I am Ready to Work

It is never easy to find job these days, especially during Covid19 twilight zone here in Malaysia. It will make it even challenging when you are at your 40s and competing with the young generation who are also looking for the same opportunities. This May marked my 1 month of out of job officially. My last position as Manager, Human Resource and Admin and also Account Manager for Manpower Services Project, with an SME company, last me for 2 years 7 months. Should I blame it to Covid19? Maybe, but I believe whatever happen is due to Allah SWT allowed this to happen and therefore there are reasons for this to happen to me and to many more of us who are still looking for job during this pandemic.

I am sure many more out there, who has been out of job more than 1 month. Some maybe years out of job, may it be due to retrenchment, voluntary resignation, recently or have completed & graduated from their study, or they have been managing their own business but did not make the cut and survive, many of us gone through different situation but end up with the same situation - jobless, and yet what make them resilient to their current situation? I have gone through several articles on the internet which gave me some ideas what can those who are out of job at the moment, to stay sane, and motivated to keep going hustling what we do best now, which is applying for the right jobs with our skills and experiences, attend interviews, waiting for result of the interviews, and handling rejection for not getting the jobs, best part is, to repeat the process all over again without feeling defeated.

1. You are ready to go to work! - current state of this unemployment is because we have not yet get the job offer. This just a phase and it is not a reflection of you not trying to get the job.
2. Don't be lazy! - make sure you have a routine, a daily routine spend time on x no of hours applying job online in a day. Make to-do list. This will have your day fill with purpose and feeling accomplished once you tick the list you have done. Consider exercise, read a book, or article, checking your inbox email, part of the do-do list. Try not to engaged in socmed too long it is distracted once you start. Maybe, you can start new habits or patterns if you found your current routine is boring.
3. Consider - take up online courses to upskilling. there are many and plenty of free online courses for your to learn. If you have budget, get your self enroll in certification courses which find might get you job opportunity for example take up - certified payroll administrator process or train the trainer courses.
4. De-Clutter - look up things which you are not need anymore and you will be surprise, the material stuff you have could bring you an income. De-clutter your life too, this is when you simplify, who is need to be in your circle and who is not.
5. Treat your self with respect and love (TLC) - If you know you are tired in your job search, take a break!! seriously, there is no worst then going down to commiserate depression. Unemployment do pull you towards that paths, but you are stronger than that. Do not compare yourself with others who are in the working life, you do not know what is their problem, they might in the employment, but trust me, some job make you not able to sleep at night, there is no inner peace, it is not worth it sometime to work with income which do not give your peaceful sleep at night.
6. Do not put too much hope / Lean on Others - Why? cause if you hoping too much on people to help you, and the help never materialize, you will put yourself down and maybe, just maybe burn your friendships or your relationship with that persons. You can ask for help, but the rest you have to work hard to get it. There is no magic formula on this, know your boundaries. Frustration and rejections feeling and hopeless when you start to think, that no one is helping you with your situation is not going to take you anywhere, so safeguard yourself from self inflected frustration doom.
7. Finally, this is part of learning process in your life experience. If you need to reach out for help, do not be afraid. Don't hide and don't live in fear thinking why you have not find or get the job offer. Know this, you are not alone in this unemployment and many has faced similar situation and they found their way back to working environment and comeback stronger. You can do this!.

To all recruiters, HR people, hiring manager and business owner out there, just to let you know, many of us are ready to go back to work!