What I've Learned About Unemployment

Posted on October 29, 2024 by Todd Leonard, One of Thousands of Spirituality Coaches on Noomii.

It’s the first time in my life to be unemployed. Thanks to the nature of working in a church denomination all of my adult life, I only had to worry about where I would have a job, not if I would have a job. Choosing to shift into chaplaincy and counseling by leaving pastoring has made me vulnerable.

WHAT I’M LEARNING

1) While I’ve only been out of work for six weeks now, I knew for the past year that I needed to find a job by September when my chaplaincy training concluded. So I’ve been applying for jobs for over six months now. I can tell you: no matter how great your confidence is in yourself, haviing your application rejected or ghosted repeatedly takes its toll on your self-esteem. Despite all attempts at logic, feelings of failure seep into your subconscious.

2) So…allow yourself to have an occasional self-pity day. Skip the job boards, eat your comfort food and watch a good movie. Nap. Feel sorry for yourself.

3) But then…get up the next morning and get back on the job-hunt horse. Shower. Shave. Give yourself a pep talk and speak positively to yourself about yourself. You need to work at keeping a good soundtrack playing in your head.

4) Lean on anyone you know who has connections. Especially with everything being done online, having a personal connection at a place that’s hiring is gold. It’s more important than your resume and application.

5) Don’t give up knocking on doors. I spent half a day hitting the major hospcie offices in my city to drop off resumes, and got one on-the-spot interview as a result. Didn’t get the job, but wouldn’t have even gotten the interview unless the employer had seen my smiling face in a suit and tie show up at her door.

6) Don’t forget your value. When I interviewed at a national pizza chain franchise to be a delivery driver because of falsely-inflated wage advertising, I shared with the manager that I had been a church pastor for 24 years. When he responded by asking me what I thought made me qualified to be a pizza delivery driver, I stood up, shook his hand, thanked him for his time and left. There’s nothing wrong with good, honest work wherever you can get it. But if you’re not going to be respected, you don’t take the job.

7) Don’t forget your state benefits. File to get the couple hundred bucks a week your state provides. Get the EBT card and Medicaid, if you qualify. Don’t make things harder on yourself because you’re too proud. There’s no shame in being unemployed. It can happen to anyone.

8) In my case, it’s all worth it. I know for many people, unemployment is forced upon them. That wasn’t the case for me. I took a risk, and I’m suffering a little bit for it right now. But we’re eking it out and we’ll make it. I’m working towards a goal where this short-term struggle will pale in comparison to the new career satisfaction I’ll enjoy soon. If you’re needing to make a career change, and are worried about the short-term risks, make a plan, figure out how you can make it if you’re unemployed for a little bit, and take the plunge. Staying stuck in a rut isn’t worth it for your physical, mental or spiritual health for long.

Get going on the adventure!