Friday The Thirteenth Is Not A Lucky Day

Posted on November 13, 2009 with 18 Comments

I got laid off again today for the second time in less than two years. It caught me off guard, but at the same time it wasn’t terribly surprising. It just never seems to come at a moment where you’ve steeled yourself for the news.

(And last time? It also happened on the 13th of the month. What’s up with that?)

I work for a startup. I love the environment of a startup, but it’s inherently risky. My company has been having cash flow problems for the last few months and I’ve begun saying little prayers before each payday, hoping my cheques would clear. I have applied for a couple of other jobs lately just in case. I only wish I’d set some money aside rather than spending it on things for my new apartment and a housewarming party, but oh well. Some things still have tags on, they can be returned for a refund. I still have a bit of savings left in my chequing account. I have an investment I started that I can cash in if it comes to that. I’m eligible for employment insurance. I have enough food in the cupboards and the fridge to eat for awhile without going near the grocery store. I have good friends and family and love and support. I will not starve or go homeless. I’ll be fine, again, just like I was last time.

Granted, this time feels a smidge more desperate because I just signed a lease on my apartment so I have to come up with cash for rent somehow, which thanks to my very generous parents, I did not have to worry about last time. But that will give me extra motivation and spur me to try harder at the job search. Desperate is the wrong word, actually, because I know this could turn out to be a good thing. I feel inspired to do better. Maybe it just hasn’t hit me yet, but right now I feel like things will be just fine.

(Random aside: As a result of this unfortunate development, if you’re on my regular holiday gift-giving circuit, you’re getting homemade cookies for Christmas this year. What can I say? They’re delicious and won’t break the bank. You should adjust your seasonal workout regime accordingly.)

Anyway, on to the salient point: I’m obviously looking for work ASAP. I’m still employed for two more weeks, but that’s it – then I’m flying without a safety net. I work in marketing and communications. My dream job for my current level of experience is a Communications Manager position. I have a Bachelor of Commerce majoring in Hospitality & Tourism Management, I have over a decade of work experience in the hospitality industry under my belt (including consulting and marketing work, plus a whole slew of front line customer service positions), and I’m also experienced as a junior business consultant and as a sales coordinator. I can rock freelance writing gigs with the best of ‘em, and I have the writing samples to prove it. I’ll happily work a holiday retail job to get me through the slow hiring season. If you have any connections for me (that would be suitable for my background) in the Vancouver area, please hook me up!

Lastly, I’d like to re-publish a post  I wrote earlier this year after having been unemployed for a long time. Please keep the following in mind when talking to me for the foreseeable future!

How to talk to an unemployed friend:

• Do not ask them “how is the job hunt going?” or worse, “have you found a job yet?” I really cannot overstate this enough. Those of us in the Unemployed Club get asked this question at least once a day by a different person every day. It is draining and embarassing when you have nothing to report. If you absolutely must ask about the job hunt, please ask something more specific like “what interesting positions have you seen posted lately?” or “what type of work are you looking for?” so that perhaps you could help.
• Ask them about anything other than their job hunt. “What are your kids up to?” or “You must have a bit more time for your photography/dance/model airplane hobby now…” or even just “So what have you been up to lately?” is great.
• Do not blurt out clichés. It’s annoying to hear that “when a door closes, a window opens” or “everything happens for a reason.” Maybe that’s true. But the reason is probably not clear yet, and God is taking his sweet time selecting a window to open. It’s okay to acknowledge that it’s a sucky situation to be in; you don’t need to find a silver lining for them. By the same token, “things could always be worse” is not very nice to hear either. It dismisses the person’s plight as unimportant.
• Don’t ask them if they tried (INSERT OBVIOUS JOB SEARCH TACTIC HERE) yet. It’s fine if you have an idea that is a little out of the box or something you have inside information about, like a job opening that isn’t being publicized. But for the love of all that is holy, do not ask them if they’ve tried Craigslist or Monster.com or signing up with recruiters. There is no possible way that these suggestions have not occurred to them yet, if only because everyone else has already suggested it.
  
• Invite them out for coffee or over to your house for dinner. They’re unemployed, they’re not lepers!
• But don’t suggest going out for a three-course meal at an expensive restaurant. Be sensitive to their current financial situation. It’s nice to know that your friends still want to hang out with you, but having fun doesn’t have to cost a lot of money. It is truly humiliating to have to turn down invitations and explain that you can’t afford to go.
• Don’t pass on job leads that are unrelated to their area of interest or expertise. And especially do not contact someone on their behalf about work opportunities without asking them first. They don’t want to make you look bad by failing to follow up with contacts that are expecting to hear from them, but they also don’t want to waste their efforts on dead-end opportunities.
• Offer up a contact in their field. It is always nice when someone offers up a contact that is genuinely in a similar line of work, rather than having to ask all the time.
• Be empathetic and willing to listen — if they want to talk about their unemployment. By asking them how they’re doing or what they’ve been up to lately, you give them the opportunity to talk about their job search if they want to. If you ask about their job search and they redirect the conversation quickly to something else, take the hint and realize they’d rather not talk about it.