Turn your Pity Party into an Opportunity

 It’s not a state secret that there are lots of unemployed people in America right now and the economy is only slowly returning to its former glory. But being unemployed doesn’t mean it’s time to sit around and mope while your skills lapse and your self-pity is indulged. Not only will this extend your period of career stagnation but signal to future employers that you lack dedication and drive. If you’ve lost your job, instead of staying at home feeling down, get out and stay busy to keep your spirits up, improve your skill set, and become an all-around more attractive candidate. There are several activities you can participate in that will help you develop your skills and expand your qualifications, but here are just a few ways to keep busy and productive while you are (temporarily) out of a job.

One strong addition you can make to your resume, regardless of your industry, is community involvement. Whether or not you’ve volunteered within your community before, do a search online for opportunities in your area that specifically focus on a set of skills, an industry, or a particular population that you would like to involve yourself in and make a part of your career path. The more “in-the-field” experience you can boast when applying for your next job the keener hiring managers will be to want to learn more about your experiences and added value you may bring to their organization.

Another solid addition to your resume is additional classes that help sharpen or enhance your skills and become capable of being more productive when it comes to using technology, working with clients, or any other aspect of job performance you can think of. You don’t have to go back to school to find numerous classes that teach an array of software lessons and writing or speaking skills. The better you understand and can keep pace with technology and the better you are able to communicate your ideas the more valuable employee you will be to an employer.

A lot of states offer free dislocated worker programs that provide any number of classes that can help unemployed workers gain the knowledge to earn professional certifications and subjects like CNA work, computer programming and repair, accounting, and even entry-level business or law, all in the name of making you more employable and productive, and with no cost to you.

So, before you allow yourself to lose sight of the bigger picture and become overly distraught about the potential catastrophe’s threatened by unemployment, considering using the free time to make yourself more qualified, keep yourself busy, and show that you are a take-charge kind of person that doesn’t let adversity keep you down.