Pluck Makes Luck. Good saying. It’s tougher than that when you’re on the other side. With the Covid-19 pandemic wreaking havoc on the economy and jobs, some of you are on the other side. I feel your pain. I spent two years on the other side. There isn’t a person alive that can realistically claim I wasn’t working towards work.
I can’t say why it took so long for a guy with my experience to find a job. I can speculate as to why employers weren’t interested, but they don’t spend a lot of time explaining their reasons. I had an interview where that question was asked. “Why haven’t you been hired in a two year period?” My response was perhaps a little too telling of my frustration. “After this interview, you’ll have a better answer for that than I do. I hope you’ll share that with me.” He didn’t.
Fortunately, I finally found someone to take a chance on me. Maybe it was just a matter of timing. If you believe in divine intervention, then the answer might be that the right job just hadn’t opened yet. If you don’t believe in some kind of greater plan, then it’s just a matter of time, work, and frustration.
So, what’s next for you? Maybe you’re a victim of a non-essential employee layoff. Maybe you work for a restaurant as a waiter or bartender, and your employer is still open for business, but they just don’t need you. Maybe you are an essential worker, but you don’t ever want to experience this again.
Now is the time to start thinking about where you’re headed. If you are unemployed or temporarily suspended, you need to explore your options. Weighing your experience, your talent, your dreams, and goals will help. I had years of experience, but it didn’t serve me well. I ended up in a completely different field. I had lots of dreams, but I didn’t have the resources to make them happen or they didn’t show favorable long term success.
If you ‘re still employed and actually working everyday, now probably isn’t a good time to just jump ship. I understand the desire, especially if you are in an essential job dealing with the public, being subject to potential exposure, and working long hours trying to keep up. But the job market is non-existent unless you are moving to another essential job. With recent jobless numbers rising by 7.7 million, it isn’t a time to throw away stability.
However, it is a time to plan. As an essential employee, you are probably experiencing the worst of your job right now. You should have a good indicator of how much more of your life you want to devote to it. If you love your essential job right now, then you are probably where you need to be. If it’s the most frustrating and unsatisfying moment of your life, then it might be time to reflect on what you’d really like to do when this is all over.
If you are unemployed — well, you can either wait to see if jobs open up when this is over or you can start plotting your own course now. Waiting for something else can be a long road. Be sure you have a great resume written. Look at how you can use your experience, or leverage it into a different field. Survey your interests, examine hobbies, evaluate talent and skills. The answer might be making a go of it on your own. Small Business is the engine of the economy and when everything gets back in motion, there are going to be opportunities in nearly every niche category out there.
Don’t lose hope. Evaluate. Plan. Search out purposes and desires, but don’t lose hope. Perseverance pays off. I know. It worked for me. Pluck Makes Luck.
