You might not believe it, but you can beat the recession. When you start the process of finding or creating your dream job, it’s natural to be discouraged by concerns about the difficult economic climate. The news reports tell us again and again that times are hard: unemployment is up; businesses are folding; the chances of finding a good job these days is next to zilch.
Don’t believe a word of it. When you’re striking out in the direction of your vital vocation, it’s important not to let any uninvestigated myths stand in your way. It’s not about dismissing real obstacles as irrelevant – it’s about taking a look at the reality of those obstacles, and what can be done about them. So – how do we beat the recession?
Why There’s Still Hope, Even When Times Are Hard
Worries about the effect of the economic downturn are probably the most prevalent of all those that currently plague job-seekers and career-changers. These fears are not frivolous. There is no doubt that the recession has had an appalling effect on many industries, communities, families and individuals. Many of those who read this will have been affected, perhaps through the loss of a job or downsizing.
Without wishing to dismiss the seriousness of the situation the recession puts us all in, I want to emphasise something really important.
There are jobs out there. There are always jobs out there, and there are always new jobs being created, often by people just like you.
This isn’t wishful thinking, it’s simple logic. Even if no new jobs were ever developed again, employees in existing jobs would get sick, die, retire, take sabbaticals, win the Lottery, decide to move abroad, go on maternity leave, and start working part-time. In addition to that, many organisations – forced to change their shape to cope with a radically different financial environment – would restructure and change existing jobs into something quite new.
In other words, vacancies and new opportunities do arise, even in this tough climate. Here’s how I answered an enquiry about this topic from a coaching client. Can she beat the recession? You bet she can!
The Solution To Job Search Stalemate
The trick, obviously, is in discovering (or creating!) the appropriate opportunities and, out of all the people who are seeking new work or a career change, getting into the best position to get one.
Here’s something else that’s true: even in boom times, there are always people out of work. So the recession doesn’t mean that you have to deal with an entirely different job-market to the norm, but it does mean that you have to deal with one that’s operating on a very different level.
The solution? There isn’t one – not in the sense of you being able to “solve” the problem of the recession once and for all. Time and history will do that, and in the meantime, what do you do? Firstly, you deal with your immediate situation – financially, emotionally, and psychologically. Then, you sharpen your job-hunting skills to a finely-honed point, and you enact a practical, tactical job-search or career-change process. All of this applies if you’re creating work too, of course – either as a freelancer, a sole trader, or small-business builder.
How You’ll Beat The Recession & Find Your Vital Vocation
The vital vocation approach is about precisely that practical, tactical job-search or career-change process. It’s a way that you may not have been taught before, because instead of basing your search around the vagaries of the economic climate and employment statistics, you’ll base it on your own unique capacities and interests. You’ll work hard and proactively at finding (or creating) the right work that’s founded on your unique gifts and talents. You won’t lose sight of the environment, but you won’t let it drive you either. Most of all, you’ll apply creative and fun job-search and career-change techniques to ensure you’re a cut above the majority of people who are looking for work. That alone will go a long way towards helping you beat the recession!
Of course, that all sounds great, and we’ll be covering the details of the process in future posts – but if you’ve just been laid off, you’re probably too busy panicking to be excited by the prospect of “creative job search and career-change techniques”. How can you beat the recession when you’re in this kind of despair? Don’t worry – help is at hand. In my next post, we’re going to look at how to cope when the chips are down, in my Emergency Job-Search Action Plan.
Photo courtesy of FreeDigitalPhotos.net
{ 0 comments… add one now }