Editorial
Job Searches Do Not Have Dead Ends
No one is ever really stuck.
We are eight months into the pandemic and there is no end in sight.
Although unemployment numbers have decreased and some companies are still hiring, more businesses — even entire industries — are downsizing or closing altogether.
Overnight, millions have to go home without the bacon. Dream careers vanish without warning. For the first time in many lives, we have to call the unemployment office.
On top of all that, the kids are stuck at home. Bills pile up. Homes are on the line.
Many are digging into retirement or even the kids’ college funds just to survive, leading most of my clients to tell me they need a job ASAP.
As someone cried, “I was taught that if I work hard, I would be able to provide for my family. Yeah, well, what now?”
Grueling Journey to Be Gainfully Employed
When we unexpectedly get the rug pulled from under us, the first thing that comes to mind is to get that rug back. In this case, the rug would be the job.
We yank out our dated resumes, attempt to revise it, and saturate the internet with it in search for someone willing to hire us.
Some are lucky.
Some have to put in a little effort.
And some, no matter how much work they exert, cannot seem to break through.
They update and tailor their resumes. They make sure to apply to ten jobs a day. They network. They brush up their interviewing skills. Perhaps they even invest hundreds, if not thousands, of dollars on a career coach to help them through the process.
Still nothing.
For years, I was in this last category.
Soon, everywhere we turn looks like a dead end.
We run out of ideas as funds run dry and desperation balloons.
We have tried everything.
But wait! Have we really tried everything?
The Light
Many of my clients are at their wit’s end by the time they find me.
My job as a resume coach is to do the best I can to breathe life into their resumes so that they can rejuvenate, feel better about their prospects, and end their job searches with happy endings.
I am grateful to say that has happened to more than half my clients during the pandemic.
Nonetheless, it has not escaped me that some of them are still chugging along. Granted that more recruiters and hiring managers are inviting them to the interview, they are still at it. And the longer this becomes, the more likely they will feel stuck yet again.
But in this past year since I started my business before Covid, I have learned a crucial lesson.
We are never, ever truly stuck. We always have a choice.
The choice to create our own way.
Especially during an international crisis, less and less people have the capability to offer us opportunity. As our economy continue to tank for the unforeseeable future, this search looks more and more like finding a needle in a haystack…
…when that needle has been in front of our eyes the whole time.
That needle may very well be our lifesaver.
When there is nothing more to lose, when there is nowhere to go but up, we need to take the well-thought out risk of starting our own opportunity.
As individuals, we have the ability to be independent contractors who offer our expertise to anyone who needs it.
We can take note of all our neighbors lining up the food banks and be the chef of the town.
We can create products that will save entire communities from very angle.
We do not need permission from anyone to do this.
All we need is our will. As long as we have that, the support and funding will follow and take us to new heights.
So, you see, we are never stuck.
We can do this.
