As habits go, it’s often hard to ascertain which of them are helpful and which are not, such is the nature of a habit; you go into autopilot when you do them. When unemployed there is a tendency to apply for jobs you know and jobs you think you could do. The depressing nature of unemployment does tend to cloud our judgement, it makes us question our abilities and view our skill sets in a way that limits our horizons.
A simple way to combat this is by identifying the sector you apply for jobs in. If you have worked in any industry and are struggling for work then do not be afraid to apply the transferable skills you have applied like timekeeping, innovative problem solving and a sense of vision to other sectors.
Watch The Apprentice if you want to see people working in different sectors completely off the cuff, with no real experience in that sector. As James Caan said in a recent interview with Your Business Magazine, “Running a business is an amazing alternative to a corporate career…” With this in mind, whether you actually begin a new vocation altogether or switch to another industry, we at Emocto are here to assist you. Apply for new roles, auction or list your freelance skills or market your business by creating a public profile. Just like on The Apprentice, candidates wade in and get into it, figuring it out along the way. First it was fishing equipment then airlines, advertising, doughnuts and fine art. It’s all there for the taking for anyone will to get stuck in.
If going completely far out is a little unnerving then try something akin to the profession you want to get involved in but with a slightly different angle. If you are gunning to be a lawyer or work within the law then try a teaching position or other work with people. Acting as a moral arbiter is something that can be applied anywhere from schools to police academies. Evening classes are available for new sectors and retraining can be undertaken at any age. Gain experience by keeping a look out for internships or more junior roles to get your foot in the door.
It doesn’t have to be corporate either. Take the creative industry for example, creating words, images, clothes, films or pieces of theatre all require you to use similar parts of your brain. Creative industries are often very collaborative as well so if you know of any places that need someone to lend a hand in a capacity other than the on you think you specialise in, apply.
You don’t have to feel like compromising on your dreams. Think of it, instead, as a journey of self-discovery. You have time to round yourself of as a person by doing as much as you possibly can. There are many ways up the mountain, as they say. What transferable skills do you have and what sector could you transfer to? Let’s #BoycottUnemployment
[…] Often jobs boards come with options to localise your job options. You can pick a specific place in a specific country and then you had a little radius that you can either shrink to ‘exact location only’ or expand to ‘fifty miles away’. Every job has somewhere it needs to be performed and looking at the same place will only have the same results, especially if you’re looking for jobs every single day. […]