What No One Tells You About Unemployment
After being unemployed for the past five months “which might not be considerably a long period for some of you; but considering that I was employed right after graduation has prevented me from having to experience the feeling of unemployment as well as the stress of looking for a job.
I wasn’t prepared for what was coming up next. All I knew that it was going to be a new phase in life. I would both learn from and make the best out of just like any other phase we get through in life, or oppositely; let it take the best out of me and eat me up from the inside every time someone asks me with good intention if I got a job already or not.
Since being unemployed is normally never planned; some people might experience unemployment while they are looking for their first job, leaving a previous job due to different reasons, being fired or because of relocation as in my case.
Whether career transition was planned ahead or was not, it isn’t necessary to always turn out the way we have planned it to be.
At schools, we were taught how to handle and get through work stress, manage our time at work productively, but we were never exposed to the dark side of being laid off nor to the psychological effects of being unemployed, the pressure of the job hunt, and how to deal with it in a healthy way and more importantly how to job search!
So next comes what no one prepares you for:
1. It is not the end of the world
If you ever find yourself lost in the dark, I want you to keep on reminding yourself that; it is perfectly okay and natural to lose your self-confidence and to feel blue on some days. But what’s not okay; is not putting the required effort to get through it, yet keep on complaining on how depressed, desperate and miserable you are.
After all, no one enjoys being rejected or turned down but the truth is: it’s a part of anything in life. Isn’t it?
Some days might be gloomy to an extent that you might wake up in the morning; log in to your email, save yourself up some time and only scroll down to where it says “we wish you all the best in your career search”, yet you wouldn’t be surprised, not even a bit.
Other days you’ll be extremely excited and energetic to kick off the day and start applying!
I have received hundreds of rejections, but it’s worth mentioning that they only made me stronger and pushed me more to raise the bar higher.
I have also realized that the amount of competition out there and the number of well-educated unemployed/looking for a job people is just incredible! This only gave me more time to reflect, reevaluate myself, identify the gaps, and learn my strengths as well as my weaknesses.
2. You will have doubts
Doubts in your education, experience, career, the first impression you’re leaving behind and above all, in yourself.
Sometimes, you might walk out of the interview knowing full well that you screwed up believing that they would never call you back; other times you might walk out with full confidence that you aced the interview! And it can always be the other way around — who knows.
Once, I have reached the final stages of interviewing. Then, sadly, after checking on my application I figured out that I was turned down. A week later they called back to invite me again for more interviews. That’s when I had high hopes again. Later on, I got turned down again for the same position! I thought to myself that two rejections on a row for the same position might be a bit harsh? Depressing?
That’s when I have learned my lesson: To never put any expectations but to only do my homework and be positive regardless of the result.
3. Use your time wisely
You’re no longer occupied from 8 to 5, so no more excuses for not having enough time to do what you liked or wanted to do. You’re perfectly in full control of your 24 hours now. Make sure you spend them right.
I would recommend volunteering. Trust me, the amount of self-esteem you will gain back when you give without any materialistic return on you will mean the world to you at the end of the day. It definitely will add up to your experience too!
You might also have the time to freelance now, or maybe start your own thing too!
It won’t be fair if I said I didn’t really enjoy my time while unemployed. Because I actually did; I got the chance to travel to different cities, spent more time with family and friends, read more books, enjoyed my hobbies, enrolled in online courses, and had more time to pursue things I was interested in. Alternatively, more time to learn what I wasn’t actually interested in. Do it your own way as long as you’re investing right in your time.
4. Reevaluate the whole situation
The good news is that; there will always be someone supporting you to get through this all. It might be a good time too to figure out who your real people are. Who stood by your side through this, supported you and empowered you. I myself had a lot of time to reflect too!
Being a half full glass kind of a person as well as having the right supportive people around, helped me to get through this, believing that someday everything will work out, and the key is: patience and perseverance. Never give up!
On the other hand, one of the toughest things of being unemployed is giving up the routine we used to have on a daily basis. Similar to leaving behind any habit or pattern you were used to.
I wasn’t prepared for absorbing the reality! The routine I had, no longer exists now. Positively looking at it; meant that I was stepping out of my comfort zone.
Not to mention, the pressure of everyone’s expectations every time they ask you about your updates. But one thing to maintain is the positive spirit and keeping close to those who support you.
Trust me, the last thing you would want to hear people complaining on how hard it is to find a job and the whole market crisis stories. Keep in mind, at the end of the day you want to meet up your own expectations and reach your own goal not what others set for you.
5. And now you appreciate it all
Sometimes you never know the true value of a thing until you actually lose it. It might also be a good time to appreciate the things you didn’t pay much attention for while you were busy with work commitments. It could be family, exercising, your hobbies or even yourself!
You might feel that you have lost your connections, professional identity, security, status, your ego got affected and the list goes on. But how about focusing on what matters and start working on getting everything back on track instead?
To sum it all up; it’s always good to hear about other’s experiences but that doesn’t mean that you’ll have the same exact story. Treat your unemployment as being employed and invest in your time as much as possible. Trigger your strengths and work on your weaknesses. Most importantly, learn from the whole experience and never give up.
One last thing to share; after five months and more than 200 applications, today was my first day at work!
