I’m quoted in this Business Insider article about how to get a job when you’ve been unemployed for a while. I managed to work in a mention of Law & Order.
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unemployment
Florida, what’s wrong with you?
Workforce Central Florida, a federally-funded jobs agency, was just forced to kill an insulting $73,000 PR campaign that included $14,000 for 6,000 superhero capes, which they planned to give away to unemployed residents.
By friending the agency on Facebook, taking a “What kind of Superhero Are You?” quiz, or posing for a photo with a cutout of “Dr. Evil Unemployment” (on which they spent $2,300), unemployed Floridians could win a cape … or $125 worth of resume paper, which is almost more alarming than the capes, since you’ve got to hope that a jobs agency isn’t encouraging people to mail their resumes in this day and age. (Bring a copy to your interview, yes, but you’re hardly going to need $125 worth of paper for that. And for the record, plain paper will do just fine.)
If anyone had any doubt that most government-run jobs agencies (including unemployment offices) have no idea what they’re doing, here’s confirmation.
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A reader writes:
I have not worked full time in over a year and a half and have been unemployed for two months, when my seasonal job came to an end. I have not been able to find a job and am starting to think there is something wrong with me.
In fact, my perceived flaws are getting to me so much that I can’t fully relax when I am out looking for jobs. When I e-mail a resume or walk into a company, I get into the mindset that I MUST be perfect, or I won’t get the job. I have to have a perfect background, perfect outfit, perfect hairstyle, perfect smile, and answer the questions in the way employers want to hear. If I make a mistake in an interview or have a hard time answering a question, I mentally kick myself for it.
I have yet to pinpoint exactly what is wrong with me and what is holding me back. However, I think my insistence that I have to be perfect or I will instantly lose the job is playing a big part in keeping me from finding employment. How can I relax and stop putting so much pressure on myself? I feel like a failure because I do not have gainful employment, so I really want to find a solution to this.
No, no, no, no! You do not need to be perfect. In fact, your attempts to be perfect in the way that you’re describing might even be hurting you — because my hunch is that in your attempts at perfection, you’re probably coming across as nervous and uncomfortable, and possibly even stiff.
Most employers want to get a feel for who you really are, warts and all. We’re well aware that no one is perfect, so if we can’t see behind a mask of faux perfection, we get nervous — because we want to know who we’re going to be working with every day. If we get the sense you’re putting on an interview persona, that’s a negative — because you’re not going to be wearing that interview persona to work every day. I mean, yes, most normal people are going to be a bit more formal in an interview than they will be on the job, but we still want to get a sense of who you really are.
Plus, that kind of self-imposed pressure for perfection (a perfection that doesn’t exist) also puts up a barrier to one of things that can turn a good interview into a great one — personal connection. It’s hard to connect on a personal level when you’re focused on being someone other than you.
Easier said than done, I know, especially when you’re feeling the desperation of a long job search. I have a bunch of advice for you on overcoming nerves and getting yourself into a better mindset, and it all happens to be compiled in the “nerves” section of my free guide on how to prepare for an interview. So read that immediately.
Additionally, I’m going to refer you to these posts, from people dealing with the same situation you’re in — a really terrible job market that has a way of messing with people’s heads and making them feel like it’s them, when it fact it’s the merciless math of five times as many job-seekers as job openings:
recent grad in despair over job market
a success story from someone who was where you are
Hang in there. You’ve got a lot of company in your situation, and it’s not going to stay like this forever.
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Check out this Wall St. Journal article about how many outplacement firms suck. (Outplacement firms are hired by some companies doing lay-offs; they ostensibly help laid-off workers find new work, by helping with resumes and cover letters, coaching, etc.) Unsurprisingly, it turns out that many of them offer lame boilerplate advice that isn’t helping anyone.
Some of the highlights from the article:
* At a mock lunch interview, one guy “was scolded for not following his coach to the restroom to continue the conversation. The other says he was chided for ordering diet soda because it suggested immaturity.” And one woman was chastised for ordering cranberry juice, because “it could be interpreted as a sign of a urinary-tract infection.”
* At least some of the cover letters they’re writing for people truly suck. One firm president who received application materials sent through an outplacement firm told the paper that “he eliminated both women from consideration as his executive assistant. ‘We didn’t take the letters seriously because they did not reflect an understanding of our company — and they looked alike,” he says.”
* Many/most/all (it’s not clear) of the firms don’t track how many of their clients actually find jobs. In other words, they don’t measure whether or not they’re actually meeting their most basic goal.
For some reason, the “we’ll help you get hired” industry is full of people who no clue what they’re talking about — maybe because anyone can read a couple of outdated job hunting guides from the 1980s and call themselves an expert. And it helps that their target audience is anxious and vulnerable.
But if you’re in the market for job search help, a good question to ask before you work with any coach or advisor is: How many people have you hired yourself? I’d bet a lot of money that for most of the staff at these outplacement firms, the answer is zero.
You wouldn’t hire a mechanic who had never worked on a car before, and you shouldn’t hire a job coach who has never hired.
(I do want to note that I’ve done some work for RiseSmart, and what I’ve seen from them has been very different than some of the firms described here. So there’s hope.)
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In the comments on a recent post, Kathy asked:
Hi, I have a question that I do not mean with any snotty tone, whatsoever. I am truly curious because it’s something I’ve always wondered:
For those of you unemployed for lengthy periods of time, how do you survive? Did you have a large emergency fund built up? Do you tend to live on credit? Do you just cut back significantly?
Also, is a part-time job a possibility? Again, please understand that I’m asking out of curiosity–not as an attack.
I have often wondered this as I contemplate what would happen if I lost my job. I have probably several months of savings built up (as I continue to build it), but I don’t know what I would do much beyond that….?
Best of luck to you all in the job-search mode. Things will get better. It has to.
So many people have chimed in to answer that that I thought I’d create a new post just on this topic.
So far, the following responses were posted:
From Anonymous:
This past July, my partner was laid off. We had 3 months of emergency savings and I was working a part-time job while attending graduate school full time.
We immediately cut out every expense except food, mortgage, gas, electric, internet, and phone. We downgraded our car insurance to the state minimum. We did keep Netflix ($10/mo), but spent no other money on entertainment. My part-time job helped slow the bleeding, but wasn’t nearly enough on its own. When the savings ran out, I took extra student loans.
Luckily, the nightmare ended this week as my partner started a new FT job. If it hadn’t been for the student loans (which now have to be repaid at exorbitant interest), I don’t know what we would’ve done.
From Unemployed Gal:
@Kathy and others wondering:
Do they all have spouses who make so much that the rent or mortgage can still be paid with half the income gone? My husband has a (reasonably) secure job that barely covers the bills. But we’re “paycheck to paycheck” until I find work.
What do you do when you have no income and a house that won’t sell? If my husband lost his job too, I guess we’d have to pick out a nice cardboard box to live in. (In other words, we’re screwed.)
Did you have a large emergency fund built up? We did, until we had several emergencies, including a flooded basement. But that cushion did help.
Do you tend to live on credit? We’ve managed to keep our balances low, but a single illness or emergency repair would definitely fill the cards again.
Do you just cut back significantly? Oh, yeah. I’ve never had this many peanut butter-based meals in my life.
Is a part-time job a possibility? I’m looking for part-time, full-time, and everything in between. Most unemployed aren’t sitting around waiting for that CFO opening. I’d walk your dogs for a paycheck.
What do you do if you’re single and you are your only source of income? During a previous period of unemployment in my early twenties, I enrolled in college and paid the rent with student loans. My credit cards got pretty fat then, too. It wasn’t fun, but at least I have a degree (and massive student loans) to show for it.
From another Anonymous:
From a different perspective (as I am single), I have learned the “do you really need that” standpoint. When everything’s going well, you don’t give two thoughts at purchasing that book or going to the movie theater. But when you are out of a job, you don’t pull out your wallet as fast. If I want to read a book, I go to the free public library. Guess what? If I wait, I can also get the new DVDs there too. Yes, I’ll wait a good few months to see the movie, but that’s $10 that stayed in my wallet for food and other necessities. You’ll become creative at saving money but still enjoy things.
Like what Unemployed Gal said, you might cut back on eating out and staying home more often eating peanut butter. You can splurge every now and then, but don’t make it a habit.
And coupons become your friends!
Can I thank you? I really appreciate someone finally asking what it is like to be struggling in this time. You appear to appreciate your job and understand that there could be a risk of losing it due to this economy. Thank you for realizing that times are tough. There are people out there who have jobs and turn a deaf ear when they hear others complaining/discussing/mentioning how hard it is out there. Do they live under a rock or can’t face the reality? Whichever, I thank you for not being one.
This is a topic that doesn’t get enough attention. Thank you for raising it.
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