Don’t Let the Recession Put the Brakes on Your Career

No one wants to get a pink slip during the current recession but the likelihood of that happening is higher if you are not in one of the recession-proof careers. While a layoff event can be tough blow when it happens, it is important to quickly move on from there. Don’t sulk, don’t take a vacation, and don’t slip into depression. Do things that will not put the brakes on your career and keep your momentum in spite of the recession. Here is some simple advice to do just that:

Get back into what it is you do. This might mean you have to freelance or accept a lower-paying job during this recession but the key point to focus on is to not stagnate in your career after you have lost a job. For example, you hear of people who lose their high-paying advertising jobs because of a layoff yet turn right around and become English teachers in a foreign land. Getting back into what you do might mean significantly lower pay but your career outlook will stay fresh and you will keep in practice of doing what it is you do best.

Ignore what people tell you for the most part. This does not mean to reject sound career advice. What it does mean is that you should never heed what someone else says as the truth about the recession and your career (because he or she may have bad information too). This is the danger of many internet forums where people get on and make comments based on their own perception of what the “real world” is. For example, those in their 40s and 50s are sometimes faced with age discrimination even though this is illegal in the United States. While there is no doubt that age discrimination takes place, no one can say that it occurs at every place of employment. If you believe this as a blanket statement then you might give up and make no more attempts to find employment in your career. There are stories all the time of how someone overcame the age hurdle.

Don’t make assumptions about your job rejection during this recession or any other time. Maybe you know that someone else got the job you were applying for because of their looks. Maybe you know that your qualifications for a job far exceeded the qualifications of the person who actually got it. Maybe you didn’t get the job because the hiring manager just didn’t like you. Unless you know these for a fact, don’t kill your spirit making assumptions that these were the ways they made their hiring decisions. When you make assumptions like these, it can cloud your optimistic outlook and you run the risk of taking those assumptions to your next interview. Assumptions are not facts–never get the two confused.

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