CareerMama℠

After an “interesting” employment situation, I have rejoined the rest of the millions of people who are looking for a job. The last six months’ activities left me unable to do any creative writing, except for very simple posting on my other blog. After a few weeks of much needed decompression, I am now free to write about the matters on which I have been pondering.

When one loses a job, one often thinks of all the alternatives that are available. You think about what it would be like to stay at home with your children, go back to school or learn a new trade, start your own business, or (dare I say it) start a blog. You also worry that you will never be able to find a fulfilling job. As I tend to gravitate toward joining riskier startups, this is not the first time I have been in this situation. I eventually concluded that in order to successfully find that which makes me happiest and works best for my situation, I needed at least a week to gather my thoughts, relax, and develop a game plan. I also find that adhering to some sort of a set schedule keeps my mind active and keeps me from dwelling on my unemployed status.

Being summertime, the kids are at home for much of the day. This is a great opportunity to spend some quality time with them and work on some activities together that you wouldn’t otherwise have the time to do. My children and I have painted their activity table, made stepping stones for the yard, made posters, worked with their Discovering Nature activity kit, and participated in many other fun activities. I also found a number of great ideas in the Montessori Play and Learn book.

If you choose to go back to school, there are a plethora of online programs from which to choose. Many of these schools also have financial aid, which might make it a more viable option if you qualify. Going back to school or learning a new trade can assist you in moving to a new industry, trying a new role, or go back to work at a higher job level, which could translate to a higher salary. If you are collecting unemployment (for which you should sign up immediately upon losing your job-after all, you have already paid for it through taxes), there are “back to school” financial aid options for which you may be eligible.

Starting your own business can be very rewarding, but it isn’t easy. If you already have a good network of people to which you can market your services, it might be worth a shot. I started a consulting business over 8 years ago, and have had the opportunity to provide assistance to a number of companies. I have learned a lot in the process and have been able to rely on my consulting gigs when not working for another employer.

Despite the fact that there are thousands, if not millions, of blogs, I joined the blogoshpere anyway. I eventually started a second and then a third blog. Blogging can be somewhat addicting (don’t say I didn’t warn you). It can be a great outlet for those who have a lot of information swirling around in their minds and who think sharing their ideas would be helpful to themselves and their audience. Don’t expect to get rich doing it, though. Only a few bloggers derive a significant income by blogging.

No matter what you choose to do while looking for your next career opportunity, consider taking advantage of all possibilities open to you. Here are some things to keep in mind:

· Develop or continue to build your network on LinkedIn. Recruiters love to use LinkedIn to

find candidates. Also, place a link to your LinkedIn profile at the top of your resume (just

under your email address).

· Depending upon the type of work you do and the type of organization for which you

choose to work, you may want to update your Facebook account and add your profile link

to your resume. I have been asked, in an interview, how many contacts I have on

Facebook. It might be something that interests your potential employer.

· If you decide to start a blog, and you think it might be pertinent to the job for which

you are applying, add a link to your blog on your LinkedIn account as well as on your resume.

· Create a profile on Google Profile. This is a site recruiters are really starting to utilize to find

talent.

· Create an account on Indeed (or other sites of this type). These sites consolidate job

openings from a variety of job boards and send you email updates, based upon your

criteria. It will save you from having to keep up with multiple job boards and resume

databases.

·Above all, don’t be afraid to ask your friends and former colleagues for help and

recommendations. You never know which connection might help you get an interview.