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Unemployment and Under Employment Can Be Paralyzing...But They Do Not Have To Be

If you are a victim of long-term unemployment or under employment; believe it or not, there is hope! There are opportunities to be found; but you must be looking in the right places.

We live in an age of change and as such jobs and careers come and go. If that has happened to you, you must face the fact and start the process of changing. To do this the changes must start with you.

Both Jobs and Careers Come and Go

The requirements of employers are constantly changing as they strive to remain competitive in an emerging or evolving world economy. Americans are probably the least receptive to change and therefore the most resistant to change. That hurts us. That makes things far more difficult for us. Change is ever present and there is no way that we can stop it; therefore we must accept and embrace change.

Americans Must Accept Change for What It Is: Opportunity

If it was not for change the emerging countries could not and would not be emerging. Those countries look for the opportunities that change presents and then latch on to them. Whether the change is becoming the source for providing workers to do what is spun off from the developed countries or being the source for labor intensive, low wage jobs. These are the opportunities they seek.

In America we must take that same perspective regarding opportunity. Richard Nisbett, an experimental psychologist, did a study of cultures and what he found is that people in the United States tend to focus on objects; not on the big picture. Americans will see the object in the foreground without seeing the importance of the background. This is how we are about change. We may see the outward signs of change, but we do not see the inner importance of change and what it can mean to us and to our job situation or career.

What Are the Long-Term Unemployed and Under Employed To Do

1. Stop expecting things to return to the way they were.


2. Look at what you were doing and what changed. What signs of change did you miss?


3. Make a list of the skills and qualities you possess.


4. Make a list of your accomplishments at work, at home, in the community, wherever.


5. Rank your skills and qualities based upon what you do best.


6. Search job boards, Google, LinkedIn, etc. for jobs that require the skills and qualities you listed.


7. Ask yourself the question: if money was not important what would you like to be doing?


8. Search job boards, Google, LinkedIn, etc. for careers that meet what you identified in step 7.

You must recognize and appreciate yourself and taking these steps can make that happen.

Once you have created this profile of yourself; talk to people. Let them know that this is who you are, these are the skills you have, and this is what you can do for your next employer.

It is not who you know, it is not how many you know: "It Is Who Knows You!" That is what will move you forward in your search. Do not lament to them about what happened; tell people what you can do to make things happen.

It is time to leave the past behind and move forward.

Copyright UPPROACH 2010

Who Knows You? Are You Attracting the Attention You Want? You must be like Alice in Wonderland and running faster and faster just to stay even. Change is happening right before your eyes; open your eyes and see the opportunities.

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