ponderings  

"There is no such thing as a problem without a gift for you in its hands.
You seek problems because you need their gifts."
-Richard Bach

Probably the most important thing to do, particularly if you have been "downsized", is to regroup and assess your situation carefully.  If you were unhappy, why return to the same-old, same-old?  If you loved the people, seek a new situation with excellent people.  Of course you need to consider survival needs, but sometimes the ultimate security is in prudent risk, and the ultimate risk is in the illusion of security.

Consider your mission in life. Take some time. Our 21st century way of life has become an ongoing emergency. Allow yourself to escape the trap of thinking that your unemployment is just another such emergency. Take time. Think. Meditate. Consider why you are here on this little blue planet. There is a reason... it is your "calling" (remember that the word "vocation" means calling). Richard Bolles' What Color is your Parachute has a great chapter about finding your mission in life. Check for inspirational and thought-provoking material about job hunting after the 9/11 tragedy, as well as thoughts about finding your Mission in Life at: http://www.jobhuntersbible.com

Lean into your faith. Right now, it may sometimes seem that this is all you have. Believe me, it is the means by which everything else can happen. There is so much out there to inspire and comfort you. One wonderful example is Alpha Omega Notes, little screenfuls of inspiration - the online ministry of the favorite Physics professor of my favorite Physics professor. These are from a Christian perspective, so they are appropriate for me. I would encourage you to seek out the inspiration and comfort that is appropriate for your faith.

Manchester reminds us that employers use a philosophy these days called "behavioral interviewing", which roughly translates to: "your future behavior can be predicted pretty well from your past history".  So it's very much to your advantage to very carefully assess what you did well in the past -- and be prepared to briefly describe this during a phone or in-person interview.

I believe that it is important to remember to not panic and waste enormous effort sending out thousands of resumes, burning up time, effort, postage, envelopes, paper, and printer cartridges.  However, I've been recently advised that "saturation bombing" with resumes can sometimes be effective within your carefully selected targets. Something like 70% of positions are in the so-called "hidden job market", and are NOT advertised. The ONLY way to know about these openings is through NETWORKING. It is very easy to spend a tremendous amount of time surfing the Web for jobs. This is "safe" in that nobody will say "no" to you. But the most effective strategy is to combine the information retrieval power of the Web with good, old fashioned networking. Who do you know? Who do THEY know? Make a list. Call them. Arrange "informational interviews" that are very low-stress for everybody, since you are not asking for employment, just for information. Ask people you know and respect to take a look at your resume. They may offer helpful suggestions, and they may also offer helpful leads.

Of course I have been discouraged. We all have. The terrorist attacks of 9/11, the ongoing terrorist threat, the collapse of the Internet Bubble, the rampant corporate scandals, the collapsing economy, offshore outsourcing, the incredible arrogance and dog-eat-dog mentality. Etc.

But focusing on the problems is largely counterproductive. Richard Nelson Bolles tells a story of a time when a young woman who suffered from multiple sclerosis came to him for help. He asked her how she felt. Hopeless, she replied. He then encouraged her that if 98% of the situation was totally beyond her control, there was still 2% within her control. He encouraged her to work with that 2%. The author tells the story far better than I can in an address he gave for career counselors (please click here if you would like to read about the happy ending).

The message is: The "victim" mentality goes nowhere. No matter how little control we have over a situation, the only place we can operate is where we have some control. We need to be open to wise and helpful experts, colleagues, and friends. But in the end we need to take control.

If you feel defeated (as we all do sometimes), please click here for an excellent summary of effective steps you can take.

As Fox Mulder might say: "Open yourself up to extreme possibilities".

Think very carefully up front.  Do homework on yourself first.  This is not just my advice... the experts at Manchester and Richard Nelson Bolles' "What Color is Your Parachute?" stress this.  Once you know yourself, and what you truly want to do -- what you'd truly love to do -- go for it.

Well -- if you're out looking for work, check back once in a while.  I'll post information when I feel it may be helpful.  Please remember that sites I list here lead to many others.  One good example of this is a set of very helpful tutorials at the Manchester site.  Another is "The Fairy Godmother Report" at the Job Hunter's Bible site.  I strongly recommend mousing around at: