Unemployment sucks but here's how you can navigate it

Let's face it. No one loves to lose a job. Whether you were "laid off" or the market crashed or you quit to take a break – it is not easy to deal with the sudden time at hand. I have been there and it sucked!

But is unemployment unavoidable?

Hardly!

Even successful people face rejection, underemployment, career slumps or unemployment. Unemployment is sometimes inevitable. A business may fire a team due to growing/shifting needs may. A company may cut its workforce by half to deal with a financial low. Or you might take a sabbatical to reassess your career and life. Whatever be the reason, when you choose/are forced to "not work," you have a lot of time at your disposal. But not as many viable means to use it well.

To begin with, you could while all the time away watching endless sitcoms and soap operas on Netflix. But you will get bored. Trust me, I went through Criminal Minds Seasons 1-12 this way!

You could party or dine out every day, but then you'll run out of money.

What you need is a sustained plan –that could include Criminal Minds AND dining out– but focuses on the future of your career.

Back in 2016, I was running the Bollywood and Indian Cinema portal for About.com. My first year at About.com was coming to a close and it had been fabulous! I was reviewing films, interviewing directors and technicians, and making good money. The company was about to extend my contract. Finally, I had found something I loved, gave me a work-life balance and paid me well. But, in a couple of months' time, About.com went through a major rebranding exercise. But, there was a big business pivot. All of a sudden, instead of an extension, they let go of the entire entertainment team.

The company changed its focus. It was nobody's fault.

But, I was without a job.

After a bout of tears and "why me" rants, I realized that I was morphing into a someone I couldn't recognize. I usually prided myself for being a relentless go-getter. And here I was– angry, upset and scared of what the future held.

Thankfully, I got bored of my own whining and decided to shift to action-mode.

When we lose a job, we feel invalidated, low in confidence, desperate, confused, lonely and like life has come to an absolute stand-still.

So, what we need is to feel the opposite.

We need to feel validated, confident, calm, focused, connected and thriving.

Keeping this in mind, I worked on a small plan to pivot my slump into something positive. And here's my tested plan to achieve all of the above:

Validate yourself: Tap into your community to freelance

When you lose a job, you lose your means to pay bills, sustain your existing lifestyle and plan for the future. In many ways, you feel trapped with no means to your end. This is when it might be a good option to work as a freelancer.

Here's what I did. I created an email template and reached out to friends and family. They vouched for my skills and recommended me to friends. Those who were looking for a part-time writer or a freelancer, got back in touch. We discount the power of community. But, it is so potent, it can work miracles for you.

When you reach out to your community, you will see that many are ready to help you. They only didn't know that you needed help. I got around 14 leads from my email to around 70 people. Five of these turned into actual projects that paid me money to sustain my life between jobs.

Why should you try this too?

Let's do the math. Applying to jobs is a laborious process. There is a resume to refresh, cover letters to write for each post and emails and follow-ups to send. After this, the hiring teams take some time to evaluate your profile and connect on an intro call. Then further rounds of interviews begin. You negotiate on CTC and finally get on-board. This process takes at least (if you are incredibly lucky!) 1 month and at most 3-4 months of your time.

If you cannot afford/do not want to dip into your savings, the best plan is to freelance and get some extra cash.

One word of advice: freelancing needs plenty of processes in place so people don't take you for a ride. Always work with a contract in place. Insist on advance payment before beginning work.

There are also plenty of freelance portals online listing opportunities. Another trusted way to get projects is cold emailing. List the companies you'd like to work for on a project. Reach out to its employees on LinkedIn or through their email. Offer your services as a freelancer. Who knows? This may even turn into a full-time opportunity.

Confidence is key: Personal branding

It is hard to find a job if you are feeling low.

So, how do you make yourself feel better? By sharing all the good work you have done so far.

Make a list of your best achievements. Write a short and honest paragraph about it. Give a shout-out to team members who have helped you achieve that success. Talk about your struggles, growth and eventual success.

But let it not stop with that.

You can also share links to great apps, articles, productivity tips and morning routines. Plan a social calendar to share these too. Use tools like Buffer to schedule in advance and then go about your week.

This is your personal branding – what your online presence stands for. And your online presence extends from social media to your website and portfolio and includes everything between. So, it might be a good idea to revisit your LinkedIn page and spruce up your work samples.

Can a description sound better?

Could you add a picture or link to validate a piece of work?

Is it possible to ask for a recommendation? Or give one to a great colleague?

Personal branding is not just about sharing great content and putting up a good profile. It is also about communicating with others. So don't be shy! Respond to other people's posts that resonate with you. Share ideas and recommendations. Connect people who might be of help to each other.

The more active your online presence, the greater the chances of a hiring manager taking notice!

The calm after the storm: Practicing self-reflection and gratitude

More often than not, we are so focused on getting the next job that we forget to pause and reflect.

I have been restless, sleepless and stressed out between jobs. And my mindfulness coach (yep! I have one) Marjolaine told me to stop and smell the roses. While this might sound like a weird idea, it worked like magic.

When you stop being desperate, and instead ask yourself "what next?" your path ahead clears up. She recommended that I reflect on the past and identify what I needed for the future.

You can try this too by answering a few questions about your career.

• Why did this job not work?
• What could I have done better?
• What do I want to do next?
• How will it help my career?
• Would I be happy?
• Would it lend work-life balance?
• Is the next role challenging enough? Does it pay me well?
• How can I ensure that I am not in the same situation six months down the line?
• What are the companies that I admire?
• Where would I like to work? Where do I see myself in five years?

The above questions can help you figure out what you want next. And most importantly, it also shines the light on what you DON'T want next. The latter is priceless! It helps you eliminate all the jobs that you would have applied on auto-mode without a thought. Now that you know you don't care about those jobs, you free up your time. Now you can focus on the important roles, write a better cover letter and fine tune your resume.

Another thing that Marjolaine guided me on was to practice gratitude. I thanked my husband, sister, the rest of my family for the phenomenal support they extended. I thanked the friends that stood by my side throughout the hard times. I also thanked my maid and cook since they went beyond the call of duty to take many of our every day chores off our hands.

And apart from that, I thanked simple things like "pizza for dinner", "completed 'Eleanor Oliphant is Completely Fine' and feeling positive", etc.

Somehow, this changed a lot of things. I felt better. I felt empowered with immense love and support and could conquer mountains. If that was the case, how tough can it be to get a job?

Focus on the next move: Preparing a career kit

Before you groan, this is not a painstaking process. It's actually quite simple.

What does a career kit have?

• List of companies you would like to work for
• List of the kind of roles you seek
• A great resume
• A comprehensive portfolio
• A personalized cover letter for each role

Mohit Pawar wrote this great article on how to get your dream job. I recommend reading it and following the steps to list your dream companies. Next, list the areas you want to work in – creative, marketing, sales, business development, management, people ops, etc.

When it comes to resumes, the advice is very polarised. Some insist that you should include your school grades. Others claim we don't need that. Some will tell you to stick to only a single page resume. Others say you can push it to two. At the end of the day, this document needs to showcase your work.

Rule of thumb: Keep it as short and as smart as possible. Highlight your college and recent work experience. Add a short summary for a quick review. A tool like VisualCV can help you build a resume in no time.

Cover letters are like the statement of purpose you wrote for grad school. You need to convince a company to hire you. So, your cover letter needs to answer the following questions:

• Why are you interested in the role?
• What special skills do you bring to the table/why are you the right candidate?
• Why have you chosen this company to work?

Once you have compiled your resume and written a cover letter, get a second opinion. Find someone in your field who can review your work. This could be a mentor or a friend. They need to have the time and make the effort to check your resume and cover letter. Google Docs is very handy in this process.

For portfolios, upload your work on a site like Behance, a free blog, or, if possible, invest in creating a website. It is a good idea to host all your work in one place for easy reference. Link this portfolio in your cover letter and resume.

Once you have these ready, you have your career kit! Customize these for each role and apply!

Feeling connected: Active Networking

Companies are by the people, of the people and for the people. So, the more people you connect with, the more companies you know.

Maximize your chances of getting a job by staying active on professional platforms like LinkedIn, Slack communities, etc.

You need to be in the radar for someone to recognize you. Else, you miss the boat.

But networking need not just be online. Attend offline events related to your field. Meet people. You don't have to sell yourself. In fact, that's a bad idea. Connect and converse. Ask them what they liked about the session. Or what is it at work that they are excited about. Make it about them and not about you. Get to know people and build your network. Even if it does not help you get a job, it increases your presence in the right circuits.

It's always a good time to grow: Learning to thrive

One important thing we often forget during a career slump is to upskill ourselves. You have plenty of time. So, this is a fantastic opportunity to learn a new subject or master an existing one. I love signing up for online MOOCs. For the last two years, I have tried to complete one every year. Last year, I completed a certificate course on Transmedia Storytelling from UNSW via Coursera. The year before last, I learnt to "Start Writing Fiction" from The Open University via Future Learn. This year, I am tapping into my LinkedIn Premium account to use LinkedIn Learning as a tool. What do I plan to learn? I am considering UX writing, learning to be a better female leader, storytelling and marketing. Presently, I am working on auditing the courses to choose one or two most important to my growth.

In a changing work landscape, upgrading and upskilling ourselves is essential. We need to adopt a lifelong learning mindset. And it is the best thing to do between jobs. It will help you position yourself better at your interview.

How did you spend this time between jobs?

I focused on improving my skills and signed up for a course on Blogging for Business. Through that, I learnt how I can leverage my writing to sell content online. It helped me attract two clients who I was able to help with my blogging.

Now, doesn't that sound sweet?

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When you are without a job, you can be psychologically affected. So, it is always good to talk to your family and friends. Being mindful of the situation will help you overcome half the trouble. Our society tends to judge us by what we do. In fact, the first question you ask when you meet a stranger is, "what do you do?" Having no answer (what we deem as "not the right answer") for that makes us feel awkward and worthless. But, work is only a part of our lives. It is not our identity and should not be. So, we need to learn to navigate these low tides in our life.

Have you ever lost a job or taken a sabbatical? How did you position yourself? What are your tricks to navigate unemployment? Feel free to share them in the comments!

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