Unemployed Job Seekers: How unemployed job seekers become more competitive against the employed job seekers.
Unemployed Job Seekers
People without a job face additional pressure. Loss of income during unemployment can create anxiety. To an employer, a person being unemployed creates the perception of instability. This perception can weaken an applicant’s ability to get interviews. During interviews, unemployed people are under the pressure to explain why they are unemployed. The issue of unemployment is a distraction. When you want to focus on your qualifications, you must first overcome the issue of your job status.
Your Employed Competitors
People who have a job are in a more competitive position than people who are unemployed. Leaving a company for a better opportunity when you are doing a great job at your current company makes you especially competitive. Therefore, the best time to get a job is when you have a job.
Solutions for Unemployed Job Seekers
I have helped dozens of applicants prepare to handle unemployment during an interview. Moreover, I have helped these people get jobs. Here are some steps that will help.
Resume
Step one, create a personal brand of success. Structure your resume to focus on your career success. Target your resume to the hiring company.
Some people think that your resume should not show that you are unemployed. These people recommend that you leave the dates off your resume. Others recommend that you write your resume to show that you are still employed: 2013 – Present. However, from my experience, a resume that does not include dates raises questions about what a person is hiding. As a corporate recruiter, the two key points I required from a candidate were a list of employers and the dates of employment. The list of companies told me whether I was working with an applicant who was in the correct industry for my job search. The dates told how quickly the person progressed in levels of experience. Moreover, misrepresenting your information can lead to problems even after you are employed.
Social Media: Likewise, your LinkedIn account should match your resume.
Your Interview
You must be able to handle the issue of unemployment in your interviews. To prepare, write your answer. Then rehearse your answer so that you can give a short, clear reply. Test your answer with people you trust. Get comfortable with your answer so that it makes you look confident in your ability to go forward with success in your next job. Show the power of your qualifications. State how you are seeking the type of job the company offers. Give details of why the job appeals to you. Additionally, talk about the positives of the hiring company.
Conclusion
In conducting your job search, the solution is not to focus on why you are unemployed. Rather the solution is to focus on the steps to getting interviews and getting job offers from those interviews.
