Weak Job Market Means Now is the Perfect Time to Get to Work… on Yourself

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• June 3, 2011
• By Danny Rubin
• 16 Comments

If you are unemployed and looking for work, the job market these days is a paralyzing place.  More and more companies, perhaps assuming that jobless equates to brainless, have begun to only interview people who are currently employed.

The situation has created a quandary for millions of young adults: how can I ever get hired if I need to have a job as a prerequisite?

Federal and state governments are busy drafting legislation to protect the unemployed.  In May, New Jersey became the first state to prohibit businesses from discouraging the unemployed to apply for a job.  In March, Rep. Hank Johnson (D-GA) tried to amend the Civil Rights Act of 1964 to make it illegal to bar a person from employment on the basis of of their unemployment.

Those efforts are well-intentioned but will likely not lead to sweeping reforms in the hiring process.  The world of applications, interviews and call-backs is a murky one and nearly impossible to control.  So we can’t rely on a government crackdown or the sympathies of an exec who “remembers what it’s like to be in our shoes.”  Ain’t happenin’.  Not in this economy.

The only person who can help you lock down that elusive job offer is, well, you.

Let’s be real.  If you were a boss, would you want to hire someone with a meager resume who appears desperate for work rather than primed and poised for it?  Yea, me neither.

The job market is a fierce, competitive place and those who wait for work to fall from the sky will get nothing but a neck cramp.  According to a recent survey from the Bureau of Labor and Statistics, there are more than 1.3 million people who have never held a job before and need one now.  That’s roughly the state of New Hampshire.   How will you separate from the pack?

Simply put: unemployed doesn’t have mean to unprepared.  While you have the free time, consider interning at a company that interests you.  Ask friends and family if you can shadow them and observe what they do.  Look for courses to improve your skill set (i.e. at a community college) or join a group or club that will provide relevant job skills (and allow you to possibly network with people in the field).  Think about what a boss would want on your resume and then take steps to fill in the blanks.

Who knows?  Maybe you will impress someone at an internship or night course and garner a letter of recommendation.  The key is to always make use of your idle time.  And don’t forget: we can all use a little polishing up on our interview strategies and public speaking.

In many ways, not having a 9-to-5 is a luxury.  You have plenty of time to try out new industries and trades and see what clicks.  And with each new adventure, you enhance your profile for the all-important job interview.

Let’s be real (one more time).  If you were a boss, would you want to hire someone who saw unemployment as an opportunity and found creative ways to gain skills despite not having full-time work?

Well, bosses don’t become bosses for passing on a person like that.

Danny Rubin works as a consultant for the media research firm Frank Magid Associates. He works mostly with television and newspaper clients, helping to either boost ratings or subscriptions. Prior to working at Magid, he was a television reporter at WTKR, the CBS affiliate in Norfolk, Va. In addition to consulting, Danny provides freelance video production services in the Washington, D.C. area.