How To Deal With Unemployment

In current times, unemployment poses as a serious issue to the society and may rightly be termed as one of the major concerns experienced by people, especially the youth. Fewer jobs in the market lead to more problems economically and to individuals on a personal level.

How Does Unemployment Occur

One of the major reasons is a voluntary decision of an individual to quit their current unsatisfying job to take a break and to look for better options. In such a scenario, usually individuals have enough savings to sustain during the period of unemployment.

Another situation of unemployment is the phase when a freshly passed out student is looking for a job.

Mostly unemployment happens when employees are laid off by companies due to lack of work or jobs in comparison to the total workforce.

That leaves the company in a decision-making stage, where they tend to retain the good and performing employees, or those who are relevant to the existing projects, and lay off the rest. This stands true even in case of the companies outsourcing their jobs to other locations or partners/vendors. In any case, the employee may get affected by losing the job.

How To Manage During The Phase Of Unemployment

If you or anyone you know is currently unemployed, you would agree as well as understand that the phase of unemployment may also be a phase of uncertainty. It could result in personal issues such as low self-esteem or less control over self or situations, especially in case the phase happens to extend for a long period of time.

This, however, may not be true in case you have an offer for later from another company, which may then be a boon, since the phase of unemployment may be a good break before you take up the new job!

The following tips may be helpful in dealing with unemployment.

1. Self-care

It doesn't matter if you have or don't have an offer, have any interviews lined up or not, or receive or don't receive a positive outcome in the interviews you appeared for, what is most important is how you manage to take care of yourself. Both mental and physical care is of utmost importance.

Some of the ways to ensure that is by eating well, indulging in regular exercise or any de-stressing activity, like sleeping well and so on. All of these activities promote a positive mindset and help reduce stress inevitably caused during the unemployment phase.

2. Extra Activities Which May Or May Not Pay

It may be a good idea to get involved in activities such as freelancing or volunteering for a cause, which may or may not pay. But investing your time in something useful (either for yourself or the society) may be beneficial in transitioning through the phase of unemployment.

3. Make A Daily Task Plan And Implement It

Right from searching for jobs on portals, newspapers, through contacts or through any other channel to constructively planning your day, it will be a wonderful idea to make a daily task plan and to religiously implement it. The key is to dedicate a pre-planned time to each task and stick to it like a pro!

4. Don't Blame Yourself

Whatever may be the reason for the unemployment, you should never ever blame yourself, whether you lost the job, voluntarily quit or are unable to find a job! As it is, this phase may be a challenging one in terms of the various situational obstacles that you may experience while looking for a job, and any kind of self-criticism would only aggravate the situation.

While it may be extremely easy to brand yourself as a loser or an undeserving candidate or even a worthless person, the challenge lies in valuing yourself despite the situation.

5. Manage Your Finances Well

This may be totally dependent on your situation, whether you are well placed on the financial front, or can do with some extra money, it's true and most advisable to plan and manage your finances tactfully. A financial constraint, needless to say, is an uncontrollable factor and may really need to be handled well, especially if you are not in a good position.

6. Don't Shy Away From Talking To Others

It may seem unimportant or irrelevant at times, to reach out to your peers or family who may be able to guide or advise you. But again, based on the situation, it may never be a bad idea to approach the right people within or outside your family, who may be helpful in suggesting the correct path to be taken to be successful during your job search.

7. Practise Gratitude

Oprah Winfrey said, "Be thankful for what you have; you'll end up having more. If you concentrate on what you don't have, you will never, ever have enough." Basically, manifesting gratitude leads to higher emotional intelligence, lower depression and better sleep while helping you focus on the positivity and valuable aspects of life.

8. Improve Your Resume Or Profile

You could look for options to improve the quality of your resume while you are looking for a job. For instance, taking up courses or certifications or further studies. However, it may be important to update the resume regarding the gap in employment.

Losing a job, may undoubtedly be stressful and frustrating. However, it totally depends on how you plan to successfully come through it all, and succeed in finding the right kind of employment. Being employed gives a purpose, meaning and structure to life and being without a job could negatively influence the individual's overall personality and confidence level. It's all about taking control of the situation, without any scope of feeling disheartened to eventually evolve into a stronger person with a renewed rigour and vigour!