Part 2: Where do I Start?

In part one of “Where do I start?”, we looked at Maslow’s Hierarchy of needs and how it relates to building a firm foundation as you begin the next chapter of your professional life. By making sure that you have solidified your basic needs, like your finances and housing, what you have done is taken a significant amount of stress off of yourself. Now its time to move forward and get your “ducks in a row” so you can secure your next great career opportunity. The following suggestions can help you to start to move forward to the higher levels in Maslow’s Hierarchy.

Before you send out your first resume or jump on that huge on-line job board make sure you do the following:

Get in the right frame of mind – You have just been through a very traumatic experience. Although time is of the essence in securing your next job, take some time for yourself to make sure that you are in the right frame of mind to begin your job search. You need to be positive about your future and each of the opportunities that you apply. If you hold onto what happened in the past, your anger/frustration/disappointment will come through to a new potential employer.

Get Healthy – This is a great time to get up and get some exercise! If you have a gym membership, USE it! If not, go out for a run and then come home and do some sit-ups and push-ups. The results are two-fold. First, nothing relieves stress like vigorous exercise. Working up a good sweat will help to reduce your stress level and also help you to sleep better at night to recharge your batteries for the next day. Second, if you keep this routine up over time, you just might shed a few pounds. Studies of hiring preferences have found that managers will hire a candidate that they perceive as “healthy” over one that they perceive as being “unhealthy”.

Take a good hard look at your “soft skills” - Regardless of what industry you were in or what industry you will be targeting in your job search, one thing that I know for sure is that you will be working with other individuals at some level. This means you will be using what employers refer to as “soft skills”. While every employer seeks a different mix of abilities and experience from its employees, they all want people who speak, write and present themselves well. These intangible skills are ones that you use every day to accomplish tasks. They include things like communication skills, leadership skills, and teamwork. These same areas are ones that employers screen for when interviewing job applicants. To put it simply, improving your soft skills increases your chances of being hired.

Stay connected – Even though most of your close social contacts were at your job, it is important for you to stay socially connected with friends and family during this time. All too often people in this situation tend to become reclusive. As you can see when you look at Maslow’s hierarchy of needs, “Love and Belonging” is the gateway to self-esteem and self-actualization. Your friends and family are the key to get through this difficult time…don’t shut them out! Continue to communicate and have social interactions. However, a word of caution…if you are socializing with friends from your previous job, do not talk about the past. Remember it’s pretty difficult to drive forward when you are looking in your rearview mirror!

Get your creative juices flowing – This is a time when you can easily fall into a rut. When you were working, you had a set schedule…places to go and people to see. This schedule kept your brain engaged and your creative juices flowing. It is vitally important to keep your brain active with meaningful activities. Yes, it is going to be easy to sit in-front of the couch and watch CNN or Law & Order re-runs on TV, but neither of these will engage your brain in a meaningful way. Read a book, keep a journal, or check out your local college for free community class offerings.

By getting into the right frame of mind, getting healthy, improving your “soft skills”, staying connected with friends and family and keeping your brain engaged in meaningful activities you are well on your way to creating a stable environment in which you can succeed in your job search. Think of it as building a new home on solid ground versus sand. Obliviously, the home built on solid ground will be much more stable. By creating a firm foundation during your career transition, you and your family will be much more stable.

Robert Shindell
The Career Doctor
ILostMyJob.com

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