Part 2 of 2
In the previous post, we discussed how to use your time productively when you are unemployed and searching for a job. As you apply for jobs online, your resume seems to be going into a black hole with no indication of your status or any indication that a human has touched your resume.
Unemployed! Now What?
We discussed the first three suggestions in Part 1. Now we will discuss the last two suggestions, enhancing your current skills and freelancing. These ideas will help you to keep busy and productive while you are unemployed and these suggestions 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
Use Creativity to Identify Skills
As you conduct your job search, you identify interesting job titles or companies that you want to work for, but now you must be more strategic in your process. Look at each job description and identify the skills the employer requires.
- Categorize skills or knowledge into three areas: up-to-date skills and current knowledge, skills where you have only basic knowledge, and skills which the employer needs but you do not have.
- Find the general skills every employer requires and the more specific skills required of your field that will get your resume in the hands of hiring managers. The categories listed above will identify exactly where you need to improve your knowledge and enhance your skills.
Suggestions for Enhancing Your Skills
There are several ways to improve your skills.
- Classes at the local community college word processing and creating presentations to help with communication or computer skills.
- MOOCs – massive open online courses that may mix video lectures with interactive online forums – can be used at your convenience. Many reputable companies and universities offer MOOCs at no cost, so do some research to find the best fit for you.
- Read the latest articles, journals, and books about your field to gain wonderful information that can be shared in the interview.
- Research the companies you are considering applying to in order to gain a deeper understanding of their challenges and needs.
- Consider freelancing to provide information on the resume that fills the unemployment gap. It demonstrates up-to-date skills and willingness to keep busy as you search for a job. We all know that a job search is a full-time job, but having a project that requires meeting expectations and deadlines can boost your confidence and help you gain that next interview!