Unemployed and Unbroken: 14 Things I Learned Being Jobless For a Year
By: Dominika Király
Tags: Job Search, Pandemic, Find Your Purpose, Mental Health, Graduate

One. Whole. Year. Spent with job search. I feel like LinkedIn should send a notification to people saying “[name of person] is celebrating one year as a jobseeker in a global pandemic and managed to stay mostly sane” — congratulate them.

I am pretty sure I’m not the only one in this situation, so here are my takeaways regarding job search and staying mostly sane being a jobseeker and a human in a global pandemic.

1) The importance of knowing what you want and making a gameplan

This has been the hardest this year.

Especially, because it can take more time than you’d like and it requires constant reassessment. However, towards the end of the year, I did manage to carve out a direction for myself that I am willing to work hard for with the help of some Japanese wisdom: a concept called ikigai.

Here’s the recipe:

Grab pen and paper

Write down everything you enjoy doing without judging it or thinking about money

Write down everything you’re skilled at

Research what the world needs right now

Only then research what pays

Finally, work on combining the above four and make a plan

Image credit: Paper Sea Horse on Pinterest

Is there a skill you need to develop? Jump into it! I believe in you!

2) Time is precious

Okay, I know I’m not inventing the wheel with this observation, but the most painful thing I can think of is looking back on my life and being sorry about how much time I wasted and the person I could be had I used that time wisely.

Be honest with yourself.

Do you put your time into what’s important or do you take your time for granted?

or do you take your time for granted? Are you nurturing the friendships and relationships you wish to have?

Are you working towards your goals? (I know planning and goal setting might be scary now, but know you are here for the long run. Your goals might change but a vision and a strong why will get you through any rough patches)

(I know planning and goal setting might be scary now, but know you are here for the long run. Your goals might change but a vision and a strong why will get you through any rough patches) Do you spend quality time with yourself? Do you schedule time for rest?

3) The need to stop being a perfectionist

It is such a convenient excuse for editing that job application for ages then end up not sending it because you missed the deadline (Guilty✋).

It’s horrible because not only do you not get a shot at impressing recruiters with your amazing application material, but you have to deal with the emotional burden of letting yourself down.

So here’s some actionable advice for you (and me):

Stop setting unattainably high standards for yourself

for yourself Do your best and put it out there regularly

and put it out there regularly Internalize the fact that you are good enough

4) The mastery of CV, Cover Letter, and Portfolio tweaking

At this point, I have at least ten versions of my CV and two instantly tweakable InDesign CV templates in two different languages.

Sending out the exact same generic CV for a hundred companies did not get me any interviews (Surprise, surprise). HR managers just skip right over them. However,

a more thoughtful and personalized CV where you connect the dots between your skills and what the company is after will surely get you more interviews and responses.

This leads me to my next point.

5) Stalking companies

Always do your research. Start by reading the job description well. This way, you’ll know if you’d actually like to be part of the company or not in the first place. And whether you should spend your precious time preparing and tweaking your resumé.

Go through their website, read reviews about them, check their social media, Linkedin, all their online communication, see if there are articles about them, check their blog, subscribe to their newsletter if they have one.

Think like the company, be the company.

Follow or connect with people who work there.

Some companies offer juicy bonuses to employees who refer someone. So, if you know there is a referral program at the company you want to apply to, make a meaningful connection with an employee, impress them, and ask them if they would be willing to refer you. It’s a win-win situation.

6) Video Resumés

I’m pretty sure you can find this term in the dictionary under the word daunting.

I applied to a few jobs that asked for recording a video as part of the application process. First, I procrastinated weeks to even start recording and took another week and 32.974.899 cringy takes to record a two-minute introduction video.

Now, I only take about two days and a couple of dozen takes. I would say that’s a pretty good improvement.

Some best practices I learned along the way:

Brainstorm and outline a topic list or script

or script Don’t just list the same facts as in your written CV

Make sure you address job requirement points

If you’re camera shy first practice by recording your voice

When you feel more confident, comb your hair, get home-office-cute, and…ACTION!

And lastly, feel free to show a little bit of your personality as well

The more you do it, the less daunting it will get.

7) Attending webinars

Webinars are a great source of useful info and inspiration. You can make your voice heard and shine.

You might be able to interact with employees or even the CEO of your target company. It’s a great opportunity to network, but make sure you’re always genuine and don’t start with asking for a favor. If you’re shy or feel like a rookie in the topic of the webinar, don’t worry, you can still follow the participants on LinkedIn, gain insights and inspiration from their posts or connect with them and ask relevant questions afterward.

8) I should REALLY be posting on LinkedIn

Posting on LinkedIn: The second entry in the dictionary under daunting. Well, yes, putting yourself out there is hard. But, it is the best way to build connections and get noticed by recruiters.

Fear of judgment and imposter syndrome might feel like two heavy grocery bags on your shoulders that are not just stuffed with toilet paper.

But you can start by

Reposting and reacting to content

Then, ease into commenting on posts you find useful

you find useful Then, repost such content and add your opinion

such content Finally, write your own posts and articles about your professional topic of interest

9) Having to take a non-glorious job doesn’t mean you have to give up on your dreams

It is totally okay to take a job that is unrelated to your field or one you’re not that passionate about for a while.

As long as you know your goals and what you’re working towards, only your mind can turn a seemingly dead-end job into a stepping stone.

Even if it’s a manual job you might have time to think your own thoughts, meditate on your goals, and plan out the next steps while you stay financially stable.

10) Fear is not in the driver’s seat

But it is sitting in the passenger seat and will not get out.😩

Fear has been a constant in my life this year, but feeling and facing so much of it has pushed me past the turning point and made me see how debilitating it can be regarding my dreams, aspirations, and relationships. I still have plenty of fears to face, but I refuse to let them stop me anymore.

Also, learning when to listen to your fear and when to push through it courageously is an underrated skill in my opinion. Let’s say someone is following you on the street and you feel uneasy, then your fear is probably right to tell you to run. However, when you don’t send that application because you only meet 75% of the requirements, your fear is wrong.

Fear is not going anywhere, but remember: the driver’s seat is yours.

11) How to handle an anxiety attack

This year I experienced my first one and it lasted for more than a whole day. Not fun.

Honestly, I don’t understand how there are no instruction videos on this circulated with the same frequency as how to wash your hands. The same goes for general mental health practices. Luckily, I came across Alexis Rockley’s IGTV videos about self-soothing, which helped me a lot.

When you feel anxious you can:

Breath in for 5 seconds, hold it for 7 seconds and exhale for 8 seconds. Repeat this for a minute or until you feel calm.

seconds, hold it for seconds and exhale for seconds. Repeat this for a minute or until you feel calm. Or list 5 things you can see, 4 things you can hear, 3 things you can feel, 2 things you can smell, and 1 thing you can taste

These simple exercises help you calm down and be present.

12) Gratitude as a habit

Yes, the cheesiest and most cliché advice this year. But have you tried it? If you have, you know it works, if you haven’t, try it already!

You can start by writing down one thing that didn’t suck each day, and maybe you’ll be inspired to write more. I also learned this from Alexis Rockley and sometimes writing down three little things I am grateful for can turn a bad day around. Or at least make it more bearable.

13) Jobseeker fatigue is REAL!

You have to take breaks from time to time.

Allow yourself to be “unproductive,” watch something silly, do an activity you enjoy, exercise, get some good sleep, cry, do whatever you need to, just don’t think about jobs and applications for a while.

And when you’re back at it, you’ll be much more focused and creative.

14) Take a moment to be proud

Did you make your bed? Did you prepare a healthy breakfast? Did you resist the urge to binge on Netflix and went for a run instead? Did you put together a CV, Portfolio, Cover Letter that you’re really proud of and submitted it among the first 25 applicants?🙌 Maybe you managed to not fall into a negative spiral.

Whatever it may be and however big or small a win it might be just know that I am proud of you. And you should be too!

Oh, and just a reminder: You are a badass and a champ and your dream job is out there somewhere waiting for you to take it.