Remaining Employable when Unemployed

Let me share with you my inspiration for this latest piece of writing - Remaining Employable when Unemployed!

I recently had a conversation with a friend, Chris, who is currently writing his memoir. I read a draft of it and was terribly impressed. I like to support young people and their pursuing of their dreams. And when I meet people like Chris or Caspar or Anqi, who are venturing out into the unknown, following the calls of their hearts, I just cannot help but to encourage them.

So I was chatting with Chris and he told me he never had to find a job the traditional way - using resumes and cover letters. This was exactly what Dick Bolles talked about - that most of the jobs that are out there are not found through google. Employers usually seek out these job-seeking platforms as a last resort. If they could find someone reliable and whom they like through an easier route, they would definitely go with it.

I kept Chris's experience (and random sharing) at the back of my mind. I like to store such random facts I come across at the back of my mind. That's usually the fodder I use for my writing.

And then a few days later, I was reading up in preparation of my new job to begin next week. And this was what I read in a report called The Future of Work: Jobs and skills in 2030 (page 25):

"Those with higher skills compete for jobs that, in better times, would be filled by the less skilled, and the result is the displacement of the latter."

"The slow recovery would could also amplify the "hysteresis" phenomenon, a decline in the employability of those losing their jobs, because long-term unemployment leads to an erosion of skills, detrimental effects of detachment from working life and the loss of a network of contacts that would facilitate in job searching."

And my mind connected the dots and transformed the abstract economic idea of why unemployment entails longer term-employment into a concrete idea of how one can avoid falling into this trap, how to remain relevant in the midst of uncertainty.

It was easy for me to write because I have much experience with unemployment and have much contact with people who are seeking jobs. One group are mothers who after raising their kids want to return to the workforce. I met many of such mothers when I was doing my TESOL Diploma.

It's like magic - my mind sources information from others, what I read, and my own experiences and then puts them together into a piece of writing.

Keep reading, keep writing, and keep thinking - keep surprising yourself! :)