For starters, put on something other than pajamas or sweats, okay? You're hurting. Prolonged unemployment is brutal. But starting now, you need to get off the couch and into job-hunting shape. "People who are unemployed think the worst possible outcome is not finding another job," says Richard Bolles, author of the job hunter's bible What Color Is Your Parachute? (Ten Speed Press, 2002). "Actually, the worst part is losing your self-esteem. You start thinking, 'What's wrong with me?' "
Find ways to inject some confidence and optimism into your life, because they're essential to a successful search. Landing a job during what Bolles calls a "workquake" requires a lot of persistence, and persistence requires energy. Bolles suggests a routine that includes exercise, rest, and plenty of water. Let unemployment drive you to drink, just as long as it's Evian.
Then do your homework: Write down seven experiences at work that you enjoyed, and list the skills that you applied in each case. What leaps out, says Bolles, are your talents and passions.
Now it's time to get creative. According to Bolles, job hunters typically rely on only one or two methods in their search: mailing out a hundred ré sumé s or posting a copy online. Those might have worked before, but not now. Don't limit your search to companies that have openings. Consider companies that you'd like to work for, whether they have openings or not. Arrange informational interviews to develop relationships that could prove beneficial later. That is how you create new job opportunities, says Bolles. Remember, the point is to offer resources that can help a future employer, not simply to beg for employment.
Also, broaden your range of job possibilities. Not sure about a new career direction? Volunteer in order to get an idea of what an industry is like. Or arrange to shadow someone on the job to get a feel for the position. That arrangement may open a door.
If you can't or don't want to leave a particular location, define your job-hunting zone. Drive as far from home as you're willing to commute. Then take out a map, and, using your home as the center and your maximum commute as the radius, trace a circle. Now list all of the companies within that area, and start visiting them. "You want to take action every day, not sit around waiting for something to happen," says Bolles. Chuck Salter
Don't buy into the doomsday attitude. Keep the ideas coming. More than ever, companies need help improving products and services, selling goods, and boosting revenue and profits, says Ann Rhoades, president of People Ink, a human-resources consulting company in Scottsdale, Arizona. "It's easy to think that there aren't any opportunities," she says. "But the best players are constantly finding opportunities to do something different and better, and they're not scared to speak up."
Face it: Nothing lights a fire like change. A fresh challenge. Maybe a new industry. Rhoades can't resist the opportunity to build "people centric" organizations. She did it at Southwest Airlines, then at Doubletree Hotel Corp., and then at JetBlue Airways. In each case, friends and colleagues warned her that the company was unproven. But Rhoades believes that you don't grow unless you learn, and you don't learn unless you're challenged. Which is why she is joining a company that aims to build 200 hotels from scratch, despite the industry's woes. "If you're a risk taker, you can't play it safe for long," she says. "You get bored."
Of course, if you play with fire, you risk getting burned. Rhoades recommends thoroughly researching any career leap -- including your new team, the company's culture, its strategy -- and assessing your own threshold. You don't want to take a risk simply for risk's sake. But at the same time, you don't want to shy away from taking an educated risk.
Says Rhoades: "I know I can lose and lose big, but maybe I'm content to lose more than others because deep down I know that I'll be all right over the long term. You don't need arrogance to take chances; you need self-confidence. I know that if worst comes to worst, I can always wait on tables and work three jobs. I did it in college." Chuck Salter
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