Jobless on Labor Day

Like nearly 15 million other Americans I am without a job come Labor Day. This is first time in three years that I can make that claim. The last 2+ years have been tough and yet rewarding for me. I made a decision to get out of a bad situation that eventually I would have been laid off or worse fired from. In making that decision I empowered myself to take control of my career, my finances, and ultimately my life. And yet, I am unemployed once again. The Unemployment rate has reached nearly 10% and that is really a misnomer. In reality there are probably around 12-15% of Americans Unemployed. That means that anywhere between 1 - 1.5 in 10 people are out of work. Just thinking about it I can count off at least 5 people I know that are highly qualified and yet out of work just like I am.

What questions does this raise? When you have been out of work for 2+ months, and see less and less jobs popping up anywhere, and more and more people out of work you start to wonder where the next job will be and who will I be competing with for that job? Also when you don't get return phone calls or emails on resumes for weeks on end and it seems like interviews are few and far between you start to wonder what is wrong? The frustration is that while there are some things that you can do to refine your process, there is really nothing wrong with you. I have equated job searching with dating lately. The more desperate you are, the less appealing you become. The more needy you are, the less likely you are to land an interview. And yet people around you are still getting married and love is found all the time. And a few people you know have landed great jobs of late. That means that there is hope. That there is a silver lining, and that remaining positive and having some sort of faith will carry you through. I don't mean faith in a higher power like God. I don't personally follow organized religion and do not have a relationship with any God. But I do have Faith that something better is out there. It has to be. With my car being out of commission, being under penalty with Unemployment for a misunderstanding, and seeing calculated risks blowing up in my face I have to believe that somehow the work will pay off and things will work out. I have to.

So my fellow job seekers I give you this advice. You are good enough, you are smart enough, you are good looking enough, and dog gonnit you WILL find that job you are looking for. I believe in you, I ask you to believe in me. Let's have faith for each other.