Pink Slips! Downsizing! Lay offs! Your Fired! These words seem to be echoing almost uniformly across the neighborhood Austin, Texas region. With nationwide unemployment rate, soaring to 8.1% in Feb 2009, it’s likely that many of my Austin, Texas friends are in anguish trying to cope with one of their major life changing event. The Job Loss!

Job Loss does profoundly alter emotions and if the emotional change is not managed competently, it can gradually devastate one’s physical health. In this editorial I’m going to suggest coping strategies that will prove beneficial to Austin, Texas residents, especially those who are currently unemployed.

Getting Started:

Being unemployed can be extremely distressful. If you are in-between job loss, there might be an entice to vacation, take a short break from the mundane life and come back charged up to look out for a new job. While it is always good to unwind, I have testimonials to illustrate that vacations during Job loss is seldom a stress buster. However, if you choose to optimize your available time constructively, I can assure that you are on right track, gearing to scale up to the next level of your career.

 It would be best option to exploit the time in-between jobs, for it can recreate your destiny. I would recommend Austin, Texas residents to journalize their career history, so to have a rationalized perceptive of their employment strengths and weakness. Let three columns make up your employment journal. 

List of All employers (paid and unpaid) Favorite aspects on the job (skills strength) Least preferred tasks on the job (challenge or weakness)

Few of the favorite and least preferred aspects include Salary, fringe Benefits,  skills you like to use on the job, work location being at closer proximity to home, outsized  organization, micro organization, One or multiple reporting heads, Managed people, Team work, Creative thinking, organization’s media representative, sales, Travel frequency etc., Generally Job responsibility is just on of the aspect for job satisfaction and usually many external factors mentioned, contribute greatly to overall career experience.

Informational Interviews

Every person is reservoir of knowledge.  Each on them, in their own unique way, carries along a specific load of expertise, skills and experience. Start viewing every Austin, Texas neighbor as your potential resource for ideas and information.

Based on their availability, indulge in a discussion. Elucidate on your preferences, career history, Skill strengths and job challenges.  Request their ideas on the career path that would most suit your strength and preferences. People love to talk and they would be flattered about your choice to ask them for advice especially during crisis, such a job loss. When they respond optimistically, listen carefully and make detailed notes about every information bit. Be certain not to interrupt while they converse, for it can disrupt their creative flow of ideas. Be silent and probe for additional comments. I would also recommend that you obtain professional references of those who can add value to your search.

The second level referral contacts, when called for informational interviews provide a foundation for a proactive search during job loss. Call on the contact and let them know the source person who gave you referral contact numbers. Introduce yourself and state the purpose of your call. Also ask their availability for an in-person appointment, so for you discuss in greater detail about your aspirations and learn more about the industry’s current market status.  Be cautious not to ask for jobs outright.

Informational Interviews, will help you taper down your career options.  Be sure to evaluate every idea or knowledge shared and choose the option that best suits your career aspirations.

Get Help

An unemployed person can be of immense help to another unemployed individual. Try to be a part of job search groups in the neighborhood Austin, Texas region. You will be linked to a network of job seekers, who can load you with potential leads. You can also discuss in depth about your aspirations and industry that will create an internal forum to exchange information.

You can also get online help from job sites like monster.com or hot jobs.com.

Research the Company

Before applying for a particular job, it’s necessary that you research thoroughly about job responsibilities, company and industry. Few of the resources that can facilitate your research include:

Company website Google resources (Check if the company is listed) Google News (Check for company’s recent press releases) Google Finance (check financial history of the company) Government published journals that provide demographics on different companies. 

Make sure to update every progress on your employment journal. Instead of considering job loss as a disaster, it might be better to perceive it as an opportunity to recreate you career.

If you’re an unemployed in the Austin, Texas area and having trouble with maintaining your mortgage payments then you contact The Troubled Homeowner Organization.  Troubled Homeowner works with homeowners that are facing difficult financial situation.

Image taken on 2008-09-25 08:46:17. Image Source. (Used with permission)