To the in-betweeners: A complete guide to smartly survive the time between jobs

Every morning you wake up and feel a nagging emptiness, as if your career has died and you are in mourning. You have a million things to do, but all you can manage is obsessively hunt for jobs on all possible forums or convince yourself how you are never going to rise from this slump again.

Stop! 

Really!

This is a post written solely for the 'in-betweeners' - those who are caught in the awkward space between jobs or hunting for a new freelance client to fill their extra hours. Trust me, I know exactly what you are feeling.

Losing a job or client is not such a big deal. Yes, you were very involved with the work or it paid you a fat sum. But, this is business, not personal. Whether you quit or they fired you for whatever reasons that be, it is okay. It WILL be okay.

you ask? Read on!

Statistics favour you

The Dun & Bradstreet Corporation, the world's leading source of commercial information and insight on businesses, reported 220 million business records in their global commercial database as of December 31, 2012. We are four years ahead of that report. a new startup raises it's head in wonder, full of opportunities to befriend. Do the math. A crazy number of businesses are out there head-hunting for a person just like you! So, what exactly are you stressing about? The market is down, you say? Well, work with your secondary skills or become ab entrepreneur and create a market for yourself. If that sounds daunting, try in newer markets. Aim for that wonderful opportunity called 'remote job'

Remote job? What the hell is that?

No human being is restricted by physical boundaries to work anymore. Remote jobs are the reality we live and worked that way for a few clients, I can assure you that this way of working is even better than going to a physical office. You have a flexibility of working like no other. Sit in your pyjamas, be a badass and crack that code. Write that content piece from your favourite coffee house or attend that meeting with the beach for a background. All you need to do with a remote job is , be accountable for work and be flexible.

Flex those skills!

Speaking of being flexible, this could be a great time to indulge in personal projects, dust up secondary skills or acquire new ones that may increase your market value. Knowledge gained or work created during breaks go a long way to prove just how committed you are to your field of work. The work I have done for myself have been far more emotionally rewarding than anything else.

Why?

Let's take this series ' '. I write this simply to share my thoughts on job hunting. I don't have a client for it. I don't make a single penny out of it. But, it is in total alignment with my career goals of writing, sharing wisdom and communicating with a wider network of people. It is also immensely gratifying when people write back saying my words were to them. When do I write these? When I find , or in other words, when I have lesser freelance clients than I would like.

Invest in yourself

Another thing that I have realised in my extremely vulnerable but wonderfully fulfilling 2 years of full-time freelancing is that breaks are good. Sometimes, I have even felt that breaks are a divine intervention delivered by the powers-that-be for you to automatically slow-down and breathe easy. 

How often do we invest in ourselves? We usually skip the movie, forget to write personal essays and poems or make excuses to spend time with those we care for. The lives we all lead is a sure shot way to self-destruct. So, maybe, breaks are not bad at all. They help you spend quality time with yourself and indulge in living. A lazy morning or a solitary coffee gazing at leaves may not sound better than a fat , but actually, matter more in terms of keeping up your physical and mental health. 

Learn to embrace this uncertain time. Don't beat yourself up or spiral into self-pity (I do it sometimes but quickly jolt myself back to sense). If your finances look bad, spend less for a while. Maybe, you can even borrow money with a clear plan of returning. Work on small projects, consult or work on yourself to bounce back doubly strong.

The refresh button

This in-between time is not just to soak in some self-love but also a good time to rethink your goals. Is there something you are doing wrong? Have you worked to the best of your abilities? Are there any ways in which you improve your game? Should you consider a change in the field of work? Or should you simply consult/freelance? 

Answers to the above questions can work wonders your career. We are too afraid to question ourselves when we are at a steady job with a constant flow of income. I have been there - unhappy at my job but hiding behind the , reassuring myself every month that in the bigger picture, this torture wouldn't matter.

But, oh, it does!

A toxic work environment can cause great damage despite filling your coffers with ample money. Nothing, and I mean NOTHING, is worth beating yourself up for. There is always a job that is better and more suited for you out there. Now that you have quit, it's probably a good time to seek it.

Express

Like I mentioned earlier, I often find myself jumping like a monkey on branches of self-deprecating thoughts. "Maybe I am not good enough! I will never ever find a good job. I made a mistake quitting corporate life" - you know the drift! 

That is the time when I pick my pen and write. I pour out my thoughts and organise them into productive work in order to stop having these hazardous conversations. Or, I call family and friends and talk things through. (I am lucky to have some really reassuring people in my life) It is also good to seek out professional help in the form of career counselling or even a psychologist if you find your mind pulling you down too much. Either way, expressing what you otherwise bottle down, is advisable.

Whether self-inflicted or sudden, the in-between times are quite horrible and no one denies it. But, with a little change in perspective, this could be your pseudo-sabbatical that can help set your life and career in order. Your break may then just turn out to be a blessing! 

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This is the fourth article in the series on jobs and work life, called 'Jobscapes'. Read the first, second, third, fifth, sixth and seventh articles for the whole picture.