Out Of Work? Lucky You . . .

During my recent “out of work” experience in late 2007 I got some great advice from a helpful career coach. Based on the premise that you can’t possibly look for work 12 hours a day, there were some powerful ways, she said, to spend my transition time. In fact, this 3-6 month period may be the only significant block of free time in my entire adult. What could I do with it?

While tempting initially to “play” and “roam”, I knew I had to establish an early pattern of pro-active effort to get my search off on the right foot. So the first 4 weeks I did all the right things. However, once I had my resume updated, search engine alerts set up, my recruiters contacted, my other micro networks alerted and had planned a series of networking events, I allowed myself a chance to relax. Now relaxing is a hard mindset to justify. You have to be careful that in your own mind, the minds of hiring managers/recruiters and in the minds of key people in your network that your “search ethic” is strong. They need to know that if they recommend you for a job you will knock ‘em dead and not show a lack of interest.

You see, there are folks – I’ve met a few – who did not engage. They did not have a sense of urgency about their job search. They got stuck in a mode of enjoyment. Watching TV, shopping on-line, grabbing a few beers at lunch, playing golf/tennis or whatever thing they so missed doing from college. Call it denial, being irresponsible or maybe just being lost (defined as not really knowing what they want to do in life), these people need what an old boss of mine used to call a “two by four to the head”. Without a balance between relax/enjoy and purposeful action, there will be difficulty ahead.

So, assuming you have a strategy for your search and you have implemented the early tactics . . . lucky you. You have time to re-charge your batteries and, perhaps more importantly, the batteries of those around you.

1. Walk or drive your kids to school
2. Coach your daughter’s soccer team
3. Volunteer at church
4. Take a drive up the coast to visit family
5. Take a class at the local university
6. Give your dog a bath
7. Start a blog
8. Re-assess your priorities in life
9. Create a short term and long-term financial plan
10. Paint your house
11. Transfer VHS family movies to DVD
12. Take to your spouse or significant other to brunch
13. Pull the old guitar out of the attic and serenade someone
14. Research your family tree
15. Organize a family reunion
16. Organize your home filing system
17. Create an estate plan
18. Pursue an entrepreneurial dream
19. Locate an old family friend and write him or her a letter (on paper with a pen)
20. Write a poem
21. Go to the gym (everyday)
22. Cook healthy dinners
23. Go to a museum
24. Re-negotiate your home, life and auto insurance rates
25. Start a family Yahoo! Group

So, take advantage of this time. It may be your only or one of a very few open doors to really connecting to the world around you. Because, if you are like me, work can become all encompassing if you let it.

I found new parts of myself during my transition. I struck a balance between search and surrender because I listened to smart people around me. I had a strategy that forced early discipline and allowed some well deserved relaxation along the way.

Lucky me.

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