Laid off? 3 ways to run fearlessly into the unkno...

What a cliff hanger eh? I mean, I didn't even bother completing the title, so this MUST be juicy! The truth is, I'm choosing to stop working right now, after I've seen countless articles and posts about layoffs and the fear around them, and choosing to lend my arm chair wisdom. I have deep empathy for this situation, as I've been supporting the unemployed as a Tech Recruiter and Founder of multiple startups for over 16 years. I've also been through 3 (now 4?) recessions myself, and been on both ends of the hiring spectrum. Despite all this, unless I've chosen a sabbatical (which I have) I've consistently stayed employed with minimal gaps since age 14, and quite honestly ....I'm not that impressive as a job seeker! I have no MBA, no certifications, my GPA out of college was a C+, and half the time I can't remember what I had for dinner the night before. I've failed plenty in my career, and lose deals WAY more than I win them. This begs the question...."how have I stay employed"? How has a middle aged, average intelligence person with average credentials stayed afloat for over 30 years? Well..here's my playbook and I hope it provides guidance and hope.

1) BE your #1 advocate: I coach this with every job seeker I meet. When I've been laid off, quit roles, been fired (I've experience it all) I realize very quickly that yes, I have amazing friends, family and a support system...and NOONE is going to do it for me. I also tell myself (in the words of Stuart Smalley from SNL) "I'm good enough, I'm smart enough, and dog gone it, people LIKE me! It sounds cheesy by true! With every interaction, every person I meet, I truly believe whether it's the President of a billion dollar corporation or the kind Uber driver that took me to meet her (both recent experiences) I believe everyone has value to offer...starting with me! It's a belief that you've been hired before, you'll be hired again. A trust that you've found jobs before, you CAN find a new one. This all sounds cheesy and without merit, but I'm telling you, BELIEF is something that emanates, that carries with you, and that inspires others to believe in YOU! When others feel that, they want to be a part of YOUR story, YOUR success, and this draws people in...and ultimately become an advocate to help hire you. It starts and ends with the person on the other side of the mirror, so do whatever it takes, every day, to start the day with this belief and positivity. No one wants to work with "Eeyore". :P

2) EXPAND your network: The old adage about "it's all about who you know" is a great one, and is missing a very important "asterisk". This doesn't ask the question "HOW do you get to know them" or "WHY is this relationship mutually beneficial"? To that end, when faced with challenges with my business (substitute "business" with "job search", it's the SAME thing) I try to dig really deep. I check in with peers, old colleagues, old bosses, managers, leaders that I respect, and I reach out! I do so as a friend first, a business person second, and seek to learn about their lives, their well being, and be present. Inevitably, family, business, job search, etc comes up, and it's a natural way to parlay a conversation to the business side of your relationship. I also make it a point to not only keep up with my allies, I also expand thru in person networking, volunteerism, and communities that I belong to. Tell anyone that will listen about your situation, and also don't make it all about you! People find the most connection when there is some level of balance brought to the relationship.

3) Be open to ANYTHING: Remember how I said I've kept working for basically 30+ years? What I didn't mention was WHAT kind of work. "Work" in the general sense can be any ethical income generating activity, and for any amount of time. In my career as a degreed "Computer Engineer" I've been an entry level sales person at Best Buy, worked in the shipping department of a factory doing data entry, walked beans (bonus points if you know what this means fellow farmers) and worked grocery and a variety of customer service jobs. I've also successfully founded 2 startups, been a tech executive and had the good fortune of making the Inc 500. The consistent thread? I've been open to literally ANY type of role, almost ANY compensation (from $10/hr) and I've always bet on myself, and made sure that the people I worked with/for are those that I believe in (sans once, and that was a huge mistake I learned from!) Point being, there is POWER in work. It gives you purpose, it gives you something to wake up to beyond the basics, and even if it's "underemployment" or doing something completely different that is not career related, you never know what doors will open by being open. I've had approximately 16 jobs in my working life, and only ONE, literally ONE was a role I applied to! The rest were referred, created or generated by going to my network, expanding it, and being open.

I hope this article gives you a different view on how to move forward in your career, and if you'd like to learn more about how we help others land , check us out! https://www.thetalentmine.jobs/career-services