Job Winners

One of the best things you can do when you are unemployed is to take some time and sit down with yourself with pen and paper. Working with pen and paper and putting your thoughts into writing is often much more effective than simply “thinking.” When you put your thoughts to paper, it gives you a way to organize them, re-read them, and perhaps gain new insights into your thinking.

Evaluating your skills, interests and what you really like to do is one of the most important things you will do when you are unemployed. It is tempting to take the first job offer that comes along, especially when the savings account is being depleted or the unemployment benefits are running out, but will you really be happy working for that employer?

Hopefully this is an excercise you will make yourself participate in long before the unemployment benefits begin to run out. You should do this at the beginning of your job search and it will help you focus on what you are looking for and how you can best provide your services in a valuable manner to prospective employers.

You should ask yourself a number of questions:

1. What are my skills?

What have I learned? While having an education in some field is often considered a skill, there are many other skills that are equally important including the ability to manage time, manage difficult people, using a variety of tools for managing projects.

When you’re thinking about your own skills, think about what others compliment you on and not just what is in your own mind. Often you might hear a compliment from someone about some way you handle stressful situations; this might provide you with insights into what areas of employment you would enjoy the most.

2. What do I like to do?

Let’s face it – even if you have a degree in some area but you hate it, it’s probably time to really examine what you want in life and how you like to spend your time. Being unemployed might actually be the perfect opportunity for you to re-evaluate the career choices you made years ago. If you’ve decided you really dislike the work you thought you would enjoy back when you were making decisions as a teenager or young adult, you’re certainly not alone!

But this might be an opportunity for you to leave the drudgery of something you simply don’t like to do. Be honest here with yourself – this could be the opportunity of a lifetime for you!

3. Do you need more training?

When you’re unemployed, this can be a perfect time to fit in the extra training you’ve been hoping to get, or time to think about what training you’d like to have. When working full time and a day’s work is 8 hours or more, it can be very tiring to focus on night school classes and weekend seminars. But at this time of your life, you might be able to fit in many hours of training in a variety of fields that will help you find the job you are looking for.

Could your computer skills be upgraded? Many high schools and even businesses offer computer software training. How about a money management course? Learning some basic skills in book keeping can help you understand budgets; both in how to create them and following them.

What else would you like to have more training in? Consider even taking self-improvement or self-interest courses that will expand your mind. Even a yoga class could be a helpful thing to do while you are unemployed!

4. Activities In Social Organizations

Have you been active in community organizations and provided volunteer work? Has that provided you with new skills? If you think about it, you’ll probably recognize that you have learned some new things while offering your time in volunteer service that you wouldn’t have learned otherwise. That’s an asset and be sure to include that information on your resume!

On the other hand, if you’re unemployed and have not volunteered your services, consider doing so. One of the advantages of this is that you can include this volunteer time on your resume, and it will explain to prospective employers the gap in time between jobs. It also shows that you’re willing to take charge and do things.

Sitting down with yourself and answering these questions (and others that you yourself may come up with) can be a very insightful time. It is very important and far more effective when you do this with pen and paper. Don’t daydream about your skills and self-evaluation! If you work at it and organize your thoughts, you’ll be that much closer to being a job winner in a position you’ll enjoy.