Wow. 40% of those unemployed in the workforce have been so for 12 months or more. This means a very large population of frustrated people out there.
So, here are a few (likely controversial) ideas on how best to get a job:
1)GET A JOB!
I am not going to give you advice about improving your interviewing techniques or fine-tuning your wardrobe. You can get that advice elsewhere. But the longer you are unemployed, the harder it is to land the next one. There is a stigma to being long term unemployed, like it or not. If the extension of unemployment benefits gives you some comfort, it shouldn’t. You are hurting yourself every day you stay out of the market. Just get out there and move on.
2) LOWER YOUR SALARY EXPECTATIONS.
It was a bubble! A BUBBLE! So, do you agree that real estate prices might have been too high? The government artificially increased demand for houses because they wanted higher numbers of home ownership. This artificial demand created artificially high prices. But this artificial demand flowed through all segments of a heated economy, including your compensation. I have asked many people if they agreed that real estate was artificially high. They unanimously concur. I ask a dozen unemployed professionals if their previous salaries may have also been artificially high. None agree. Face it. Many of them were, and they are not coming back. Suck it up and adjust to more realistic expectations for your compensation.
3) FIND YOUR PASSION.
At some point, you get the feeling after being out of work for 18 months that it MAY BE A SIGN!! Hello! McFly!! What are the other career track options out there for you? Is it time for an entirely new direction? One that may pay less in the short run, but that you are passionate about? That engages you, and that plays to your immediate strengths. You may begin this journey without the previous trappings of significant compensation and title. But following your passion is a long term play, and most often leads you to a more fulfilled life.
Get up. Get going. Grab your passion. And go get that job!