Love this question, Maria.
Okay.
Maria asks, "Best way to answer, 'What have you been doing?"
She's been out of work since November, and she's been looking, but she just can't find
the right fit.
So, Maria, there's two or three ways to go about this, and you can kind of mix and match,
or you can choose one or the other, or whatever.
I realize that finding a job is not an easy process, so anybody who tells you, finding
a job is easy, is lying to you.
Flat out lying to you.
I don't care what your credentials are.
I don't care if you're a high flying executive, or you're somebody looking for your first
job.
It makes no difference.
Job searching is tough.
You got to brace yourself.
You might not find something in a couple of weeks, or a month, and I see that you've been
looking now for what's about six or seven months, and that's very possible that people
go through those stretches.
I as a hirer recognize that.
So, when I see somebody that I'm interviewing that hasn't been working for a few months,
or three months, or six months, I also would like to know, what they've been doing.
Really, all I'm looking for, is: have you been active?
Have you done something to try to move your search along?
If you were out of work for an extenuating situation, like, you had a sick parent, or
child, or you were ill, or whatever.
Or maybe you got let go at a bad time of year.
So, November's kind of a bad time of year.
There's not a ton of hiring in December.
Hiring starts to pick up in January.
I understand those things as a professional in that line of work.
So if you said to me, "Well, I was recently let go," or, "I've been out of work since
November, and I started to prepare for my job search, and then, I hit heavy in January.
I've been looking, but I just can't find the right fit.
I've been targeting organizations.
I've been going on interviews," or whatever it is, it would be nice to hear that you were
actively looking.
That's one route.
Another route is, and here, again, depending on your situation ... I mean, I know a lot
of people who are married, who never have time, but the husband and the wife, or the
partners, they work.
And when one of them has an opportunity, whether forced or unforced, to take some time off,
if they've been volunteering, or doing something active, or contributing, and being active,
I'm cool with that, too.
So, I don't know what you've been doing, but if I hear in an interview, "Hey, I've been
volunteering and doing these things, I've been taking some time, because I've never
have had a chance to have any time off, and my kids are young," or whatever, kind of work
that into the story.
I like the transparency.
I mean, I hope you guys, and I know, some of you are here, week in and week out.
And I tell you stuff, because I want you to know, I struggle, just like you struggle,
and I try stuff, and it doesn't work.
And I throw things around, and I break them, and you know what?
Life is never super clean, not for anybody, so I just like the honesty in the story.
That's what warms me up, and makes the connection with me.
And I think, just think about, what it is you've been doing, and then think about how
you want to share that.
But all of that stuff is cool.
To be out of work for six months is, while, for you, I know every day that goes by, that's
painful.
But, to me, as a professional, I know that that happens.
And so, I just want to know that you've been trying.
And you could even say, "I tried some things, didn't work, and then, I figured this out,
and now, I'm having better traction."
Let's be honest.
You're in an interview, if they're asking you that question, so you did something right.
So I hope that helps.
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