Out of work 6 months. Now what?

Ha! OK, Johnny, THOSE apply to everyone… although staying positive is often easier said than done!

“No advice applies to everyone.”? Well, how about:

1. be happy
2. stay positive
3. don’t give up

etc…..

Billy, obviously that was not the situation of the person who sent the question I was answering. No advice applies to everyone.

you talk about taking a vacation after being laid off. How is it a vacation when you lose your home, part of your family, and any way to provide for them

David, you are so right!

OBVIOUSLY every situation is different for everybody – depending on life lessons, family, circumstances too numerous to mention, etc., etc. Yet as an unemployed executive with 30 years of experience in my field, I have come to my own “Rubicon” that is this: relax, smell the roses, seriously enjoy the God granted time with family, trust in your self and your own intuitions. Find your passion – find your talent – do not sell your self cheap to the “bottom fishers”; truthfully enjoy your network of Linked In friends (they probably are all in the same boat as you are – and raising waters raise all boats.) Truthfully – this wonderful country was built on the backs of earlier generations who had it MUCH worse then we. I am not a veteran – I escaped the dreadful Vietnam War – but if folks can survive seeing their buddy blown away, ask yourself way cannot you transition to a new career/new circumstance/new friends/new locale?

After all, we are all at the perfect age: Not Dead.

I am a 46 year old Electronics Engineer and have been out of work for 13 months. I enjoyed the first 6 months because I have a side business but now I am plain scared. I have been taking some classes to upgrade my skill set which makes me feel better, but I am really scared I am going to lose everything I worked for. I agree with some of the comments regarding enjoying your life now but most people don’t have enough savings to do that and that is why people are scared. Most people over 40 have lots of financial responsibility. Me included!

This article was fun reading, but….

I am an experienced IT Manager who has been out of work for 6 months. I’ve called and networked and sent out literally hundreds of resumes, and so far have had only 1 interview. I’ve yet to find the so-called “hidden” job market that so many articles talk about. The only thing “hidden” in most cases is the contact information for the hiring managers or recruiters, so when you send your resume, you have no way of following up to make sure they received it or to answer any questions. And, if you are lucky enough to find a name, they never answer their phone or return your calls.

For the past 6 months I have spent extra time with my family, which has been great. To keep sane and to get out of the house and with people I’ve been doing some volunteer work a couple of days a week. I’ve also just dusted off my real estate licenses and joined a local real estate firm. Even if I’m not making any money at it yet, it too gets me out of the house and doing something productive. I can still continue to look for work in my field, and who knows, maybe even start a new career in real estate and make some money. The real estate market for lower end homes and rentals is coming back, so maybe I’ll get lucky.

As to taking or not taking any job that is offered, I would definitely take any job offered in my field just to get back to work and to keep my skill level up. Unfortunately, I’ve tried temp jobs and consulting but was told that I was “over qualified” for lower end jobs, even though they were just temporary jobs.

It’s great to write articles and give advice, but the old conventional wisdom or ideas don’t seem to be working this time. I’ve tried them all and so many other people that I know have tried them also.

The only somewhat positive, if misery does indeed love company, there are a lot of other people out of work and sharing the misery.

I’m sure some day, if I find a full time job, I’ll long for some time off. For now, I long for the long hours back at the office.

Lately I have been getting a kick out of managers who are in the 40 and 50 age group who have been laid off, that are now whining about not being able to get a job! These are the same people who in the past would not hire anyone over 35 or even look at their resume. And they are the same people who only wanted young and pretty or wanted a H1B to fill the job. It did not matter how experienced a person was. Now the shoe is on the other foot and there crying foul! Well you people set the rules and the policies when you were working! Now you are finding that it was fine and dandy “WHEN IT DID NOT APPY TO YOU”! Now that is does you cry foul! So how does it feel? I bet you could just kick yourself now! Maybe if you get another job as a manager again, while you are reporting to your non-American H1B boss that you can’t find a qualified American worker for the position that is open, you will remember how it feels and what you went through, just to take this job at half pay!

These recruiters “look askance at you when you’ve been out of work for a while”. Ha. Now you see what it’s like for the rest of us!

I was laid off last June and made a conscious decision to take six months off. This time was spent traveling and with family members across the country. It is a time I would never trade. Little did I know what the economy had in store. But I started doing pro bono work for non-profits and this has led to paying consulting work. Now I am biding my time for the job I want, not need. Good luck to everyone in my same situation. It is humbling and at the same time a true learning experience. Be open to the lessons.

I really believe the issue is not whether you have a “gap” in your employment but WHAT YOU ARE DOING with that gap. If you make the break meaningful – a sabbatical that makes you a better leader or adds to your skills – then it’s a gap that should be highlighted on your resume instead of hidden. Include your sabbatical story on your resume and tell what you learned from the transition: http://tiny.cc/QEYBD.

Annie
This country should get its act together and fast and START HIRING PEOPLE again if we are going to survive as country of respect to the world and opportunity for all who come. It seems govt, justice system and even employers have all gone the wrong path.
Companies are to blame for the recession, because fear drives fear and eventual insanity. USA will soon become a welfare country at this rate. It seems that is finally high time for employers around the country to cut the bull* with time out of work, because conventional times have gone out the window. Alot of companies have done what they pleased at any time and gotten away with bailouts and (
(murder) with raising everything in sight even in hard times and getting f’in greedy , and in particular banks have played with consumers and workers alike. The RAT RACE truly earned its name and stinking reputation. Times change and so do people. We have lives and we stray from the norm every now and then. And boy do we make mistakes such as the last 10 years with boom and bust and trends. And the fuss over gaps in employment whether childcare or anything else is just not practical in judgement anymore by anyone!At the end of the day, we’re human not machines. So what if its 6mos or 2 yrs?

I hope something will work out SOON! Your perseverance is great, and in a just world (which this one can occasionally be…) would in itself be enough to get you hired.

Annie, I am also looking into contract work and interim management roles. I have talked to just about everyone in my network about short term project work, and have spoken with two companies that specialize in placing people in interim management positions. I’ve had a few possibilities surface, but nothing definite has developed yet.

Ralph, now I see where you’re coming from. My father ran into the same problem when he lost an executive job (after 30 years with the same company) in the steel industry in the early ’80s. The U.S. steel industry was in trouble then, and has since almost disappeared; and there was a recession going on too, although not as bad as this one. It is indeed a very tough set of circumstances. Have you thought about doing contract work (interim management) while you’re job hunting?

Matthew, have you figured out what you want to do? (What field you want to be in?) I take it sales, or sales management, is out?

Annie,

I’m 29 yrs. old & worked for the same employer since graduating college (marketing degree) in 2001. I was let go in August ‘08 (sales management) & have been unable to find a new career that is right for me. I was hoping to gain some insight as to what is working for other people like myself & their career search.

I was fortunate to have saved enough to survive for this period of time (along w/ a VERY understanding spouse), but am eager to begin a new career & build for our future. Any specific websites/recruiting agencies that you could recommend?

Annie, I have looked at the web sites you mention (and a lot of others) and have not seen much if anything that was useful. I was at a job level in my career where similar level jobs are not filled by being posted on the internet. I also spent my career with one company, in an industry that is now no longer growing. I have tried to focus on my functional skills and experiences that I believe are transferable to other related industries. However, I have found that in this economy companies want someone with the specific industry experience and connections, and are very reluctant to bring in a senior level person from another industry, particularly one who is over 50. And being out of work for two years now, it is also clear that I am being viewed a bit like a house that is on the market for two years – I can sense from questions that hiring managers wonder what must be wrong with this person if he could not find something in two years. I will keep trying and am trying to keep my spirits up, but it is very very tough out there.

Annie, great advice. I’m not at the 6 month mark yet and I hope I won’t be. I have 9 months of expenses saved, so for now I’m going to look for the right job. After 6 months, who knows. I read all the ranting from the other readers. I can understand their frustrations. They desperately want to work, but no one will hire them. I don’t really have any advice for these people. I try not get stressed out about things that are beyond my control. You can’t force a company to hire you so take it in stride. I know it’s not easy when you have a family to feed, but this will pass. In the meantime, lean on each other every day. As long as you are together, everything else is second. Kids are resilient. They can handle almost anything. You will find a way through this. Hang in there.

Greg — It’s true! Just ask anyone who has ever scaled back a career for a while to concentrate on something else (raising kids, taking care of an elderly parent…) — what used to be called “downshifting”, until it fell out of fashion altogether… These folks invariably find that they and their skills are not taken seriously by workaholic hiring managers. Now that the economy has fallen off a cliff, lots of people are being asked to make extraordinary sacrifices just to keep their jobs. The attitude is, “If you won’t work 24/7, move across the country, or [fill in the blank], someone else will.” Nice.

Philadelphia — I was answering a question that was sent to me. Do you — or anyone else who is part of “the masses” — have a question, or are you just ranting? If you do have a question, what is it?

Americans frequently get characterized as people who “live to work.” Your career must be your 110% reason for being.

Yes, you could actually enjoy your life, take time for yourself if you have the financial means to do so. Question is, will employers really view that favorably? No, because many of them will be very jealous. They wish they could step off the rat race as they secretly buy lottery tickets.

They also believe that if you’ve been out of work for a long time that you’ve lost your sense of urgency. Yes, many things in companies are run under the Firefighting model.

I once met a middle manager, ironically at a session on recruiting led by an executive search firm. She was eligible for a package and took it. She then traveled for 18 months and also kept tabs on her industry. She told me at the start of her wanting to work again, word got back to her that other hiring managers were resentful that she took time off and they didn’t. She doesn’t talk about that any more, only about work, work, work. (You won’t find hobbies on her resume.)

I love the hypocrisy of work in America. When you work too much you’re told “Get a life!” When you take time off you’re told “Get a job!” (Thanks to Joanna Ciulla author of _The Working Life_ for this.)

Anne. Please forget about the folks making over 100K and deal with the “little people” for once! WE don’t have defined pension programs any more nor options, to support us. Why all the focus on people that can afford to turn down jobs? Are they crazy! profile some people like myself over 55 and working. I’m Still looking for another position just in case my current company decides to cut back on older higher paid employees. Get real and speak to the masses!

Ralph, have you looked into sources of info on companies that specifically *look* for 50-something hires? They’re out there! Check out http://www.aarp.org’s list of Best Employers for People Over 50 and http://www.retirementjobs.com, which despite its somewhat misleading name (!) is not really for retirees, but for people over 50 who want good jobs. RetirementJobs.com has a handy feature where you plug in your zip code and your field (sales, IT, whatever) and get a list of local job openings. I’d be surprised if, in a big city like Chicago, you couldn’t find something!

Annie, I enjoy reading your posts about having a good attitude. In times like these, people need to know they’re understood and be encouraged to keep their heads up. Everything you’re saying is helpful. We could all benefit from taking on a fresh perspective and putting our ideas to work by taking action. It seems there’s a trend these days in hard times to be optimistic. More and more people are catching on and its becoming contagious. The doors are open we just have to make the decision to walk thru them.

Forget six months out of work, that is nothing. I have been out of work for two years now, and at the age of 52, my prospects realistically of finding anything like my previous roles appear to be slim to none. I have done everything recommended by the (so called) experts and the outplacement firms – networking, targetting selected companies, developing a marketing plan, looking for project and consulting work, being flexible as to industries and location, using web tools like Linked In, etc…. – and have come up with just a few interviews and no offers. Most “experts” who comment in articles like this are usually twenty or thirty somethings who do not have a clue what it like to be over 50 and looking for a job.

I am a junior interior designer, who is out of work along with more qualified designers for about 10 months and expecting longer. In this recession, being in real estate looks better than being a designer. Ironically, the two years of design experience has gotten more call back than the eight years of administrative experience, which these jobs are a dime a dozen…go figures. I agree with countless others that you have to pay the bills, and take jobs you might not have taken before, but it is important to pick jobs in a similar playing field to what your career goals are. Right now, I am working a very part time retail job, which adds something to my pocket and sales experience is good anywhere. I understand that many people who haven’t been out of work as long as I have, are in panic mode, but the fear is more crippling than the money situation. It is this fear that keeps down our economy! My advice is to network, look agressively, get involved in SOMETHING OTHER THAN YOUR JOB HUNT, and stay positive…please.

Forget about just the “middle managers and executives”. My husband has been out of work for 4 months and we are going insane, not to mention the bills and other responsibilities. He is a highly skilled automotive/motorhome painter and he can’t find anything! It has put a strain on us financially, emotionally and he is very depressed. I am starting to wonder if our marriage will survive the next 6 months. Once unemployment runs out, what are people supposed to do? You think forclosures are high now, just wait. We haven’t seen nothing yet!

Well, CNB, Jim, and Bill, no advice fits everybody. The experts I consulted were addressing the reader who asked the question — whose concern was (if you read the actual question…) whether a 6-month gap would stigmatize him, not how to pay bills, etc. I have to agree with Chuck, below, in hoping that if and when that reader does get hired into another senior management post, he’ll drop his old bias against those who have endured long, hard job searches…

This is one of the most unrealistic articles I’ve ever read. The author is out of touch with reality.

Wait for the perfect job!!! What kind of advice is that?? Being out of work for 6 months, I am taking the first thing that I am offered then continue to look for a better job. “Keeping your spirits up” and refusing offers does not pay the bills. AT 55 years old, the offers are far and few between.

I have been out of work for 4.5 months, and I too am being picky about which job I accept. I have also taken this opportunity to go back to school and finish that BA degree I started 25 years ago. I hope that it shows a prospective employer that I am willing to learn new things and start a new career, as my last one was in the mortgage industry, which is not hiring and I do not want to continue with anyway. I agree that having a gap in the resume is not the stigma it used to be because of these unpresadented economic times.

That is just about the worst advice I have ever heard. You obviously don’t have any bills, responsibilities, children, or common sense. Take any ol’ job you can get! Who knows when this depression (and it IS a depression) may end? While you’re sitting back, worrying about your resume’s “gaps” your competition is paying it’s bills, improving it’s credit, and making the best of a bad situation. And where did you come up with, “Have some fun!” ? You must have gazillions put away for a rainy day, lady. The rest of us don’t…and what we do have, we intend to pay our bills and feed our kids, and try to make it through the rough spots. Take the job, Annie.

I love these managers who are now out of work admitting that they didn’t hire people before who had been out of work 6 months or more. I hope this new eye openning attitude lasts.

Easier said than done. To maintain your spirits high when you are out of work for so long is very difficult, especially when recruiters will not answer the phone, companies delay the hiring process eternally and your savings are in the process to hit bottom.
Like it or not, every hiring person you sit in front of after loosing your job will never regard your professional profile as of someone he/she has make the effort to contact.
When you knock on doors, be ready for special discourteous treatment. It is human nature.

This advice is fine for those who have plenty in the bank to cover their commitments. 6 months out of work for the majority of the population is a crisis rather than a sabbatical! For this majority, the advice should be to take ANY job now and simultaneously look for an ideal job.

Annie, why do Fortune and other business periodicals seem to write for an audience of only senior managers? And when they do address “regular folk”, they focus on programmers or engineers? Most of us are middle managers making about 90k-100k who struggle to save enough in the major urban areas like NY, Seattle, Chicago, and Philly. We cannot financially absorb a long unemployment bout and cannot settle for a job making 50% of what we made previously due to the high cost of living near where the jobs are. Often our job history is just a promotion away from senior manager level or C-level jobs, which is supposed to make us more employable. However, in this market, if one doesn’t fit a job description 100% – basically have done that exact job before – it’s difficult to land an interview, let alone the position. It’s nice to read about COO’s, but they’re but a fraction of the professionals out there struggling.

I agree that taking some time off to clear your head and think about want you really want to do is a great idea. The problem is the bills still come in and if you don’t have 6 to 8 months emergency fund cushion, there is no time to waste. Ideally, I agree that taking your time is a great approach but sometimes reality has a way of interferring.

If you are an older worker, which probably means 45 (could be younger) and have any opportunity to go back to school and train for a new career not at all like the one you had in the past, you should do it while you still have the chance to pay off the loans. Otherwise, swallow your pride and scale back your expectations to fit a minimum wage job or figure out some way to be self-employed.

David, why don’t you bypass the recruiters who are doubting you and try to get some contract work through an agency like Robert Half or Spherion, two companies that match up IT people with employers who have short-term projects that need doing? If what is lacking (according to the headhunters) is recent hands-on experience, this would be a way to get some — and prove you’ve still got the good hands. Also, I understand you’re frustrated, but try to see it from the recruiters’ point of view: They’re working for corporate clients, not for job seekers, and they have many more candidates than there are jobs these days, so when they call you back — now don’t get mad! — they often ARE doing you a favor.

Annie,

I was out of work for 6(six) YEARS after 9/11!!! Not six months. I had worked in the computer field for 17 years in the DC area. After 9/11, I couldn’t get a job anywhere in the DC area because so many IT jobs were working with defense contractors and I didn’t have a “current” security clearance, even though I had held a TS/SCI at one of the “agencies” when I first moved to DC.

I did a few computer “roll-out” projects in 2008 but hadn’t done any day-to-day tech. support for several years. Would you believe that recruiters actually said “I was behind the curve” because I had been out of the field for 6 years? Yeah, I was probably a “little” rusty but I don’t have Alzheimers. When they say that to me, it’s “completely” insulting!! And half of these recruiters are “idiots!” They don’t know what they’re talking about. They don’t call back. They act like “they’re doing you a favor.”

I was in a “huge” article about the backlog of security clearances 2 years ago(February) in USA Today. I put the link to the article on my cover letter, so instead of me having to explain why I was out of work for so long, I let the article do the talking for me. Most people are/were “amazed!”

Is there anything else I can do to show these “idiot” recruiters that my brain didn’t turn to jello?

The company I worked for shuttered my division and laid everyone off last October. I immediately embraced the attitude laid out in this article. I call it decompressing. I’m a nicer person, in better shape, etc.

The fact is, our economy is going through a massive shift, not just a recession. One of the results of that shift is we’ve got to realize that work is not everything. Being busy does not make you successful. We must start being kinder to ourselves, our families and one another. That starts with not running around with our hair on fire and acting like being on the cel phone while answering a blackberry with a starbucks in our hand is the measure of success.

If an employer doesn’t want to hire you because you have a gap in your resume, then that is the wrong employer. After all, do you really think that years of work experience will completely evaporate over a few months? Stop the insanity and enjoy your life!