Creating possibilities to employment out of unemployment

  

Date Posted: 6/5/2013 11:15:52 PM

Posted By: Chadeshady  Membership Level: Gold  Total Points: 1697

---

Let's face it, in our society today (country to be specific), success is determined by (among many others) employment. Such that, if you are in a white collar job in any blue chip company, you are considered to be well off; capable of surviving the insuperable economy. And so it begs the question, what would you in case you were unemployed?

I don't know about you, but I have a few suggestions up my sleeve:

1.) Make the Internet Your Home.
Let the world find you online. If there is one thing I've come to learn, it's that this particular area is a goldmine in its own right. You need not look further than 'KenyaPlex' to know what I mean. You can always start a blog and spruce up your social network profiles. Design an online portfolio to showcase your line of work and find companies you’re interested in working with/for, subscribe to their blogs. Learn what these companies are talking about by doing a little research, and then engage with them online. Impress them with your interest and insights. You could also work for the general populace by identifying a viable market gap and go ahead to make a viable business opportunity out of it. Most times, there is fulfillment in serving others by creating a job out of a passion or hobby.

2.) Try Updating and Keeping Your Skills Current.
If you lack a skill commonly required for certain jobs you’re seeking, spend time each day building that skill. For instance, most jobs these days require their prospective employees to have a driving license; not that it matters if the job specification involves driving or not, but still they'll ask you for it. Take advantage of numerous free resources online and how-to videos. If you’d rather have more of a class setup,

then look for free or affordable adult education class in your area. Alternatively, if you already possess the necessary skills but haven’t been practicing enough, then sharpen them. Skill atrophy is a huge concern for hiring employees, so practice constantly and get yourself ready for pre-employment skills tests.

3.) Freelance
Some job seekers are opposed to anything that isn't a full-time job. If you are one of them, then it’s high time you changed your mindset. Going freelance is a great way of boosting one's skills, portfolio, professional network and confidence. Freelancers are not geographically confined or limited to serving local clients; as they can work for clients across the country or the globe. This national exposure could open doors to new clients and new opportunities and in the process you would be better placed to learn new skills out of necessity that you might not gain as a traditional legal employee.

4.) Network
Depending on where you are in your career, networking might mean contacting college advisers and internship supervisors, or getting in touch with old colleagues, bosses, and business acquaintances. You could ask how they are (networking is social, after all) and let them know the specifics of your job search (industry, location, et cetera) in a bid to see if they know of anything or anyone who might point you to the right direction. If you are at a temporary dead-end with your current contacts you can always make new ones by going to networking events sponsored by your university, industry, city, and so on. Other times, it helps if you try to look beyond traditional networking events and considering going to neighborhood council meetings, even community bar crawls. Each of these provides an opportunity to meet people with similar interests, and you can have fun in the process.

5.) Volunteering
Not your usual kind of thing, huh? Well, guess what, this can increase your chances of being hired if you’re strategic about it. By volunteering somewhere relevant, you’ll keep your skills fresh while enhancing your resume. The key behind volunteering is somewhat advertising your 'availability' for a possible permanent job employment. You never know luck will come your way unless you go out there and show what you got. I know most folks abhor the idea of working for free but remember, it starts from nowhere to somewhere and if it helps, it pays to be patient about some of these things.

---

Next: The challenges facing teacher education in sub saharan Africa
Previous: Factors affecting entrepreneurial negotiation