Choosing To Be Optimistic: Downsized, But Not Out
For Marge, job loss in the current economic downturn is deja vu all over again. Having seen jobs come and go over the past 24 years, she has learned to make the most of career ups and downs.
"I started out as an English teacher," she says, "but after a few years, I said, ‘No, this is not for me.’ So I went to CTC (Cincinnati Technical College, now Cincinnati State University) and got an Associates’ degree in CIM (Computer-Integrated Manufacturing)."
Combining her skills in communication and technology, Marge snagged the first job of her second career with a small software company, where she trained customers in the use of application programs that generated instructions for screw machines. Great job…until she discovered one day that her paycheck bounced. No more company, no more job.
Attitude Is Everything
So Marge expanded her career into technical writing and moved through a contract assignment and several "permanent" employment stints at small software companies. The GE contract ended, and she has been "downsized" twice.
"In 1983-84, just like now, everybody was out of work," she remembers. "I interviewed a lot."
Stability is good, but flexibility is essential. Marge has developed an core of competence and confidence that has centered her and enabled her to adapt to employment swings and remain positive.
"One thing I’ve liked about most of my jobs," she says, "is working for a small company and being the only writer. That puts me in charge of what I do, so I get to decide how things will be done. When I’ve been downsized, I was always the last person they could let go. And every time I’ve changed jobs, it’s been an improvement.
"At this point (mid-March), I’ve been out of work for not quite two months. Sometimes that little discouragement bird whispers in your ear and you can choose to be down and discouraged. Or you can choose to say, ‘This is my opportunity to enjoy some time off while working hard to find that next position.’" .
Marge’s Job Search Strategy
- She posts her resume on various online job sites. "Most useful to me has been CareerBuilder.com, with more relevant jobs. On Monster, I’ve seen maybe one or two tech writing jobs, but CareerBuilder has had a thin steady stream."
- She uses social media networking sites, such as LinkedIn.
- She also networks in person, having once found a "fun" job through networking at an STC meeting.
- She expects to be successful.