What are the “five tips” that are useful when you are looking for a job again after a period of unemployment?

Hello, this is Santoshi.

I can’t help but want to change jobs now.

Careful planning and physical strength are required for job change activities in Japan. If possible, I think it is best to find a new company while continuing my current job.

However, for those who have had an unemployment period when they are temporarily out of work due to unavoidable circumstances, it is uneasy to start job hunting again.
So, Rachel Cook, a leadership and work environment expert, explains “five tips” that can help people with unemployment find employment.

How to Re-Enter the Workforce After a Pause
https://www.quickanddirtytips.com/business-career/careers/how-to-re-enter-the-workforce-after-a-pause

 1: Assess your needs

When considering reemployment after a period of unemployment, some may want to return to “the same job or workplace as when they retired.” However, Ms.Cook points out that it is necessary to properly reassess one’s needs because the situation in the world and the life that one wants to have may change from the time of retirement.

He states that he should think twice about his previous job and have guidance on his next career path based on questions such as:

・ Do you want to return to your previous job? Was it attractive, rewarding, and meaningful to you?

・ Did you manage to maintain a good work-life balance? Did your previous job fit your lifestyle?

・ Are there any hopes about the corporate culture you want to work for?

・ What did you not get from your previous job?

2:Revise history

In order to get a job again, it is essential to update your resume, LinkedIn, and other profiles that appeal to future employers.

Of course, you should avoid lining up lies to appeal to yourself, but even if you fill in the same true profile, the degree of appeal depends on how you convey it.

When considering a compelling resume or profile, it’s important to firmly define “what do you want to emphasize from your experience to get the ideal future?” By focusing on the skills, indicators, experiences, and achievements associated with your desired job, you can get the employer’s attention from many resumes and profile columns.

For example, suppose someone who used to work on project budget management or data-based advice wants to get a job that can demonstrate leadership next time. In this case, your resume should focus on leadership-related experiences, such as your own group projects or cases of persuading clients based on data, rather than analytical details. By writing the content that suits your purpose at the top, you can make your employer think that you have know-how in a specific field.

3: Craft your hero story

Ms.Cook argues that when you talk about yourself in an interview, you should tell “a story about yourself” rather than simply stating your experience and knowledge.

Combining the skills and experience gained through previous work, the patience and insightful reflections tested during the unemployment period, the newly acquired skills, and the resilience to start job hunting, it will be told in an easy-to-understand manner as a story. He says he needs to be prepared.

By successfully incorporating your skills and experience into your story, you can convey in a compelling way, “Who you are and what benefits your employer can benefit from.” If you can tell the story well at the interview, you can rank up from “unemployed who haven’t worked for a while” to “attractive recruitment candidate”.

4: Set action goals

In job hunting, I research various companies, find and apply for employee recruitment, and rely on acquaintances.

Hopefully you’ll find a job in a week, but basically it takes weeks or months to get a new job, and you may be depressed by the lack of results.

“It is important to distinguish between what you can control and what you cannot control, and set goals that you can control.”

Because you need it so that you don’t get depressed about not being successful.

For example, you can control behaviors such as “survey a company” and “send an email to a company,” but not the outcome of whether a company hires you.

Therefore, he said that he was unproductive because he could not control his goals such as “getting an interview five times a week” and “finding a new job within two months”.

Therefore, Ms. Cook recommends that you set the following “goals that you can control” and start job hunting.

By setting goals that you can control with your own actions, you can praise yourself and increase your motivation for job hunting when you reach your goals.

・ Survey 100 companies in 6 weeks.

· Send 5 LinkedIn requests daily for a month.

・ Start a blog and post articles about specialized knowledge once a week.

・ Take one web course for the skills you want to acquire in two weeks.

5: Work your plan

After setting goals for job hunting, we will enter the stage of making a concrete plan based on it and executing it.

Add time to research your company, apply, write blog posts, etc. to your calendar and start working to achieve your plans.

At the end

Ms.Cook argues that it’s important to get proper support while carrying out the plan, and to reward him once he’s achieved his goals. He also said, “Remember that you are the only one in your story who can be the main character, so keep going.”

Satoshi

Hello, I’m Satoshi. I’ve been working as a staff member for an organization for over a decade. During that time, I’ve had various experiences, from launching new businesses to streamlining operations using information I’ve gathered from the internet and my own experiences. Of course, I’ve been successful with the help of colleagues and superiors, and I’m grateful to them. Nowadays, I find myself in a position where people from various backgrounds ask me for advice and share their knowledge. However, being constantly approached has made me realize that I need to protect my own time. So, I’ve decided to start a blog called ‘Satoshi Lab’ to share knowledge. I hope that by writing about my thoughts and experiences, people will enjoy reading and find it helpful in their own journeys.