Is Any Job Better Than No Job at All?

A job-seeker who's between jobs walks a tightrope. You could take the first crappy job you can find, but that's a high-risk strategy. If the first job you can get is a 'career-type' job and it's a big step down from the last job you held, it's going to damage your resume.

Worse, a horrible job that requires a lot from you will crush your mojo and leave you with no energy after work to job-hunt.

On top of that, how will you explain to employers why you just took a job and yet you're already job-hunting? You can't very well tell them "It's a really crappy job, and I just took it to pay the bills. I'm planning to leave there as soon as I find something better." Who will hire you when you say that?

If you can afford not to grab the first low-rent job you come across, it's better to invest your finite time and energy  in a more thoughtful strategy than "Oh, shiz! I'm not working -- I need a job next week!"

You can get a survival job if you need cash -- tending bar, waiting tables or driving a limo, for instance. One of our clients, Paul, was a doorman for a hotel and while he had that job, he interviewed for and snagged a Director of Sales job.

Paul didn't downplay or whitewash his hotel gig. He told the VP of Sales who hired him "I've learned a ton working at the hotel. I watch people and I listen to them, every day. I see what they care about and what bothers them. All that observation makes me a better salesperson."

I recommend that every job-seeker get a consulting business card. You can get them from Vistaprint for a few bucks online. You can keep your consulting branding very general or get more specific if you prefer.

My friend Sarah ordered business cards that only included her name and email address, plus the message "Available for Lunch." Those cards were conversation-starters! Sarah got invited to a lot of lunches until she landed her new job about three months later.

It's normal to panic when you lose your job. Some people deal with their panic by taking steps -- any steps -- to relieve their anxiety about money. We can't blame them, because it's a horrible thing to have the rug pulled out from under you.

When you lose your job, it's not just your paycheck that goes away. You're not sure who you are anymore, and you don't have anywhere to go during the day. It's disorienting and upsetting, and many people deal with those feelings by deciding "I'm going to start working again as fast as I can, no matter what!"

If you're feeling that way, interview for non-career jobs until the panicky feeling goes away. It will hurt you to take a lousy career-type job and then realize that your new job is going to make your job search a lot harder. 

Some people deal with the anxiety that a job loss creates by pretending it isn't real. I went to speak in St. Louis, and met a gentleman who had been out of work for three and a half years.

"First I took out a home equity loan, and now I'm spending my retirement funds," he said. "Luckily I'm old enough to hit my retirement account without incurring penalties."

"Tell me about your job search," I said, and the gentleman shocked me with his reply. "I'm not really job-hunting," he said. "I'm a Supply Chain professional, and I'm waiting for the jobs to come back."

I wanted to grab him by the lapels and shake him awake. Most of those jobs are not coming back! You can't wait for a great job to find you. You have to go out and find people who need your help and have enough pain to justify paying you to make the pain go away.

Before you dive into a job search with the mindset "Somebody, anybody, hire me, please!" take stock of your situation. You may have more time to job-hunt than you think in those first, panic-stricken days after you lose your job.

If you can make money consulting or at a survival job, your runway will get longer. One client of ours sold $8,000 of her belongings on eBay and Craiglist.

"I would never have dreamed I had stuff that I didn't even care about that would be worth that much money," she said. "I sold furniture and stuff I've been carting around for years. Now my house feels bigger and my bank account is bigger, too!"

She grew muscles listing her items for sale and getting paid for them. The extra cash let her invest more time in finding the right job -- the job she accepted, a nice step up from the job she'd lost.

We all worry about finances in the best of times and especially when our income disappears unexpectedly. It's a mistake to underreact, like the fellow in St. Louis who may still be waiting for the jobs to return. That's a fear reaction.

It's also a mistake to overreact, like the many people who jump at the first awful job offer they get and wind up wishing they'd been a little more patient.

When you take a job that destroys your mojo, it can take years to get back on your feet emotionally. How can you job-hunt in a mojo-depleted state, going into work at a job you hate every day and pretending to be a person you're not?

Our client Brandon took a job selling mens' suits at Nordstrom when he lost his job. "At first I was freaked out to be selling clothing in a retail store, even a great store like Nordstrom," Brandon told us.

"Within a few weeks I was looking forward to my shifts. The people I worked with and the customers were incredibly nice. I struck up a friendship with a woman who needed new suits for her husband and two sons for her daughter's upcoming wedding.

"As luck would have it, the father of the bride came in to be measured and we hit it off. He heard my story and introduced me to a recruiter who got me the awesome new job I have now. I still take a few shifts at Nordstrom when they need my help. You really never know where your path will take you!"

Keep in mind that no one will value your talents more than you value them yourself. If you can keep your cool and avoid trashing your brand and crushing your spirit by taking a step-down job that you know in advance you will hate, you'll be glad later on that you did.

You've worked too hard in your career to diminish your flame now, when you need it most! 

Questions and Answers

Why does the weenie interviewer look peeved?

Because she hates her  life.

Where do the songs on the Human Workplace MOJO Playlist, MOJO Playlist II, MOJO Playlist Three and MOJO Playlist IV come from?

They are our CEO Liz Ryan's favorite songs. 

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I'm in a tough job search right now and I need a job! Is there a Human Workplace course for me?

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