Meeting Job Worries Head-On
If you worry about losing your job, you're in good company. Like it or not, economic recessions occur every so many years and often result in millions of people losing their jobs. And one can ever know for certain which careers will become the most vulnerable in the next recession. Thus, at one time, working for a major car manufacturer was seen as one of the most secure jobs you could have. Technology has produced huge numbers of jobs in some areas while wiping out or depleting opportunities for many jobs such as travel agents, telephone operators, and bank tellers.
As we write this book, about 1 out of 10 Americans have lost their jobs, and many more are grossly underemployed. For most of those who've held on to jobs, salary increases have stalled, and opportunities for advancement have vanished, at least for the short run. If you're faced with possible job loss, anxiety is a perfectly understandable emotion. Of course you worry! This section gives you a few tools for dealing with these worries.
Shoring up your resume
One way to decrease your worries about jobs is to maximize your marketability. Even if you're currently working, it's a good idea to have a world-class resume. Various Web sites and search engines like Google contain sample resumes and tips for writing them. Or consider reading Resumes For Dummies by Joyce Kennedy (Wiley). If you're out of work, check the book out from your local library.
Keeping your resume up-to-date sounds simple, right? But it's not necessarily so. Many people find resume-writing highly anxiety-arousing. And when people have anxiety, they tend to avoid what makes them anxious. So, if you're like many people, you may find yourself procrastinating or avoiding the task.
We have some suggestions:
Get help. If you've lost your job, state unemployment offices and local community colleges offer training on writing resumes. You can also find sample resumes on the Internet, at the library, or at a bookstore.
Break the task into small steps. For example, vow to write out your educational background during the first session. The next day, write out your job descriptions.
Show your resume to a few friends or colleagues for feedback. Or, if you're working with an employment agency, someone there can likely give you pointers.
Know that avoiding this task will likely increase your anxiety rather than make you feel better. The only way to get through that anxiety is to face your fear by going right at it and tackling the task in spite of your anxiety.
Employers often spend no more than ten seconds reviewing each individual resume. Make sure yours is short, visually appealing, and highlights your best strengths. You can't afford to have any misspellings or grammatical errors. Use quality paper.
If your resume review reveals a lack of skills, you may want to consider acquiring new skills, either on your own or through a local training facility, community college, or university. See the "Considering careers with stability" section later in the chapter for fields that generally offer steady employment.
Finding flexibility in your career view
Whether you lose a job because of layoffs, can't find a job in your own field, or simply choose to leave a job, a psychological trait known as flexibility can improve your ability to handle the challenge of change. Flexible people adapt to new situations. When stuck, they look for alternatives. They take action to improve their situation.
So why is flexibility so important for handling job worries? According to the U.S. Department of Labor, an average worker holds 10.8 jobs between the ages of 18 and 42. Obviously, there's a wide range — some people never have more than 1 or 2 jobs and others have 20. The message is that very few people stay with one company for a lifetime of work. In addition, many people switch careers — some by choice (like after obtaining additional training) and others by accident (such as losing a job in one field and taking a job in another field).
Inflexible people often become angry when faced with job frustrations. Instead of acting, they react with anger at how unfair life has been for them. Inflexible people stick to old choices, don't take advantage of new opportunities, and seem stubborn and stuck.
To improve physical flexibility, you start with small stretches and gradually bend more. If a move is painful, you back down. You try to achieve balance by stretching both the right and left sides of your body. Gradually, your flexibility improves.
Mental flexibility involves the same principles — gradual steps, balance, and backing off when painful. Mental flexibility involves being able to see reality from different perspectives. For example, in a job interview, a person with mental flexibility would try to put himself in the shoes of the person doing the interview. Or in negotiations, a flexible person would take the time to consider the perspectives of all involved.
Mental flexibility accepts change as inevitable and expected. Such flexibility requires openness to new experiences and the understanding that most of the time, truth is unknowable. Finally, flexible people understand that in order to learn, they must listen.
Armed with a more flexible attitude, you can handle the stress and anxiety of job loss and other changes by considering all your options and alternatives. This attitude may enable you to see possibilities you wouldn't see otherwise. And your efforts will more likely result in success.
When writing your resume (see the preceding section), use flexible thinking. Look at your past jobs and consider what skills, attributes, and characteristics you brought to the table above and beyond those that are obvious from your job titles — highlight these skills on your resume. And when you interview, mention the connection between the skills you've acquired and how you can use them to advantage in your new company, instead of focusing on the past.
Considering careers with stability
You'll worry less if your career path stands on a concrete foundation rather than one made of sand. If you're underemployed or unemployed, consider updating your skills or changing your career path to one that has more stability. Get more training and education. If figuring out how to pay for classes is a concern, most postsecondary schools have student loans, grants, or other ways to help pay for their programs.
It's never too late to go back to school. Consider taking one class at a time. Also look into online courses from accredited schools. These classes can be especially convenient for some people.
Think about how many years you have left to work. Wouldn't you prefer to be doing something you like? Here are a few areas considered to be relatively stable in these unstable times:
Healthcare: Almost all areas of healthcare will see growth over the next few decades. In addition to professionals like nurses, doctors, pharmacists, physical therapists, and dentists, others, such as home healthcare workers, medical technologists, and healthcare case managers, will be in greater demand.
Education: As the baby boomers retire from teaching, the education system will see many openings. Areas of need continue to exist in math, science, and bilingual education. College instructors and professors will also be needed in greater numbers.
Law enforcement and security: Needs for police officers, correction officers, and security personnel are likely to increase in years to come. Many of those working in this field are slated for retirement in the coming decade or so.
Green jobs: Assuming you've heard or read a news report in the last few years, you know that there has been a cry for increasing energy independence and minimizing the harmful impact humans have on the environment. Thus, this emphasis will call for a vast pool of workers trained in areas such as engineering, chemistry, physics, hydrology, and ecology, as well as technological expertise in almost every imaginable type of alternative energy. These jobs will be available for both those with advanced degrees and those with manufacturing and technical skills. Many community colleges offer training in these emerging industries.
No career path comes with a guarantee of stability. Accept that what's stable at one time could become less so later. Remember, you need to be flexible.
Traditional
ly used by school guidance and vocational counselors, the Occupational Outlook Handbook is available for free at www.bls.gov/oco/. It contains a comprehensive listing of jobs, educational requirements, job conditions, and salaries. The U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics updates this book frequently. Also check out the Dictionary of Occupational Titles available at www.occupationalinfo.org for more ideas. Use it to broaden your list of possibilities. Again, be flexible!
Keeping the right focus
Anxiety, fear, and dread can easily overwhelm you if you let them. When faced with the possibility of job or income loss, people fill their minds with images of living on the streets or dying of hunger. Such a scenario is indeed awful, and it occasionally happens. But you can do much to prevent this outcome, and it occurs a very small fraction of the time compared to the amount of time that people spend dwelling on this worry.
If you worry about losing your job or you find yourself unemployed, you have a new job. That new job is to cut your expenses to the bone (we give you some guidance on making these cuts in the "Tallying up your financial balance sheet" section later in the chapter). Cutting expenses helps you even if you haven't yet lost your job, because it helps you hold out longer if you do lose your income. After you've reduced the amount of money you're spending, your next step is to maximize your ability to find a new job (more on that in the "Knowing your personal assets and liabilities" section).
Other strategies, such as applying for unemployment, getting help from families, and applying for food stamps, should all be considered. But go to your state unemployment office for the nuts and bolts of that kind of advice. From a psychological perspective, we suggest the following:
Focus on the present, taking one day at a time.
Take care of your physical body by eating right and exercising to help your mind.
Stay connected with friends and family — support helps!
Consider going to a support group for job seekers — find one through the Internet or your local newspaper.
Realize that negative predictions and worrying about possible future calamities never prevented a single catastrophe.
Taking Stock of Your Resources
Personal resources include financial and psychological assets and liabilities. Assets are the money or skills that you have that are of great value; liabilities are the money you owe or the skills that you need to gain. Both play a critical role in your adjustment to setbacks and stress. The following sections outline some of the things that can help maximize your assets and minimize your liabilities.
Tallying up your financial balance sheet
Most lenders such as mortgage companies, banks, or car dealers require customers to fill out loan applications. A standard loan application includes a description of the purpose of the loan and information about the borrowers. The application often asks about money coming in each month as well as monthly expenses. Applicants are also asked to list all their assets and liabilities. A net worth is calculated by subtracting the liabilities from the assets.
You don't have to apply for a loan to organize your assets. We suggest that you review your income, expenses, assets, and liabilities whether or not you want to borrow money. That way you can see just what you have now. Make a list for each of the four categories; the result is called your balance sheet.
When you think about your assets, include everything — grandma's silver, coin collections, and other prized possessions. You may not want to sell them, but you always know you could if things got really bad.
After you know your income, expenses, assets, and liabilities, take a moment to think about them. Can you find ways to improve your balance sheet? We suggest that you carefully review your expenses. All too often, people make the mistake of assuming they need far more than they really do. Ponder the answer to these questions:
How could I entertain myself without 150 TV stations?
How many outfits do I really wear regularly, and how few could I get by on?
Can I cut out unnecessary coffee, lunches, and dinners out?
Could I look just fine in clothes from a thrift store?
How can I cut my use of the car by walking, biking, or using public transportation?
How much could I save by checking books out of the library instead of purchasing them?
How can I cut my energy use and save money?
Can I stop spending money to impress other people?
Multiple research studies have found what most people have trouble believing: Your income has a very small relationship to how happy you are. Many people find that once they start cutting expenses, they're amazed at how much they can save without sacrificing their emotional well-being. In fact, they often report feeling less stressed. Some even say that the saving process feels like fun when they get going.
Knowing your personal assets and liabilities
Although you want to assess your financial strengths first when facing the possibility of a job loss, it's also helpful to analyze your personal strengths and attributes. Start by asking yourself the following questions:
Am I willing to learn new skills?
Do I get along well with other people?
Am I persistent?
Do I get to work on time?
Do I finish projects on time?
Do I accept feedback and criticism without becoming defensive?
Am I a good team player?
Do I refrain from unnecessary gossiping?
Do I keep my personal life separate from my professional life?
Am I self-motivated?
Am I good at keeping my cool under stress?
Am I creative, and can I think outside the box?
In an interview, be prepared to talk about any of the preceding questions that you feel you can answer affirmatively; these represent your assets. Any of the questions that you feel don't apply to you may represent areas for personal development. Look for ways to improve in those areas to turn your liabilities into assets.
After writing out your answers to the preceding list of questions, write down as many of your personal strengths as you can think of. Consider including examples from previous jobs that illustrate these strengths. Then list your weaker areas. The result gives you a sense of your job-related, psychological net worth.
Committing to a New Game Plan
You can reduce the amount of energy you spend worrying about jobs and money if you commit yourself to making some changes. In addition to the ideas in the previous sections, we suggest you develop a game plan for your money and your career. We recommend that you consider both short- and long-term goals. Earlier sections prepare you for what's next — where the rubber meets the road.
Setting short-term goals
You'll never get where you want to go unless you have a map. Lots of people go through their entire lives without ever thinking about what they want to accomplish. Look at your money and career, and ponder what you really want to achieve in the next couple of years.
Considering short-term career goals
Take a vocational interest inventory at your local community college. Write down the job skills that you already possess. Brainstorm job possibilities that can make use of your personal strengths and interests. Make a list of these job possibilities and, assuming you've updated your resume, prepare to market yourself.
Prior to putting in applications, we recommend that you practice interviewing with your friends or a vocational counselor or therapist. Practice until your anxiety comes down — and it will if you practice enough.
When you've got a polished resume and you're ready to face an interviewer, you need to find a job. Don't just rely on sending out resumes to jobs listed in your local paper or on the Internet. In addition to those sources, consider
Looking in the phone book for companies that you can imagine putting your skills to use. Making cold calls can be surprisingly effective.
Calling people you used to work or go to school with — in other words, networking.
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p; Asking family and friends — more networking.
Looking at jobs working for the government.
Overcoming Anxiety For Dummies, 2nd Edtion Page 28
