You Still Have a Job to Do by Susan Vagnoni Murphy

One of the best pieces of advice I can give is you is to continue your life as if you are still employed. This is Tip #7 and I cannot express how important it is in helping you stay productive and maintain sanity. People who are not in your shoes may not understand how uncomfortable it is to not have that job to get up for each day. It saps your sense of purpose and sense of self. However, by giving yourself goals and keeping to a schedule you can make this the perfect time to create a renewed sense of how valuable you are.

So, how do you conduct yourself as if you still have a job?  Here is a quick list of habits to keep or create to keep you job-ready:

1.       Have a regular, early rising time.

2.       Maintain a personal dress code.  You never know when you will run into someone you may want to impress. Dress a step up from the crowd - you will feel better for it.

3.       Use your calendar and keep it up to date. Find activities to get out of the house that give you things to do and to look forward to.

4.       Find ways to keep working. Ex: If you are a writer, keep writing; if you are a teacher, find someone to tutor; if you repair cars, find one to work on (maybe help a friend).

5.       Increase your skills.  This is an optimum time for professional development, or to fill in the skill gaps you have.  Organizations like DEED, the Workforce Center, HIRED, Goodwill, Mentoring Partnership of MN and online webinars offer a great variety of free classes and workshops to keep you moving forward as a lifelong learner.

6.       Make a task list for the day and check things off as you would the projects you tackled in your previous job.

7.       Get out there and network.  Making new contacts and caring for those you already have are crucial to being in-the-know and staying in people’s minds.

8.       Volunteer – it will lift your spirits and let you use your talents.

9.       Guess what, you have the time for all that reading you kept putting off! Catch up on business journals, leadership books and articles that you never had time for while you were working.

10.   Always give yourself goals to work for and keep records of everything you are working on. You can’t remember everything you’ve done without keeping a list. Being able to recall and recount those activities could come in handy during a job interview.

Oh yes, don’t forget to find time to do something fun.  You used to go out for a happy hour or a work event.  You can still do that – just find a new crowd and let off a little steam; you earned it!  I am rooting for you - Susan

What You Gain from What You’ve Lost - by Susan Vagnoni Murphy

This will seem like very odd advice from a job-seeker blog…especially as a start my 14^th week on the hunt for good employment.  Tip #6 this week for my fellow hunters is Gratitude.

Are you still with me?  Thanks for not closing this page. 

No, I have not lost my mind.  I have, however, spent countless hours out there networking, volunteering, gathering information and just talking to as many folks as possible. Let‘s face it, going out and doing all of this is partially my choice but has also been forced upon me by circumstance. But somehow, what has risen out of it is an unexpected feeling of gratitude.

During the events, workshop and hours spent looking for new work, I have found from some AMAZING people I may never have had the chance to meet. For example: I have encountered an inspirational woman who speaks on her experience losing an arm to cancer 12 years ago. She acknowledges the difficulties while exuding true gratitude for her journey.

At a recent event, I had a lovely conversation with a woman who moved to Minnesota years ago and became a CEO. She shows her gratitude for a difficult journey by creating a foundation lending support to victims of sex trafficking in her birth country of Korea.

I have reconnected with past colleagues and employers, reminding me of how fortunate I am to have had them shape my early workplace experiences and renew my faith I my abilities.

I have found friends I somehow carelessly lost track of, and learned how they overcame their challenges; like a sweet author friend of mine who struggled with acceptance of her unique life experiences by writing a book that brought her to so many others who felt the way she did.

I have joined support groups for job seekers, like the one at a Lutheran Church in Minneapolis (I am a Catholic from Saint Paul) that is filled with gracious, giving, supportive facilitators who lend their time and resources to give us job hunters a weekly boost.

I am grateful for even the smaller things in life, like lower gas prices to save on gas money and warmer weather allowing me to walk more and put off the winter coat purchases. When you are on unemployment, these things really matter.

I urge anyone else out there to be open to gratitude during the hard times in your life.  As Tony Robbins says, “When you are grateful, fear disappears and abundance appears.”

I am wishing you abundance (and of course a great job!).  -Susan