The Unemployment Curse: How To Live Through It

If you have ever been unemployed longer than reasonably comfortable, then you understand the financial weight, awkward conversations, and the stress of an empty day.  After the hours of searching, applying, and interviewing there are still several hours left in a day to fill. You know there is nothing quite like a week of empty afternoons that can drain your self-esteem.

Original image from All Free Download. Usually do my own, but this was perfect!

I am unemployed. A couple days ago this realization hit me. Not that I didn't understand this before, it's just that it really HIT me. And if my Economics courses taught me anything is that the longer I go without work, the less valuable I become...so there's that. I am trying - over forty applications within three months, two times a runner-up, and a couple other opportunities where I made it to the final rounds. I did every step in an interview process professionally and skillfully. (A great explanation of the proper steps of what I was taught in school is linked here in an article by Katy Bruce.) Unfortunately my fruits of labor have yet to be harvested. Hopefully my job search is like apples. Late in the season but the sweetest of sweet. (Not bitter or cursed.)

While some days are harder than others, I do strive to make every day valuable. There are things you can do to fill your time, which will give you feelings of purpose, strength, and overall boost your confidence. Here's how I make my unemployment work for me.

Keep learning/working in your field

Dedicate time to indulge in learning. I follow several bloggers who share my passions of marketing, event planning, fundraising, writing, and economics. I also listen in to some podcasts. These tools helps to keep me up-to-date on trends, stay ahead of new technology and ideas, and slow the process of decreasing employment value. In addition, try to find volunteer opportunities in your field or at least with a company who works in your industry. Volunteering is a great way to expand your network in a new community.

Learn new skills

Keep learning new things. Use Duolingo to study a new language, watch YouTube videos to learn basics of new computer software, or attend local conferences or seminars open to the public on a wide variety of professional topics. You can usually find these by looking at your local chamber of commerce's website. Not to mention that learning something new through these seminars or a class is another great networking opportunity!

Work Out 

Staying active helps draw your mind off of the job search, even if it is just for a little while. Plus, the released endorphins are an extra emotional bonus for the day. However, I think the best reason for working out during unemployment is that it shows your interviewer and yourself that you have the ability to keep pushing and working through a tough time toward something better. If you've been a cough potato for the past couple months, it will show. Instead, show those interviewers a glowing, positive you!

Keep your online image up-to-date

If you do not have a Linked-In page, go make one. This is a must-have online tool and I am still shocked when I hear a professional does not have one. I understand some industries don't necessarily need them, but it is a great way to connect with people with similar passions and industry interests. Almost every company I interviewed with checked my profile. All the things I could not fit on my resume were available for viewing and can help get you into the next step of the interview process.
In addition to your Linked-In, be sure your other social media outlets are not portraying you in an unsightly manner. That may mean you need delete some Facebook photos and ask friends not to tag you in new ones. Facebook can also be used to follow companies and events. (A.K.A., another great networking tool!) Here's some other online ideas you can utilize: use your Twitter account to follow companies you like, start a blog about your volunteer work/professional skills, or create a Pinterest board to store your favorite articles and ideas on certain areas of interest (social media marketing, etc.) You want your name to appear in a Google search in a positive light and at the top. 

Most of all, be sure to keep your information on these sites up-to-date. A profile will not help if you haven't updated it in several months. (Here's my Linked-In profile, if you would like to see an example.)


I have to say I've been blessed with recent opportunities to get out and show my stuff. I had a wonderful interview today, and someone already called to set up another one for tomorrow! I love being a busy little bee and hopefully one of these pull through for me!!
Good luck job hunting!

New Challenges For This Twenty-Two Year Old

"Take your risks now, as you grow older you become more fearful and less flexible. And I mean that literally. I hurt my knee this week on a treadmill, and it wasn't even on."   - Amy Poehler

I turned twenty-two last Saturday in Michigan thanks to a wonderful vacation present from my boyfriend. We took off from Wisconsin on his motorcycle and proceeded through beautiful weather and roads around Lake Michigan for nearly six hours. Two sore butt cheeks later, we are settling into our teeny-tiny hotel room looking out at Mackinac Island. It was perfect.

Also a perfect escape. Now that I have graduated from college and am sending applications to a couple dozen companies, I do not have time to be a child much longer... or do I? I thought about how my parents grew up, how cousins grew up, and how frankly I want to grow up. I'm still young, and I did not want to fall into the age old cycle of work - TV - eat - sleep - repeat the daily grind.

So, I've issued a challenge for myself. This year I will try twenty-two new things. Key being it's new. This will push me into uncomfortable areas, maybe fears, and hopefully by the time I turn twenty-three I will have plenty of advice to give myself. haha. But I really do want to do this as a growing experience for myself and to extend my experiences, relationships, and over-all quality of life. One big motivation for me is a tragic event that happened to my ex-coworker/friend back in April. She is a great mentor and I look up to her in more than just professional ways. Her family life was the epitome of what I wanted and her husband was as equally a brilliant and caring man. My boyfriend and I both respected and saught to be as accomplished as they were by the time we reached their age. (We were about twelve years apart.) They were runners, healthy, incredibly accomplished in their fields, and brought a baby girl  into the world, to which my boyfriend and I have had the pleasure of babysitting. Not only had they achieved all these things, they were hilarious, kind, adventurous, and over-all the best human beings in the world.

View from Fort Mackinac.

Sadly, while out on a run, her husband collapsed due to an unknown heart defect. He died that night. The next morning, I received a text from my supervisor while in a Starbucks, accompanying my boyfriend to the interview that would later turn into his career. We were struck hard. My boyfriend had worked with him and I knew him through my co-worker and babysitting their child. One of the hardest things for me to grasp was that the girl (who had JUST turned one) would never know the awesomeness of her father.

Even though he is no longer around, my friend still takes their baby girl on adventures and continues to live life through experiences as I know she would do if her husband was still alive. This spirit encourages me to make the most of my time here. Twenty-two new things should be a piece a cake in a year. Seriously, that's only two a month. I cannot fear what life has in store for me, but simply trek on with family, friends, and kindness. So bring on twenty-two years of life!