Why Youre Still Unemployed One Year Later

Why Youre Still Unemployed One Year LaterWhy Youre Still Unemployed One Year LaterI hate to be the one to tell you this but its not them its you. None of us want to hear it, but if youre ready for a healthy dose of honesty, read on.The one-year anniversary of unemployment is rarely a cause for celebration.Every day I hear from executives - top men and women in their fields - who are going through extended unemployment. They have not had a bite even a nibble.Some of these people have had freelance or consulting assignments. Others dabbled with the idea of reinventing themselves. The plain truth is The higher up the ladder you are, the longer it seems it takes to find work - much more so during a recession.Unemployment and underemployment for top-paid executives is a sign of the times. As a jobconomist, I see it staying this way through 2010.The prolonged pain of this recession makes those unemployed for a year or more even more depressed.Executives who are unemployed for such an extended term become understandably frustrated. Then that frustration turns into depression, and depression becomes bitterness. You begin second-guessing, questioning everything about yourself and your efforts to find work.Thats the beginning of the cycle. Who wants to hire a depressed executive?If you fit this description and are feeling hopeless, let me tell you it is possible to break this cycle of rejection.You can turn your fate around in your favor and get more interviews and eventually land inspiring, challenging jobs.Stop blaming your tools Have you ever noticed how $100K+ executives always blame their resumes for lack of interviews? Most of these same people have paid to have their resumes professionally prepared.But its not them.After their resumes, whats the next excuse of these executives? Come on, you know agefollowed by money the very fact that you were making $100K+. These are your (former) excuses.Its not them, its you These are all excuses for what the real problem may be you - and your attitude.Your legitimately depressed emotional state has permeated everything you touch. Even the way you have crafted your resume or let it be crafted.The way you network, the way you interview. After one year of being unemployed, you have bought in to the defeatist attitude. The only thing worse than being unemployed for more than a year is to be the spouse or partner of the person who has been unemployed.When you have been unemployed for one year or more, the change will only come when you are willing to admit that you are helpless to find a job.Once you face the fact that there is something about you that is holding you back from finding work, you can move forward with a new plan of action and a changed attitude.Keyword attitude.Here are my recommendations for positive change if youre in the One-Year-Unemployed clubStep 1 Admit you have a real problem finding a job. Do not blame the resume do not blame your age, past salary or the economy. Blame your atti tude.Step 2 Work to change that attitude.Step 3 Work harder. That means sacrifice and re-engineer your thinking process. No vacations. You should not be rewarding yourself for not finding work. Just the opposite.Step 4 Change your bitter attitude.Eliminative negative vocabulary words like Just spinning my wheels, I am too old or experienced for this, I cannot take a job for less than ___, or I require this salary.Step 5 Stop blaming the resume. Blame yourself. You own that document. Consider your resume, no matter who did it, only a template. Tweak that resume yourself to suit each job you pursue.Step 6 Look in the mirror Do you look like you are worth the $100K+ income you require. Shallow but true.Do you need a Crest Whitestrips smile? What do those teeth look like? Men Do you have inappropriate facial hair you could get away with when you were making $100K+ but cant now?Hair color? Clothes? Handshake? Look like a million dollars, and you can get a million dollars. Shallow, yes.W hat happened to credentials? Working hard and all that? Well, you tell me Youre the one that has been unemployed for at least a year. I am directing you as if you were in unemployed rehab. The Betty Ford of the unemployed. Re-engineer what you are thinking.Step 7 Stop leaning on your spouse or partner. No whining or complaining. Talk very little about your job search, and when you do, bring up only the positive aspects of what you have gone through each day. Your spouse or partner is supporting you.OK. Got it? Now, you havent died. Erase that old anniversary date. That welches actually a new start. Try it again. A fresh attitude, a fresh start is what we all need. Go ahead and make this Day Oneall over again.