So, you were laid off. Let Go. Released. Downsized. Cut loose. Anyway you say it, it means the same thing. You are out of a job. And, you join the millions across America who are unemployed as well.

Maybe you were given some notice, a nice farewell party and a generous severance package. Maybe, you were surprised on a Friday with a pink slip and an empty box (or a paper bag) to pack up your things. Or, perhaps you just discovered that your key no longer worked in your office door lock.

Now what??!!

Well, of course, you look for another job. You get your resume together, you dust off your interview suit, you join all the Social Networking sites and you start surfing Monster, Careerbuilder and wheresmynextjob.com with the intention of finding a new job FAST!

But, what happens when you don’t get hired the week after you just got fired???

What do you do with all this new-found time?

Well, while you're searching for your next job, here's some ideas, reminders, random thoughts etc. from someone who's discovering there is life after her layoff.

Sunday, August 2, 2009

When Life Gives You Tomatoes...Try To Make a Good Sauce.

Last week was tough.

I was deep in the frustration of being unemployed. A big dose of rejection coupled with constant worry can really get on your nerves. In the past few weeks, I haven't found any new job listings for me to apply to and it seems like I ran out of people to call - so, I should probably work harder on my networking skills, right? Well, this whole process just gets so exhausting after a while. Then, I started reading more stories about the growing unemployment rates and the admitted loss of hope from people unable to find work these days. And, as I'm reading all this, I'm noticing my growing stack of bills on the desk...and you can guess where I'm going with this train of thought.

It didn't help that I received two emails on the same day from two different companies coincidentally saying the exact same thing: "although impressed with your credentials, we are unable to bring you in at this time." Unemployment is a very humbling experience, that's for sure. (And, couldn't they have come up with something more original to write?)

Every once in a while, we all have a bad week. We're all entitled to have them. Usually, I try to stay as positive as I can and keep things in perspective. But, when I'm having one of those weeks, it's hard to shake off the blues and climb out from under the muck.

However, right now, I'm staring at some beautiful, homegrown tomatoes that a friend gave me the other day. I realize this is about to sound sooo cliche', but once again, I remind myself of how lucky I am to have a roof over my head, a loving and supportive husband and family, and good friends who think to give me tomatoes grown from their gardens.

And, now I feel a little less frustrated. I think I'll stop my momentary whining, continue my job search, lighten up a bit...and make some sauce.

This week will be better.


Labels: , ,

2 comments:

  1. DUTAAugust 3, 2009 at 2:07 PM

    Anyone seems to be growing tomatoes these days. Anyway, the pictures are lively and that brightens things up a little .

    I like the title of your post and the last three sentences. What goes between the title and the conclusive sentences is sad, but you've got the right attitude, and you must hope that God will help you in your efforts to find a job.

    ReplyDelete
  2. BionicDaveAugust 4, 2009 at 8:37 AM

    Great entry :)

    And Dr. Oz says to make sure you put some olive oil in that tomato sauce! The oil brings out the chemicals in the tomato that makes it so amazingly nutritious.

    Keep the faith. Something will come around. My friend Bryan was unemployed for a year and half before he found a super job. Maybe there's work in creating your own niche industry: "non-employee relations." Companies can pay you to write and maintain polite, creative rejections to folks seeking employment who aren't right for a job but who nonetheless deserve respect and inspiration/motivation in their thanks-but-no-thanks responses...

    ReplyDelete

Subscribe to: Post Comments (Atom)