Unemployed for two years or more? I was.

Unemployed for two years or more? No doubt any redundancy support you had from your last employer has long dried up.

I was unemployed for four long years. During this time, I actively sought work. I took courses for opportunities in areas I had no previous experience. It was challenging keeping myself motivated.

I felt like of a farmer facing many years of continuous famine. My responsibilities did not change as a husband and father, or in commitments in Church because of the circumstances.

I had to carry out the following:

1  I rationalized my expenses

I only took public transport. I planned my trips in a way to get the most value out of them.  I cut back on unnecessary spending.  Money issues causes more unneeded stress.

2  I explored new avenues of increasing my set of skills

I sought help from my professional institution. The benevolent fund disqualified financial help as my wife was in full time work. However, I secured an outplacement position.

I went on all relevant courses. I sharpened my interview skills.  A Consultant Human Resources expert mentored me. Interim management and consulting was a course I keenly absorbed. I learnt all about running a limited liability company and set myself one.

I sought to transfer the skills got from many years work experience to others by going into the lifelong learning sector.  I got entry qualification for this from my local college.  However, I was blocked from taking a diploma by inability to secure work experience.

3  I kept personal accountability

I kept a record of my job application and interviews. (I had more than 20 interviews from over 200 applications before finally securing work).  I sought feedback from every interview attended.  I kept a record of these.

4  I kept myself gainfully busy

I took up newspaper rounds to get my exercises for the week. I gained the satisfaction of changing my environment while having some pocket money. This progressed to phone directory delivery on zero-contracts. I got a trickle of private tuition appointments from two of the tuition agencies I had registered with online.

5  I volunteered myself in meeting the needs of others

The true difference between turnover and profit became clear during this time through personal experiences.  Meeting the needs of others in no financial position to meet them became my personal experience of turnover. A lot of work was achieved without having money coming in.

One of the most important values I received was never to be defined by my current circumstance.

A ‘possibility’ attitude was key to my surviving this ‘famine’. It was a period that I displayed the most emotional and mental resilience. I moved into my next period of employment adjusted from the limitations of my previous employments.

I now give counsel on activities in my current environment that I never knew I had in me.

Are you unemployed and have been so for a while?  Get in touch if you have a question.

About The Author

Chuck

It all started with Eze (fondly called Chuck) fainting at the airport. When he regained consciousness, Chuck found himself in a mental hospital. He was diagnosed with Psychotic Depression. Over time, Chuck was diagnosed with a range of other mental illnesses with the final one being Schizophrenia. Unbeknown to him about this latest record on his medical files, Chuck carried on with day to day living over the next 14 years until he met Zoe. Over the next 4 years, Chuck and Zoe began a journey of faith to defy the odds of mental illness. Today Chuck’s medical records say NO MENTAL ILLNESS. He defied mental illness and is helping others do the same.

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