In one of this blog’s earliest set of posts, called “Confronting the specter of long-term joblessness-exploring the numbers” and “Confronting the specter of long-term joblessness-what you can do, and the future of employment in America,” the emerging pervasive issue of long-term joblessness received a thorough treatment. Each post viewed the issue through a different analytic lens. The former naturally explored the phenomenon of long-term joblessness through a quantitative lens, while the latter sought to address the issue as a prevalent fear directing America’s beleaguered workforce. Although the issue of long-term joblessness, despite its persistence, has been long-removed from the public spotlight, the Department of Labor recently released a report which should force the issue back into the public consciousness. Writing for the Department of Labor, economist Randy Ilg answered the question, “How long before the unemployed find jobs or quit looking?” with some rather startling statistics. According to Ilg, “the median number of weeks job seekers had been unemployed in the month prior to finding work as a little more than 10 weeks…in 2007, the median was 5 weeks.” Additionally, Ilg notes that, although committing themselves to longer, more grueling job searches, in 2010 job seekers persevered for 20 weeks before stopping their search, whereas in 2007 their job search was ended after 8.5 weeks. While Ilg’s report may point to a grim reality—that a subset of job seekers, after twenty weeks, are calling off the job search (so to speak)— his report raises the critical question of how job seekers might persevere past the 20-week mark.
After leaving graduate school, I joined over 8 million other Americans and countless graduates in one of the worst job markets since the Depression. Although I occasionally found temporary work, it took 24-weeks of searching and applying for jobs before landing a full-time position as an administration assistant. During that period I was forced to fight the twin feelings of hopelessness and helplessness that accompany unemployment. How did I make it past the 20-week mark?
- Structure. Approach your job search like you would a full-time time job—create a schedule and maintain it. Start looking for jobs at a certain time each day and stop looking at a certain time each night. Introducing structure into your job search will help you to get into the habit of job searching, and will, hopefully, prevent you from becoming overwhelmed with the task at hand.
- Organization. Organization and structure go hand-in-hand. While it is important that you introduce structure to your job search, it is also important that you stay organized. Keep an Excel spreadsheet of each of the positions for which you have applied. Staying organized will help you to feel in control of your job search, and will provide you with a method of reflecting upon what you have accomplished.
- Getting out. Get out! Schedule an hour-long break into each day: talk a walk, run errands, or work on a hobby or project. Separating yourself from your ‘job’ of searching for work will help you to be refreshed and to return to your search rejuvenated.
- Network. Recent studies have shown that networking is still an incredibly efficacious tool in the job seeker’s toolbox. Tap family, friends, and former coworkers for information about potential job openings in your field or pound the pavement by attending job fairs and networking events.
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