Life Lessons: Takeaways From My Many Months of Unemployment

 

Back in 2017, I was working as Executive Editor with Auto Tech Review, a New Delhi-based automotive-technology magazine, a leading B2B monthly. The work was interesting and the pay was not too bad. However, due to certain difficult circumstances, I had to leave this job at the end of October 2017 and was not been able to find work for many months. Months of unemployment, zero earnings during that period, almost complete isolation from friends and family, and having to deal with depression and anxiety.

Were things difficult? Yes. Did I regret leaving my old job without first finding other work? Yes, I made a mistake with that. Did I give up hope for the future? No. And you mustn't either, if you're ever in a similar situation.

Here, I've put together some thoughts that might be useful reading for those who are either thinking of leaving their current job (without already having accepted another job offer first) or those who've recently left their job and are currently looking for work.

Think Twice

If at all you can help it, don't leave your existing job before first finding a new one. No matter how bad the situation might feel at the time, putting up with that situation and carrying on will, for most people, be a better option as compared possibly spending months without a job and no income. No matter how qualified or experienced you might be, it's entirely possible that once you leave your job, it could take months before you find another. Being broke is not a good place to be – it brings you to your knees, and can subsequently force you to take up a job that's worse than the one you left in the first place. This is especially applicable to middle-aged, middle-class people like me, who have very limited savings and for whom going even a few months without pay can lead to serious financial disruption and all-around misery. Remember, you are responsible for providing for your family, you need to put food on the table, you need to pay the bills. That responsibility may well be more important than any suffering you have to put up with at the workplace.

Reality Bites

New jobs, for most people, could be hard to come, especially if you’re middle-aged. Most companies – including the big MNCs – want to be ‘lean and mean.’ What that essentially means is, getting one person to do the work that was earlier performed by 2-4 individuals. Companies are increasingly trying to push more and more work on to employees who might already be overworked and underpaid, demanding that they either adapt, or move out. If you move out, be assured that there will be a dozen (usually younger, hungrier) people lining up to do the work you did, at half the salary. Cost-cutting and downsizing are here to stay and you can't wish those things away. For those who started working 20-25 years ago, or more, we need to understand that the world simply isn't the same place anymore. The rules have changed. Learn to play by the new rules. Adapt. Improvise. Overcome. Or be pushed out of the workforce.

Leverage Your Network

With Naukri.com and other similar sites, understand that for any job posted there, there are hundreds upon hundreds of applicants and recruiters are trying to find the best fit, which is the proverbial needle in a haystack in this case. Your chances of getting a job through most such job sites could be as slim as your chances of winning the national lottery, so don't depend on these too much. On the other hand, LinkedIn is increasingly becoming a more powerful tool for finding work. Keep your LinkedIn profile updated, build and grow your network there, join relevant professional groups and check the jobs section regularly. Ask for recommendations, ask for referrals, and don't be ashamed of asking friends and associates for leads.

Save and Conserve

Conserve your resources till the time you find work that pays well. When you leave a job, your final settlement (including last month's salary, encashable leave, miscellaneous reimbursements and, if you opt for it, PF withdrawal) could mean that you have a fair bit of money in your bank account. That shouldn’t mean you start buying expensive wine and meals at the Taj. No, you might need to use that money for your living expenses for the next many months, so make an effort to stretch every penny, make every bit count, spend on only the essentials and cut out everything else. Anything that can wait, must wait. You don't want to splurge for the first six weeks and then subsist on borrowings for the next six months. The bills will keep coming in thick and fast, there will be unexpected expenses and savings don't last forever. Be prepared for this. 

Get Physical

Sitting at home without work can hurt your health in a big way, which could be a downer when you do find work. Don’t treat your period of unemployment as an extended vacation. Remain active. As active as you were when you did have a job, when you left home early in the morning and came back home late in the evening. Make it a point to get out of the house in the morning and in the evening to get some exercise, even if it’s just a 30-minute walk. Play whatever sports you like, ride a bicycle, go to the gym, swim if you have access to a pool – anything that keeps you fit and active. Lose weight if you need to – now might be the best time for it. Cultivate healthier eating habits. Appearances are important – do whatever you can to improve yours. Whatever you do, don't get into a rut where you just sit at home and scroll through your social media feeds and watch YouTube the whole day.

Matters of the Mind

Taking care of your mental health is as important as your physical wellbeing. Being jobless for months can entail being cut off from friends and family (with friends, it's usually a case of them being busy with their jobs and careers and with family, you could feel embarrassed to face them since being without work is socially stigmatised), leaving you with little or no communication with the outside world. Deal with it. Depending on your interests, read more books, watch some movies, learn a new skill (online courses are also available for a very wide variety of things that you might want to do), provide pro bono consulting (if that's an option in your field of work) and volunteer for social causes. Don't let the mind rust – keep it keen and active and on the edge.

Prepare for the Future

Be prepared for the next steps. No matter how hopeless the situation may seem, there will eventually be a turnaround. You never know when an opportunity will present itself, so be prepared – mentally, physically, emotionally and intellectually – to make use of that opportunity when it comes. Upgrade your skills. Always found it difficult to use Excel? Now is the time to become an expert at making spreadsheets. Scared of public speaking? Invest your time in practicing the art. Make an effort to overcome your fears, try to build expertise. Presentations, number crunching, data analysis, general knowledge, business case studies, writing skills, programming – whatever is relevant for your work, work hard at improving your skills. It may be invaluable for the next job that you find. Learning new skills may give you an edge over others you may be looking for the same kind of jobs as you are.

Have Faith

Finally, above all, do not lose hope. God has a plan for each and every one of us. Yes, even those of us who do not have an MBA from IIM or a degree in engineering from IIT. Can't build a world-changing mobile app, know zilch about blockchain, cryptocurrency and AI, can't design a spaceship, know nothing about marketing toothpaste and can't write a book about investing in the global stock markets? Don't worry, you can still be useful in other ways. Spend time thinking about what you want your purpose in life to be. Find that purpose. Have faith in your own self and have faith in the plan that God has for you, and keep trying to move in the direction in which you want your life to go. Things will be alright in the end.