If you haven't lost your job, but suspect it might
soon happen, plan for it now.
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Ascher says, "We should be thinking
about these things every single day, not just when we're on the
edge of a cliff."
Bankrate talked to six job hunters, from an IT guy
in Florida to a top-level executive living in Dubai, to see how
they're handling being out of work and looking for employment. They
shared their concerns and approaches to finding work.
When the housing market slumped, Cheryl
Smithem saw her stint as a vice president of a large building company
near Charleston, S.C., screech to a halt. Smithem says losing her job was an
exercise in deja vu. "I felt like I did the first time this happened to
me when I had a job offer on the table just prior to 9/11 and it was pulled
back."
Search strategy:
Smithem's career has prepared her for an executive position in several industries. In addition to home building, she's
also worked for nonprofits, including a stint as the executive director of an arts council.
She looks for work by working. Smithem accepts jobs on a freelance basis. "I can make opportunity --
I don't have to wait for someone to put the opportunity out for me," she says. When she finishes one job, such as putting
together a proposal for a client, she'll often find herself recommended to someone new for a totally different job.
Coping status:
Positive. As soon as Smithem's neck hit the chopping
block, she went into preservation mode. First she asked herself, "What
am I doing today to produce revenue?" The answers were found in a number
of places, ranging from little, relatively low-paying, one-off jobs she
found on Craigslist to extending her connections. "This way I got some
tech-writing pieces under my belt and made some good connections," she
says. By filling her days with proactive solutions, she keeps her eye
on the goal and is too busy to feel sorry for herself.
What's right:
She knows which of her many skills are marketable and proactively puts herself out there. It's working so well that she's
contemplating finding an intern to help her in her home office. Right now she's unsure whether she'll remain a freelancer,
but she doesn't discount it.
How to pump it up:
Smithem's approaches to staying afloat and finding temporary
gigs get her two thumbs up. To enhance her viability as a freelancer
or create job opportunities, she should consider attending professional
association meetings in industries she wants to crack into. She lives
close to two convention/meeting meccas -- Charleston and Myrtle Beach, S.C.
-- giving her lots from which to choose.
