Going into the summer months can be a challenging time to look for work. Even if you aren’t on vacation, it can seem like many are in “vacation mode”. Given the recent numbers from Statistics Canada and the government of Alberta, there are more people looking for work than we’ve seen since 1996. Both the Alberta and Calgary unemployment rates are pegged at 6.6 per cent for May 2009, up from 3.6 per cent and 3.1 per cent respectively in May 2008 (http://www.calgaryherald.com/business/Jobless%2Brate%2Bdoubles/1668680/story.html).
Some of the candidates who have recently been to the BOWEN office have told me that they don’t really expect to find work until September, when business returns to a more normal routine. So…what to do in the meantime?
For those who have the luxury of financial stability- be it from another source of household income, a buy-out package, savings or whatever - summer can be a time to partake in a little “funemployment” - a hot new buzz word.
The blog Recessionwire (www.recessionwire.com) defines “funemployment as “a period of joblessness that you actually enjoy - maybe you get to lay out, sleep in, work out, read up. It helps to have savings, severance or an unemployment check to help pay the bills.”
A recent article in the LA Times (http://www.latimes.com/news/local/la-me-funemployment4-2009jun04,0,7581684.story) profiles people who are making the most of their new-found free time and who have a “funemployment” attitude towards their out of work status.
So, if you are unemployed, how do you turn this time off into a time of “funemployment”? Here are a few tips:
- Know that this too shall pass. There are several preliminary indications and expert reports that suggest the world economies are starting to strengthen and that we are slowing moving out of this recession. As history shows us, things do turn around and there will be new opportunities in the future.
- Enjoy this time as much as you can. You may not have another opportunity to spend time with your family and friends.
- Take a non-career job if you must make ends meet, and again, have the perspective that it is a means to an end.
- Look for volunteer opportunities that may help you build your career experience, or simply because it is a cause you are passionate about.
- Capitalize on this time for professional and personal development, reading books, magazines and perusing online web sites of interest.
Do you have ideas on how to turn unemployment into “funemployment”? I’d love to hear from you.
