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May 25, 2001

Keep Working!

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Even at the best of times, many high-tech careerists are looking for work. During the current economic downturn, this number is increasing everyday. While a job search is usually far from fun, there are ways to approach it to help insure success.

Keep working

The title of this column might sound like an oxymoron for someone who is looking for work. Yet, continuing to work, in any fashion, is very important for all high-tech workers.

High-tech workers need to be constantly building their skills even if they are currently unemployed. It is this constant education that allows you to develop more and more positions you might fit into professionally. Making yourself more marketable is a job in itself.

Ideally, you should have a few personally developed projects that you can use to bridge any periods of unemployment. You might have friends and acquaintances who have asked to have a bit of your time. Maybe you have been putting it off because you are too busy. Now is the time to bring all these projects to the front burner.

This work can include developing programs or web sites for an old client, installing or upgrading a network and a host of other duties, depending on your skill set. Not only does this help you to bring in some extra cash while you look for a new job, it might even become your new job.

Developing your own business as an independent high-tech worker can be hard, but it is during these breaks between jobs that you can explore the possibility. Have you developed enough contacts and clients to establish a flow of work? Do you like working for yourself, even with the additional stress it might bring? Can you survive on a lower income for the next couple of years while you build your business? Now is the time to think about these issues.

Job search as job

Even if you are out of a job, you actually still have one -- finding your next job. Several years ago, when I was between jobs, I realized I needed to approach my job search much in the same way I would approach a job. I developed a routine to follow each day and spent the normal work hours in that routine.

I would peruse want ads, create cover letters for specific jobs and get them in the mail. Since I was unemployed I was able to schedule interviews whenever I liked and at a moments notice. On more than one occasion I was asked to show up for an interview that same day.

This took place long before the Internet was the excellent job search resource it is today. Instead of spending an hour or more struggling to read the minute type of the want ads I would be searching listings online and setting up agents to pull interesting jobs from the wide variety of databases that now exist.

Most importantly, when 6 o'clock rolled around, I left my job search behind. As long as I felt I had worked hard at my search during the day there was no reason to let it control all my waking hours. It helped to get away from it for a while so I could approach the search anew in the morning. The weekends were also kept free from job search stress unless there was something extremely important or I just needed to calm my mind over an upcoming interview. It is ok to take work home sometimes, but even in a job search, you shouldn't be working every minute of every day.

Volunteer

Don't be afraid to take on some volunteer work while you are unemployed, as long as it doesn't interfere with your job search. These projects can help you to develop your skills and could even turn into a paying job.

Maybe one of your favorite organizations needs a database developed, or a web page, or a custom program. If you have wanted to learn more deeply about these technologies, this is your perfect chance. Since it is a volunteer project, no one is going to fault you for learning as you go. These projects also develop one more showpiece for your portfolio that can be presented at future interviews.

More importantly, any type of work, even volunteer work, helps you to avoid the self-doubt and fear that can sometimes creep in when you are unemployed. No matter how much you have accomplished, you still sometimes need a reminder that you have a unique set of skills and talents to offer.

Along with the stress of being unemployed comes a certain sense of possibility. This is the time to investigate the wide-ranging possibilities of your career and where it might lead you. Take the time to re-evaluate your skills and talents and develop any new areas that might interest you. Even when you are unemployed you are building the next step in your high-tech career.

 

about this column.

Douglas E. Welch is a freelance writer and computer consultant in Van Nuys, California. Readers can discuss career issues with other readers by joining the Career Opportunities Discussion on Douglas' web page at: http://www.welchwrite.com/dewelch/ce/

He can reached via email at douglas@welchwrite.com