Being Laid-Off Might Not Be So Bad

So this post follows-up to my previous post & comment - why I feel like being unemployed might be a good thing. I know that people may read this and think that I'm ungrateful for the job I have (I might be) and that I'm nuts for thinking being unemployed could be good. Hear me out.

Fire in the Belly

As I've stated in the previous post, I've watched my friends and family members lose their jobs. It hasn't been a pretty sight and unfortunately most of them still do not have jobs. Some of them of become depressed and thrown themselves month long pity-parties. Others have thrown themselves hook-line-and-sinker into finding out what they want out of a job and developing a plan to find it. They've followed Oprah's advice, and begun to do some serious soul-searching to find answers to questions such as: What aspects of my previous job did I love or hate? What will make me happy? What am I good at? What are my needs and wants from a job? What kind of career or job is for me?

Those who took a week or two to sit under a tree and contemplate their navel now have found satisfying jobs that pay well and most are in a different industry from where they were before. I understand this might not be for everyone; most of us need one or two incomes and have major financial responsibilities that, after a layoff, can be difficult to keep up with. I hear ya. I am suggesting though that if you have been laid off, take advantage of the time you have to contemplate your navel. Doing this will help you hone your job search, you'll know what you want and when you know what you want you can sell yourself better to future employers.

This gets to my final point: Get that fire in your belly - develop your idea of your perfect job and go after it. Unlike us employed folk, you have nothing to lose.

Global Competition & A Lesson Learned

While I might be ungrateful for my job, those of you who don't have one might no longer be. This is something I cannot stress enough - most of us Americans have been blessed with the ability to work. We've experienced low-levels of unemployment in comparison to many emerging markets and I feel that this has caused us to take our jobs for granted.

Global competition is increasing, just take a look at what's happening to GM and Chrysler. Asian countries have been able to build better quality cars for a cheaper price. I, like many of you, feel upset and sorry for those who work in the GM and Chrysler factories & dealerships. They specialized in an industry where union contracts and a poor growth strategy caused them to lose their jobs. What's worse is that because they got promised more in salaries than the going rate overseas it's unlikely they'll find manufacturing jobs here in the US.

They took their jobs for granted - they thought they were safe and they're about to lose them.

Let this be a lesson to all of us; unless you're in a job that requires a clearance or is extremely specialized, consider yourself vulnerable to global competition. We're no long competing with just Americans, we're competing with the world. That means keep your eyes open, get a variety of different experiences and network. If you find yourself in a situation where your work is about to become outsourced or competition is eroding your company's profit margin, you'll be in a much better position if you've caught it early, have cross-trained yourself and built a network that can help you find your next position.

So why is being laid-off a good thing? It gives you a chance to dig deep, figure out what you want, get some fire in your belly and no longer take your job for granted. All of these things could pay huge dividends later, especially when competing with those of us who have weathered the storm with jobs and don't have nearly the drive that you all do.

Employed now? Read Alexandra Levitt's commentary on how to bring your passion to work: http://online.wsj.com/article/SB124374051483469533.html