Get a job!
Also, why is that an insult?
Back in the days of the Occupy protests, a friend who was camped outside of the Chicago Board of Trade said that people would regularly yell “get a job!” at the protestors. “But that’s the point!” he said. “If I had a job, I wouldn’t be protesting.”
If only it were that easy. In the modern economy, job hunting is a necessary skill. It’s made harder by empoyers trawling for the exact right person for each role. I am not a career expert; I get emails from people who are. Here’s a roundup of resources that might help you:
Jobscan’s Standout Summit: Jobscan offers a resume optimization tool to help you get past the keyword scanners that most employers use. It has free and paid tiers. It is also running a free series of job-hunting seminars on February 7. Sign up here.
UChicago Career Services videos: Many universities offer career services for alumni, so you should research the resources that may be available to you for free. And some universities make some of their resources available to everyone. The University of Chicago, for example, runs a lot of career services webinars for its different schools, and they are available on YouTube. You may find something that helps you.
Opting for self-employment: Self-employment is a great option for people who want flexibility and who find the traditional job market to be a challenge because of age, disability, or criminal history. The Midst recently had an article about making the decision.
How to write a cover letter: Yes, employers want a lot of data points when they could just look at your LinkedIn profile. Yes, it’s probably read by a machine. Nevertheless, employers want cover letters. Harvard Business Review has an article on how to write a good one. HBR has a lot of good job search articles, too. There’s a limit on how many free articles you can read each month and a subscription is pricey, but you might have access through your public library.
Wall Street Journal Networking Challenge: If your networking skills got a little rusty in the pandemic, the Wall Street Journal will get you into shape. This free, five-week email course will give you a series of assignments for networking better, which will help you in your job search.
AARP’s Back to Work 50+: Hey, it’s not just for discounts on prescription drugs. The AARP offers a trove of resources especially for people over the age of 50. If that’s you, check it out.
Do you know of a great resource? Please share in the comments!