There are two kinds of job seekers: those
looking for jobs and those who will be looking for jobs – at one time or
another. It’s inevitable. What’s a secure job anymore? Remember when the post
office was as secure and safe as you could get?
Many people, who find themselves having more
free time on their hands, may convince themselves they will take some time off
for a few weeks and then they will kick it back into gear and look for a new
job; this is rarely a good idea. A few weeks can turn into a few months, 7 and
then 8… You may tell yourself you want to clear your head a bit, take a break
and maybe do a little traveling, or get some reading done before you jump back
into that rat race. But I’m here to tell you this is a mistake. I know people
such as these, they have good track records of performance and they thought the
same thing and, now one year later, they are searching for a job – and panicking.
The slower than normal job market is one big reason why you shouldn’t sit back
and put your feet up.
Companies are taking longer to make decisions;
they are scrutinizing applicants more thoroughly, which brings me to my main
point. Gaps in your employment can hurt your chances when compared with other
applicants. The bigger the gap the more you’ve got to explain. If you have no
choice in the matter, so be it, but if you chose to sit back that’s a little
harder to rationalize. Sure, if you are that
good, if you blow the others away during the interview process, a slight gap
isn’t going to hurt you. But if there are other people of similar experience
and skill seeking the same job, the span of time between jobs is one of the
items at which they will be looking. So why purposely handicap yourself? Regret is a dirty word in my vocabulary.
Many people, including myself, on occasion
think, “ah screw’em, I don’t care what they think”. But unless you’re
self-employed that attitude won’t get you very far. Using your new free time
for introspection, to travel or spend time reading and lamenting the state of
the world – whatever excuse you use won’t pay the bills; meanwhile, time
marches on and faster than you think. And if you’re not nervous because you
have some savings socked away or received a fat severance package, after you
burn through that, then what?
The point is gaps in your employment,
especially those that are avoidable or you cannot easily explain away, do not
reflect well on a person. Maybe you’re not worried, but I have watched people
who said they have it handled, they were cool and calm and knew what they were
doing and, a year later, suddenly they are willing to take any job they can
find. This is no way to manage a career,
much less keep pace with the ebb
and flow of economic cycles.
Anyone who has worked to stay in good physical
condition and participate competitively, knows after a lengthy pause they lose
something, they are not as sharp or as agile and it takes a while to get back
to where they were. It is no different if you have a break and make excuses to
delay doing what needs to be done; that is, to get out there and find another
job.
Whether by choice or by circumstance you find
yourself with free time as a result of unemployment, sure, put your feet up a
bit, take a week or two to get your thoughts together, catch your breath and,
then, get back into the race.
Next time we’ll talk about small but
potentially costly resume mistakes related to your job changes.
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