The Unemployed Life
Unemployment is in the Attitude
I’m unemployed, sort of. I was laid off from my job about a year ago. Now, I’m self-employed, which sometimes feels like unemployed: having to get my own health insurance, scrap together my own income from freelance projects, create my own “office” at home or at coffee shops. But most of all, it’s outlook and attitude that makes all the difference.
Some folks who have been laid off are bitter towards their former employer, their friends, the world at dumping them out on the street. I don’t blame them for their frustrations. It ain’t easy.
But you don’t turn around an undesirable situation with grumbling, passive aggression, a sense of entitlement, bullying or any other behaviors that, face it, don’t make you feel all that great. (At least, not for more than a few minutes.) Worse, it comes across loud and clear, and makes you even more undesirable.
Bitterness shows. One hiring manager found the candidate “defensive, but mostly entitled.”
I recently heard about a young woman who has been struggling to get back into the media business ever since she, too, was dumped out of it in the early fall. She’s got tons of experience and knows her stuff. But her interpersonal skills have been atrophying from working in isolation (“working” being “looking for job,” “picking up occasional freelance assignment”). Her bitterness shows. One hiring manager she contacted found her “defensive, but mostly entitled.”
So this is just a reminder to pick your head up, look around, and keep the big picture in mind, because…
…you’re not alone.
Have you seen the unemployment figures? Those in certain industries, like media and manufacturing, feel the pinch more than others, since the recession hasn’t just cut companies’ earnings, but also triggered necessary evolution—sometimes with fewer employees. (Some cities are worse than others, too — another young woman recently told me about how surprised she was that New York was more recessed than the midwest city she’d moved from.)
…you’re awesome.
Who cares what some dumb company thinks? Pull out your resume often and really take it in. Pretty impressive, right?
…people with jobs aren’t any happier.
Some of them may be more frustrated than you—working longer hours, taking on more work, and being terrified of losing their jobs, to the point of not taking vacations.
…if you keep on making that face, it’s going to stay that way forever.
Yes, sir. An unhappy face is really not so much a hireable face. Big smiles, big smiles everyone. And especially when you pick up the phone—they can hear your grumpy face loud and clear down the other end of the line.
…being mopey is lame and stupid.
It really won’t get you anywhere, and you know it. Walk it off. Here are some cheap or free fitness ideas, and some other reasons why unemployment or underemployment can be good for you, and even fun:
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3 comments for “Unemployment is in the Attitude”
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It’s always fascinating to see people’s different ways of looking at and experiencing the same situation… because of the different values, perceptions, and histories we bring to that situation.
I’ve been a freelancer for a very long time, both as a writer and as a teacher (mainly an adjunct instructor at colleges). I’ve NEVER thought of myself as “unemployed” or “unemployed, sort of.” Not even at times when I had no free-lance writing gigs going or lined up and the same with my teaching.
I’ve always known lots of writers, actors, and musicians whose lives paralleled mine, so my situation never seemed strange to me. But reading what Laura Rich wrote, while a bit foreign to me, nevertheless makes total sense coming from someone who had a fulltime job, presumably had an office not in her home, presumably had health insurance, and probably knew lots of people who were working fulltime rather than freelancing. For anyone immersed in the world of 9-5 (or perhaps 9-9 in our era), I can see where becoming a freelancer–even if it’s going well–might feel in some ways like being unemployed.
You got it exactly. It’s a bit of a transition for many – was for myself included, though self-employed feels finally right now – to be working a day job and then suddenly not. For most people, it would hard to instantly say you were self-employed – you’d need time to establish your business, build a client base, etc.
Unfortunately, there are a LOT of people who have had to go through this transition – and many of them are not seeking self-employment as a goal, but as something to keep the lights on until they find a new day job.
Thanks for your comment!
I agree with everything you’ve said. Indeed, I assume it’s quite a difficult transition for some people, especially if they’ve spent many years working day jobs. Moreover, while self-employment and freelancing are a terrific fit for some people (including myself), there are many others who feel much more comfortable going to a workplace five days a week–even apart from the issues of stability and benefits.