I was unemployed for seventeen months in the mid-1990s. The money is lousy, but the hours are good and you are your own boss.
It’s easy for me to joke now, but I still remember the slow corrosive effect it had on my self-confidence. The irony is that the less confidence you have in yourself the harder it will be to persuade an employer to have confidence in you.
I was given some good advice shortly after I became unemployed by a friend who had herself been unemployed for two years during the last recession. It helped me immensely at the time. I didn’t follow all of it, but looking back, where I didn’t, I now think I probably should have.
Look after yourself ‘ This is a tough experience to have to go through. You need to take care of yourself ‘ mentally and physically. Most local authorities give unemployed people reduced price entry to swimming pools and sports centres. My wife wouldn’t want to relive those months, but she does occasionally get nostalgic for how I looked when I was spending at least an hour and a half in the gym every day.
Keep the disciplines of work ‘ After six weeks unemployment, my brother asked me if I was watching Richard and Judy yet. When I snorted in disgust, he just said You will. Never mind your job or your education ‘ you’re just another dolie now. It’s easy to get out of the habit of working, and that can make it harder to get back into the swing. Work also provides a structure to your life, and it helps to keep that structure. I set the alarm in the mornings, shaved, dressed and started whatever I was doing by 9.30, took lunch and tea breaks and tried to finish for the day at around 6. I also tried to keep weekends for myself. Oh, and I packed away the games console ‘ too easy to lose too many hours.
Sign on ‘ Even if you don’t qualify for Jobseekers’ Allowance or other benefits, signing on ensures your national insurance record is maintained.
Talk to people ‘ There is a real temptation to draw into yourself. Apart from anything else, you don’t want to discuss being unemployed. Resist the temptation. More than anything else, my family and friends supported me. You will be surprised how willing people are to help. Also, talk to your bank, your credit card companies, anyone else you might owe money to ‘ you will be pleasantly surprised at how understanding they can be if they know what’s going on. They will want you to pay something, but are usually prepared to negotiate. They get jittery if they don’t get paid, they don’t know why and they’ve not heard anything from you.
Don’t be too shy to ask for help ‘ Most of the advice books on jobseeking urge you to talk to everyone you know, however slightly, who you think might be able to help you get another job. Getting information or an introduction to someone else can be as useful as a tip-off about a job opportunity. No one ever refused me a request, even if it turned out in the end that they couldn’t help.
Use the time ‘ Your main concern will be getting another job, and no doubt you’ll spend much of your time on this. But you will still find that you have much more time on your hands than you did when you were working. This is the chance for you to do some of the things you used to say you would do if only you had time. I wish I’d taken more of the opportunities I had to take on voluntary work. I didn’t because I thought I couldn’t give them the commitment. I didn’t realise that they would have understood if I suddenly had to stop what I was doing because I found a job.
Learn something new ‘ Anything. Come out of this with a new skill. My friend learned dressmaking. I learned to drive, and because I felt I didn’t know enough about this new thing called the internet and was being left behind, I signed up for a evening GNVQ course in multimedia at the local college. When I finally got a job, I found that I knew more about this than anyone else in the organisation.
Remember that nothing lasts forever – There will be dark moments. After I’d been unemployed for a year, I gave up hope of ever getting another job. I had three miserable days before I remembered that I am more than the job I do. If I was not going to be able to work again, I would find something else. .
Be nice to yourself ‘ I’ll say it again: this is a tough experience and you need to look after yourself. You should give yourself a treat every day ‘ no less than every other day ‘ so that you feel good about the day. It doesn’t have to be extravagant ‘ a Mars bar, an hour in the garden in the sun listening to Test Match Special, seeing a friend ‘ they all work.
I hope this helps. Best of luck.