he worked at UnitedHealth Group, a Fortune #5 public company, serving in the role of Chief Culture Officer. His unemployment experience came from the implosion of Arthur Andersen, where he served as the West Region Managing Partner, People.
Connect with a Crossroads Guide
We would love to help you by setting up a time to talk to someone who can provide personalized career assistance.
