The stress of being laid off while unemployment is soaring? Things I can do while I still have a job and my worst past mistakes when i was laid off

One in four American workers has filed for unemployment insurance.

People who constantly worry about losing their jobs reported poorer physical health and more symptoms of depression than those who'd actually been laid off,

It was sometime during the financial crisis, I remember sitting and crying in my car while a box of office supplies and certificates placed on the backseat just stared at me.

I was in the parking lot of the company and it was the day I was laid off.

It was an emotional day. I cannot forget the rush of emotions. The stress of not knowing what will happen. Insecurities that creeped in. The thoughts about what if I don’t get another job.

How did I not see the signs?

Months before this horrible event, my best friend and I had made plans to meet up for drinks and movie. Today, happens to be that day. I was shattered how my day turned out, but my best friend convinced me to get out and meet for dinner and drinks.

It was that conversation with my friend that evening that changed my mood and mindset. we did also catch a movie.

The next day I got up and I started my job hunt with a positive mindset. I think that changed a lot of things for me.

When my friend and I sat for dinner when I was at my worst, she said to me that only my employment status had changed. The things about me – my creativity, grit, my friends, health were all the same. My friend reminded me that I was smart and everyone's situation changes. a bad situation is never permanent, although it may sometimes just seem like it is.

Before the lay off’s were announced, I can tell you that I was under a lot of stress of losing my job due to the performance of the company and the financial crisis indicators.

Today, during this pandemic there are so many who have lost their jobs and for the people who are employed under the stress of losing their jobs.

Recently @Anneken Tappe at CNN Business wrote: More than 40 million Americans have filed for first-time unemployment benefits since the coronavirus pandemic forced the US economy to shut down in March. 

Back my story. So, after a wonderful evening with my friend I was looking forward to spending my next few days scouting the internet job sites. I started to notice there weren’t many jobs out there that fit my former role within the same industry.

I was super disappointed that I’m going to be unemployed for an extended period if I don’t see openings.

I finally landed a job after a few months and I was quite happy to start fresh and learn.

Here is what I learnt and adjusted during my job hunt period:

It’s not the job but the skills.

My resume and my interview conversations were focused on the job types I fulfilled and what I did to accomplish it.

One day after getting several responses with thanks for applying but NO THANKS! I started to reflect on the process starting from my resume to the job interview answers.

I made a small tweak to my approach. I started looking at my work products and writing out my skills that helped me be successful in the job and the role. I did a re-write of my resume to reflect my skills and knowledge on tools to reflect why I am a stronger applicant for the role. 

Cast a wide net

There are some industries that are hardest hit during this pandemic and are amongst the top sectors reporting layoffs and furloughs.

@Bryan Pietsch at Business Insider wrote - 20.5 million people lost their jobs in April. Here are the 10 job types that were hardest hit.

If you lost your job recently because your sector was hardest hit, I would look at the sectors that are not on the top 10 hardest hit job types and research what type of jobs and skills are they looking for.

Knowledge-intensive industries such as financial services, Technology and cloud computing sectors, were some industries that were able to pivot to remote working and continue to survive this pandemic.

Identifying the skills needed and the competency levels expected will allow you to understand the gap you need to work on.

The skills gap

Did you know for years doing the same job on rinse and repeat can create a skills gap of where you are and where the industry has accelerated towards. Ok well, I didn’t know that gap existed and I was shocked when I learnt that some skills and tools that I thought I was good at and was an expert, weren’t good enough for the top paying roles that I was looking for. Yup, rude awakening!

Most company’s don’t invest in creating and offering training on high-end or future skills to their employees.

If you have a job today but are stressing about the uncertainty the future holds, get out of your shell and identify where your knowledge is at and what others are looking for in the industry.

Lessons learned, Today; one way I keep up with being current is I think of the future and watch for where there will be talent shortages and new trends.

Here’s what @Samantha McLaren wrote about a new research –

These Industries Will Face the Biggest Talent Shortages by 2030.  

By 2030, the global talent shortage could reach 85.2 million people—costing companies trillions of dollars in lost economic opportunity.

Within the next 12 years, demand for highly skilled workers is going to skyrocket—especially across knowledge-intensive industries. But every industry will feel the ripple effects of the talent crunch, so it’s important to be prepared.

Learn about what trainings and education you need to pursue to stay ahead.

Sarah O'Brien, mentions about the new report from LinkedIn and Capgemini that revealed more than half (54%) of organizations agree that a digital talent gap is hampering their digital transformation programs.

In the same study - Nearly a third of employees said that they worried that their skills are either already or soon to become redundant. Moreover, more than half feel their company’s training programs lack what they need and desire to be successful when it comes to increasing their digital skills, describing the training as “useless and boring.” As a solution, a majority of digital talent (60%) have taken training into their own hands and are investing their own time and money, most commonly to be on a par with their colleagues on the required digital skills.

Jobs will evolve overtime. Automation and Bots will take over the repeatable tasks and this may replace some of the workforce. But the demand for critical thinking, complex problem solving, ability to create, innovate will accelerate.

Jobs will not be the same they’ll evolve. The future of work

While there are several effective methods I’ve utilized to up-skill, here are some I like to mention:

• If there is a book for dummy’s on the skill I want to learn – I’ll read it.
• Linkedin Learning with premium, is a great resource to learn On Demand Skills Training at all levels – beginners, intermediate and advance. I’ve found this very useful and easy to use.
• Networking - I join several Linkedin groups to learn and share
• Join a local chapter where professionals network, share articles, webinars.

If there is a conference or a breakout session or training, I sign up to attend and learn.

Such chapters and groups have not just helped me build on my skills but also learn the challenges that are unique to this profession and their specific industry. I’ve continued to do this even when I had a job. I offer help to others. Pay it forward!

Relocate or not to relocate – Sure. Why not?

Well this can be such a personal choice and a decision that would involve the family or others.

But is always out there as an option to checkout as you casting a wide net. Don’t write it off yet. My big opportunity came by with a relocation package and was a sweet deal overall for my career and the location was a win for the family.

Expand your boundaries, know which cities are hiring and if feasible don’t be afraid to make the move.

Check out the Monthly US Workforce Report – provided by Linkedin, with insights from 146 million U.S. members, this monthly report offers unique insights into hiring, skills gaps, and migration trends to help you better navigate today's labor market 

It is your mindset

At the end, how you view your situation makes a big impact on what you will do with this situation.

As @Susie Moore mentions in 5 Reasons You Shouldn’t Fear Losing Your Job -

“The only thing that has changed is your job status for a temporary time. So what? A job can be replaced.” Susie Moore

So first - Take a deep breath!

Being selected to be laid off most often is just bad luck. Don't take it personally, and don't feel like YOU are a failure. The reality is that your employer has failed.

1. Take your time and devise a plan for the long term
2. Do your research on what skills are in demand
3. Take steps each day to close the skill gap - 1% at a time
4. Cast a wide net – look beyond your core industry if possible.
5. Expand your boundaries – not all cities and towns are impacted by the crisis the same way.

"Life is too short to stress about the uncertainties or think about the failures and mope over the rejections.

Life is about fulfilling our purpose and being of service for the greater good.

Life is about planning and fulfilling the demands of today and the future. You just need to be ready for your next calling." Erlin Kakkanad

Photo by Juan Pablo Serrano Arenas

This article was originally posted on engineercreativethinking.com - Blogs by Erlin Kakkanad

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