Unemployed in Middle Age

On average it takes 17.5 weeks to find a job, say experts. Does that mean you can take it easy for the first 16 and then pick it up? Of course not, in fact the key to navigating unemployment is to keep moving. The LA Times listed a week-by-week to-do list for job seekers:

Week 1:

The goal of this week is to assess your situation in terms of income (severance, unemployment insurance, registering with a temp agencies). This is also a week that you are dealing with the realities of your job situation and recovering from the trauma of the job loss.

Week 2:

Now is the time to move on and let go. You are focusing on the future and not the past. (If you have trouble with this continue heading out for a few days to clear your head.) Figure out what you really want to do. Explore your various career interests and options. (Consider this book to help you.). Try talking to people with similar goals (and here is another book to help your networking.)

Week 3:

Find your target. Pick the employers you want to work for. Work the Internet and circulate your resume to the opportunities you feel qualified for. The Times articles recommends that you follow up emails with a phone call verifying that they received your application.

Week 4:

This is the time that you should be putting yourself out there and networking is key (see above book recommendation). You should be on LinkedIn. Pick a target of solid conversations to have (e.g., 4 a day, 20 a week). It is the law of large numbers with the more people you talk to the greater your chances of finding a job. You are also still learning more about your targeted job and career. When you are not calling you are researching and visa-versa.

Week 5:

The Times calls this "Update and evaluate." After all of the work you've done up to this point you might find that your career goals have modified from when you started. If so, then write out your new career aspirations and you may also need to tweak your resume, LinkedIn profile, and cover letter. If you haven't met with 40 to 60 professionals by now you need to consider what has kept you from doing so.

Weeks 6 to 17:

Continue networking and keep up the momentum. This is when it gets hard. The uncertainty can be a motivational killer but you need to treat each contact as if that is the one that is going to lead to your new job.

Good luck.

Remember these are just suggestions. The most important message is to not wallow in the past and to keep moving forward.

For more information visit LifeTwo's very detailed "Tough Job Market For Middle-Aged"

Here is a sobering NYT article from 2006 about middled-aged men and the difficulties many face finding work.

Source: Los Angeles Times print edition (February 24th 2008) by Lisa Schryver