Several years back I was in WalMart right before Christmas. I was in an isle looking for something or other and I saw a Dad and his 10 year old girl walk by. My two year old memory of there conversation follows:
DADvocate: What do you want from Santa for Christmas?

Girl: Well nothing really.

DADvocate: What do you mean?
Girl: I know we really can afford anything
DADvocate: What do you mean?
Girl: I know you are looking for work and we can’t afford it right now.(starts to choke up)
DADvoate:(Kneels down and grabs his little girl by the hands and looks her directly in the eyes and speaks gently but firmly) Now you listen to me, I don’t want you to worry about money. You let me do that. Every thing will be okay. Now tell me what you’d like for Christmas.

I walked out of the store with my goods got in my car and cried. I was so moved by how well that DADvocate held it together for his little girl and so moved by how strong he was in the face of a poor economy. I also vowed to never have to have that type of conversation with my children.

Come lat June the company I worked for shut down. The economy still hasn’t picked up and I still know people who I was working with who have not yet found a job. I didn’t have the option to not find a job. I have a child who needs group medical and event though I had a few back up options if I didn’t find work quickly I needed to find a job I’d like and fast.

I was lucky that I have a few weeks direct  warning and several months where I thought it might be coming so I did do some preparations ahead of time but I basically lost my job June 15 and I was working again by July 23rd at a very good company with a very good job. I was absolutely lucky but I also had a hand in my own luck. Here are the steps I took in two months or so leading up to the company shut down which allowed me to get a job offer 3 weeks after my company shut down.

1. I’ve had a web presence for several years now through which I keep track of contacts, and keep of general history of work I’ve done.
2. I worked with a person to rework my resume to be better and more professional than I previously had it.
3. I joined the Ladders and upped my LinkedIn membership to paid.
4. I spent several hours for about 5 days looking at job opportunities and then searching LinkedIn for contacts that I knew in those companies.
5. I mostly only applied to jobs where I could get a really strong reference that would get me in the door.
6. I got interviews for every job opportunity I found this way and several of those interviews did not pan out, but I had friends who were willing to help and thought highly enough of me to bring me in.
7. I knew most of my requirements for what I wanted in a company I was going to work for.
8. I kept busy when I wasn’t working and found a side job, I built a web site for someone.
9. I knew that I would kick ass for the company that hired me and I have.
10. I had that above conversation in my head.

The title of this post might be a bit misleading it was more like 37 years of preparation for that moment but when it came I knew how to execute and I did. If your out of a job maybe some of these tips will help. If they do I’d love to know. I know I was lucky and blessed but I was lucky in that I had given myself the skills and knowledge to act and I was blessed with wonderful relationships that I build over years of work. I don’t discount G-d in my blessings I just know he expects us to do our parts too.

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