4 Things Helping Me During Unemployment
If you, like me, are one of the millions of Americans who found themselves unemployed this year, I feel you — and I am sorry that you’re going through this on top of all the other crap this year has brought.
Courtney here — and today I’m writing about what has helped me during unemployment. At first, I wasn’t going to write anything about the subject, because honestly, I felt embarrassed. But then I thought to myself — if I’m someone who preaches the importance of vulnerability, it’s only right that I would try to connect with others who might be going through something similar by sharing my truth. The last thing we need right now is everyone pretending everything is perfect — because we all know it’s far from it.
Long story short, I found myself unemployed at the end of August. Although I was scared, there was also a huge sense of relief because I had been ready to move on. I have experienced so many emotions over these last few weeks: relief, a sense of freedom, anxiety, fear, shame, confusion, joy in exploration...and the list goes on. Although I have picked up a few fun freelance gigs, I am still navigating this weird world of unemployment and thought I’d share a few things that have helped me along the way.
1. Take time to create and play
I posted about this on LinkedIn, but I made the decision the second I found myself unemployed, that I was going to take two weeks to create and play. I know some people cannot afford this luxury, but thankfully, I had some money saved to give myself a few weeks to unwind and regroup.
I walked to Michaels in NYC and grabbed a couple spools of yarn, ordered a loom, and started creating. I watched weaving and macrame videos (thinking about creating a tutorial myself!) and started making gifts for family and friends, and I just took time to let myself chill and make stuff I thought was cool. I felt so distracted and excited by creating and learning, that I forgot I was unemployed.
During those two weeks, my fiancé and I also took a quick trip to Montauk to celebrate what was supposed to be our original honeymoon (pic of us on the beach during the one good weather day below). That two weeks of downtime helped me really reflect on what it is that I want to do next.
2. Reflect and mourn
During those two weeks of pure “play,” I not only reflected on my career thus far, but I also let myself mourn my comfortable routine and steady paycheck. Although I had been ready to move on, it was still hard not knowing what I would be doing every day.
It really helped me to write down what I did and did not like about my previous roles. Did I like being in an office? Was remote work flexibility important to me? Were the industries I was working in particularly interesting? Is it important that I work for a woman-owned company in my next role? I tried my best to answer all of these questions, and then wrote down some other career paths that sparked my curiosity. Which leads me to my next point...
3. Explore different industries and careers
I’ve worked at marketing agencies for the last seven years, and although I’ve had some incredibly rewarding and fulfilling moments, I also find myself being curious about other industries. At first, I felt really stupid for thinking about pursuing other options, because all of my experience is at marketing agencies. I had agency professionals reaching out to me about joining their team shortly after my departure, but something inside me was telling me to follow my curiosity and not jump the gun quite yet.
I started to realize how many of my skills were transferrable to other careers, and how working with clients in dozens of different industries will help prepare me to adapt to new environments no matter where I end up.
I am someone who definitely considers herself multi-passionate, so I am at a point where I’m exploring a lot of different options. I just turned 30 and applied for an internship the other day because I want to learn more about that industry. It feels scary, but if I really set my ego aside and remind myself that it’s okay to start over, it feels like there is a world of possibilities that opens up.
4. Create a routine, but schedule time for non-job search activities
Everyone always says, “treat job searching like a full time job.” I totally get that, because for many of us, there is a sense of urgency and it seems nearly impossible to get even a phone screen with HR these days.
I definitely went through a “throw shit at the wall and see what sticks” phase because at the end of the day, does a dream job really exist? And, hey, I need to pay my ridiculous Manhattan rent... But I quickly realized that my time was better spent on targeted efforts at companies and industries that really interest me. I also realized that spending every minute of every day on LinkedIn is not good for my mental health.
Up until a few weeks ago, my schedule was essentially: go on LinkedIn and apply to anything related to my experience, doom scroll on Twitter and cry about the state of the world, incessantly check email only to find rejections, then watch TV or read a romance novel. I still pretty much end my day the same way, but I no longer let myself fall down the rabbit hole of rapid job applications and aggressive news consumption.
Now, I schedule time for job applications, but these are positions and companies I’ve vetted and know (or have strong reason to believe) that I would be happy at. I take some time purely for research — about other industries and careers that interest me and what I’d need to do to take that leap. I allow time for walking or exercising, then also schedule time for my art projects and fun crafts. After each day, I write down my “wins,” no matter how small they are. Sometimes it’s “applied for three jobs, got to the next interview round at X company,” and sometimes it’s literally “did laundry, called mom.” For me, it makes me feel so much better to still celebrate little wins when I’m unemployed, and honestly, I will probably continue doing it even after I get a job.
Here are some links to my cheetah mug and hat btw!
If you don’t give yourself a little pep talk every once and awhile, 2020 is going to feel much worse than it already does. If you’re struggling at your job or find yourself unemployed, too, I am with you — I know it’s hard and I am rooting for you. I’d love to hear what types of things have helped you during your job search or career change, so feel free to drop some ideas in the comments below!
