Take Survival Job After Termination?

I totally understand your frustrations with job-hunting, and while I’ll say more in the following paragraphs, the bottom-line is you must do what you must do to survive… and if that involves taking a survival job for a week, a month, or something longer, it’s certainly better to do that than lose your house, car, or other possessions.

The employment situation for many job-seekers has not been very good over the past few years, and while we continue to see some glimmers of hope that things are improving (new jobs are being created), we also see other reports that some employers are still planning more layoffs this year and that some jobs will never come back (due to productivity gains or migration of those jobs overseas).

You have to remain positive you will find a way back to your old career — or find a path to a new and exciting career. I know that the longer a job search lasts, the harder it is to remain positive. And I know that being fired is obviously still weighing on your mind. Employers can sense desperation or doubt, so you need to get the past behind you and focus on the future, one that includes you back employed in your career field.

How are your job-hunting skills? Are you using your network to its full potential? Have you stayed active in your professional organization (and perhaps its online discussion board, if it has one)? Have you tapped into the alumni network of your college? Try to accomplish some job-search activity every day — even after you take the survival job.

And most employers see survival jobs, especially in light of the recent employment situation, as more positive than negative… so, if you need to pay the bills, take one of those survival jobs but keep your job search moving forward.