Do Your Homework

We live in the age of technology, which means there’s a wealth of information readily available at your fingertips. There are websites, articles, expert opinions, photos, videos and blogs on just about every topic that exists. “Been there, done that” has never been more true and you can be almost anywhere and do nearly anything, all from the comfort of your own home.

Fortunately, you get to decide just how much of that world you care to be a part of. Only this weekend I met an intelligent young lady in her late teens who didn’t have, and refuses to get, a Facebook account.  Some of you just had a minor stroke at the thought. She doesn’t Twitter, Flicker, My Space, nothing. And (brace yourself), I know many more just like her.

When you’re not working there are many daily challenges and one minute to the next you can pull some new emotion out of thin air. Contrary to what others around you might say, you’re allowed, it’s ok. What your support group (family, friends and nosy acquaintances) need to understand, is that this transitional time for you, will also be a transitional time for them. They will need to be patient and cut you some slack. Don’t fake joy if you don’t feel it. You’ll feel worse as the days wear on. Be honest with those that love you and the rest, well, don’t bother about them right now. This is not your free pass to be cruel-at-will either, but a bit of bi-polar is permitted. The emotional roller-coaster you’re on means that you’ll likely want to hide from everyone. Because if one more person asks “so what are doing now”…let’s just say you can’t be held responsible for the outcome.

So disappear. That’s allowed too. For a little while any way. Update your privacy settings to ‘just me’, stop posting and stop responding. I don’t recommend deleting any accounts. While you may not believe this now, you will work again and when that happens you don’t want to have to start over. Also, bear in mind the better you hide and the longer you’re ‘off-air’, the harder it will be and the longer it will take to come back socially. No reason we should both get it wrong. This is how the technology age can make you feel like it’s working against you. 
 

What I’d like to inspire you to think about however, is how the technology age may work in your favor. Use everything that’s available to you, search the websites, articles, expert opinions, photos, videos and blogs and do some of that you’ve been doing, plus some of the things you haven’t and do it all differently.

First Things First

Customize your cover letter. There are endless tips for getting this right and better yet, there’s a marvelous supply of templates to choose from. Find them, use them and take the time to get it right. It’s the first impression you make.

The Newly Designed Honesty Policy

Update your cv. Honestly. Don’t fluff or bluff, but perhaps some color might work. I’ve been job hunting for 6 months now and I’ve had 6 resume designs. Keeping the look fresh helps to keep you from feeling bored with the routine. If you’ve sent that company an application before, now it’s a whole new you and they see it.  Again, there’s world of templates and topics to help you with this.

That Technology Thing

There’s a good chance that if your cover letter intrigued and your resume sold, your prospective employer will do their due diligence before giving you a call. In our times that means they may check you socially.  Make sure there’s nothing on there (Facebook, Twitter, etc.) you don’t want them to see, or be sure to keep it private to prevent them from seeing it.

Pre-Proposal

Seen all those articles loads of people take time to write about preparing for the interview? Read them. Flag the good ones, it will help the next person out. But here’s something they forget to tell you, after you read them, stand in tree pose...Why? Because one of the things that comes with losing your job is a serious loss of confidence and more important than not chewing gum in your interview, is believing in yourself. Do something that boosts your confidence and makes you feel good about you. Jog, hike, paint your toes, play your Wii, bathe the dog, do some yoga, or simply, stand in tree pose. But feel like you’ve conquered that room before you walk into it.

The Morning After

If they called, congratulations! But if they didn’t, keep moving forward. It’s a great time to call up a friend and be taken for ice-cream. Just be sure by the time the cone is gone, so is your disappointment. Don’t wallow in self pity, it’s their loss and you’ve got jobs to hunt for. You have a future to shape and you need the funds to sculpt it. Read up on an emotional recovery plan, watch a silly video on you tube, go for another jog, but put it behind you and pick up the classifieds.

Whatever help you need, it’s out there, floating around in cyberspace just waiting for you to reach out and grab it. So ask for a reference or find your own. Go for it. Tomorrow is your day.  

For Helpful Hunting:-

Caribbean: Caribbean Jobs  

International:  Forbes Recommended Websites for Job Hunting