Flexibility in a Fragile Job Market

Barbara Wulf MS, GCDF, CPCC

How are you doing with the economic recession? Have you lost your job? Are you continuing to work, but think there is a ticking time bomb? Or, are you feeling confident about your employment, but wish you could help or support a friend or relative that got their position eliminated? No matter who we are, it seems like we know someone who has been affected by the economic downtown.

Here are some ideas to consider:

Self-Preservation

Walk, read, go to the library, go to the park, go to the Workforce Centers, go fishing, plant a garden (seeds are cheap), go to church, call a friend, go to a work support group...just go. Refuse to get stuck, rigid, breakable and fragile. That sense of desperation will not fuel your ongoing job search and if you get an interview, you will be flat and not very employable in that "state of mind."

Work Smart, not just Hard

Make sure you are working your job search in the most efficient way. I encourage all of you to "think outside the box." Write an IMPACT Letter not merely a flat, boring Cover Letter. Add interest, appeal and a "hook" to your letter, be genuine and enrolling. With more people applying for fewer job openings, it's okay to try unconventional self-marketing tactics. You might get noticed for your creativity and ingenuity! What do you have to risk?

Informal Networking

In the meantime, you might take a temporary job, a job at a coffee shop, work retail, or volunteer. When you are around customers, there is a chance to talk with people you don't know and expand your circle of contacts. These kinds of jobs expand your casual networking and can lead to an information/referral meeting to expand your work and training options.

Your Sense of Humor

Laughter can lower your blood pressure and kick in natural endorphins. You need several laughs a day and most of us don't get that.

Retrain or Diversify

Be realistic. Are your skills "cutting edge?" Are you in a saturated field? Has your job been outsourced? Is it time to get reinvested? Learn how you can transfer your skills or expand your skills with an informational conversation.

Remember Gumby?

"Blessed are the flexible for they shall not get bent out of shape!" Be Gumby-like!