Finding a bridge over the void

Lawmakers are debating whether to extend unemployment benefits, subsidise more job training or approve huge public works projects like the ones of the Great Depression. But as the political issues are debated, many people have seen their already-minimal benefits disappear, and others will hit the 99-week barrier soon. What can they do?

The economic and psychological effects of long-term joblessness can be devastating — making it that much harder to find a job. About.com, which is owned by The New York Times Company, has collected more than 2,000 firsthand stories from people who have been unable to find work.

They speak of feeling depressed and humiliated, of feeling that they are considered “lazy” by those who have jobs. Some describe losing their homes and being forced to move in with family members. They write of their savings running out, using up retirement money, selling their belongings and waiting for their cellphone service to be cut off or their cars to be repossessed.

There comes a time when sheer survival trumps career aspirations, and facing that can be hard. Sometimes you can pay your bills while adding a few lines to your résumé, but at other times that simply isn’t possible.

The trick to facing long-term unemployment is to “find the intersection between your highest-paying skill and market demand,” said Founder of the Layoff Survival Guide, a Web site Nancy Collamer.

One way to do this is to offer your services on a temporary basis, Collamer said. If you are an out-of-work lawyer, for example, offer to perform research or title searches.

Check with agencies or talk to friends who own businesses and ask if they have project-oriented work available, Collamer said. Send out an e-mail blast on a social networking site, saying you are available to help with specific services, she advised.

Don’t appear desperate or mention your personal financial situation when seeking temporary work, she said: “It’s all about selling a value proposition.”

Sometimes, she said, “your best bet may be to turn to something outside your professional expertise.” Take a look at the needs of your community. Those could include services like dog walking, child care, house sitting or driving people to their appointments.

Some unemployed people are thinking too narrowly, said Ford R Myers, a career coach, author and President of Career Potential in Philadelphia. “They’re looking at jobs that only match up with the job they had before,” Myers observed. But even in the best of times, he said, this is not how the work world operates.

He recommends a “bridge job strategy — it’s a way to tide yourself over until you can land back on your feet at an appropriate level.”

Like Collamer, he suggests exploring temporary jobs, along with home-based and part-time jobs. Consider administrative support work, or some kind of manual labour, he said. “It’s not great money,” he said, “but it keeps you busy and it pays some bills and it carries you over.”

If you were previously a bank executive and happen to own a van, you don’t tend to think, “Maybe I’ll do some moving and hauling,” but that could be a temporary solution, he said.

It’s important to set up “a mental separation between the real job and the bridge job,” Myers said. “We have to get rid of this sense of false pride,” he observed, adding that it’s no time to say, “I’m not going to take a job like that — I’m an executive.” During a long-term job search, Collamer said, make sure that you receive emotional support and maintain social connections. She recommends joining a job support group, but “you don’t want to be joining a pity party; it’s got to be a proactive group.” Volunteering can also keep you outside your own head — and can lead to job opportunities.

Gaurd against self-defeating thoughts, said Alison Doyle, a job search specialist for About.com. Remember that because of the economy, many capable and qualified people are unable to get jobs right now, even though they are doing all the right things, she said.

And don’t be afraid to ask for help. If your jobless benefits have run out, other government or community programmes may be able to offer assistance, especially if you have children, she said.

“You may feel too proud to take assistance,” Doyle said, “but if there is assistance out there you should take it” — whether from government or community programmes, family or friends.