If you feel that this material will be able to help someone then by all means download it and spread it to as many people as you like. This would be your way of helping others too.
So let me conclude with the final principle.
Do Job Search as a full time job.
Prepare your resumes. Throw them everywhere. Realize your advantage and opportunity. The connections you have made all these time. Get out those business cards and your Microsoft Outlook files and start scouting around. Be productive with your time. Widen your perspective. To those who have been laid off specially in the service sector, picture yourself as an expert in the people business. The amount of training you have had in dealing with people and meeting their needs would qualify you for jobs that require an equally sensitive position.
Next is to Understand Activity vs. Passivity.
You should ask a lot of people a lot of questions about how to prepare and proceed with your job search. Don’t expect others to do it for you. And neither should you presume that you are capable of handling all the complexities all at once.
Ponder the difference between activity and passivity.
You are being passive if you simply float your resume and let “them” know you are available. You are being active if you get out there, face to face, with potential employers and stimulate demand for what you have to offer.
However, you need to prepare yourself first so that you reach a stage of preparation. And you can say with confidence, “This is what I’m good at; this is what I really enjoy.”
And finally, you would have to be able to say, at least to yourself, “And this is the pay I’d be comfortable with.” Although you may have good reason to accept lower pay in a new position than you had in your last, “You don’t want to be embarrassed, even though you are keeping that information to yourself.”
There are other possibilities.
A pooling of resources. A contribution of efforts of some sort. One successful retail chain I know was a joint network of a college professor together with his students. They formed the shop and became very successful.
Another bookstore coffee shop I know was formed by classmates and friends.
Do not worry about the pay. This is not the time to consider pay issues. The moment you are employed the more you are connected to future possibilities. Meanwhile you start out something and learn. Again this involves a healthy sense of perspective.
When you were in college and you wanted to learn things you had to pay tuition fees. Now you’re learning once more and you’re getting paid. So it’s not too bad a deal after all.
Finally on a personal note, remember the following:
Your worth as a human being does not diminish because you are out of your job. You and your job are not the same. You are created by God as a human being not as a human doing.
Stick in there. Don’t do foolish things. Don’t expect overnight solutions but wait for the right things to happen.
Have a change of lifestyle. Be frugal. There is nothing wrong with being wise and humble at this point. Don’t focus on what you don’t have but focus on what you have.
If you cannot have the best of everything, make the best of everything you have.
Forget the past frills, thrills, and perks. If it is God’s will He would give it back to you but meanwhile – Make do with what you have.
Be productive with your time. Cultivate a humble spirit. Maybe your job in the past kept you from dealing with the more important things in life. Things like spending lots of time and investing lots of love to the members of your family. Maybe your job in the past made it impossible to be committed to Christ. Maybe NOW’s the time He has your full attention.
No man is exempted from the storms in life. The only difference is that the person who has an intimate personal relationship with the Savior has an anchor in the midst of the storm. Maybe this is the time for you to put your entire trust and submission in Him who holds our life in the now and in the future.
I hope this series has been a source of help for you. You and I are in this together. But God loves us so and that’s all that matters.
great series.
i really love it. been following this and been checking my email regularly waiting for the next posts. 😀
inspiring indeed. not just for someone who’s affected by such but to all professionals.
i learned a lot. keep writing sir. kudos!
Thanks Sir Francis for the great articles – your articles on dealing with lay-off are both informative and inspiring. It makes one ponder and realize the importance of being “grounded” to realities, knowing the importance of things that matter which are not necessarily material things, and best of all to faith in God in facing the challenges of the present economic times. Maramng salamat and God Bless.
To tell you the truth, your articles about ‘Dealing with Layoffs’ has become my anchor during these tough times.
Thank you.