Part 1 of 2
We all know how miserable it is to be unemployed. You are applying to jobs online and your resume seems to be going into a black hole with no indication of your status or any indication that a human has even seen your document.
These suggestions will help you to keep busy and productive while you are unemployed. And they will provide information and experiences to add to the resume or discuss during the interview.
- Build a professional on-line presence
- Volunteer
- Network
- Enhance current skills; learn new ones
- Freelance
First, build your professional on-line presence.
There are two parts to this suggestion, first find all mentions of yourself online and remove or mitigate any negative information. The vacation pictures that you shared with friends online may not be what you want a future employer to see when they search for you online.
Then, make your professional online presence stronger.
Overshadow any negativity from your social networking presence with a strong professional presence. There are many ways to do this, but one of the easiest and best is to create a highly polished, professional presence on LinkedIn. With LinkedIn, you can use a less formal tone to present your skills, knowledge, and accomplishments than the resume requires.
There are lots of sections in LinkedIn that you can use to demonstrate achievements and accomplishments that might not fit on the resume. The resume is a document limited by length and tone. But in LinkedIn, as long as you are writing and presenting yourself professionally, you have more flexibility to present what you want recruiters and prospective employers to know.
Volunteer in the Targeted Field
Volunteering in the area where you are seeking employment is always a good idea. You meet people in your field and set the groundwork for networking.
For example, if you are seeking a position with a local hospital, you can volunteer your time and knowledge, meeting other volunteers and interacting with current employees. Once you have established yourself as a volunteer, with up-to-date knowledge and skills, you can let others know your job goals. While volunteering, you have moved right into networking!
Meet People without Networking
Networking is a suggestion that introverts hate and extroverts love. Even if you hate the idea of walking into a room filled with strangers, you can still network. Utilize LinkedIn to follow companies and connect with people who are in your field. Join LinkedIn groups and positively comment on others posts. Use your LinkedIn connections to set up informational interviews with leaders in your field. Informational interviews allow you to ask for advice and learn, while you are expanding your network.
In Part 2, we’ll discuss enhancing current skills and freelancing.