A Brief Guide to Unemployment

Hi Everyone,

This is my incomplete guide to unemployment. It won't help you get a job, but it might help you manage your time better. It's targeted more towards recent graduates who are fortunate enough to move back in with their parents, but it can be applied to anyone stuck in a rut. I understand that not everyone has the luxury to follow all of these guidelines, but I encourage everyone to take what they can and try to apply it to their current situation.

1. Follow a Schedule Don't get trapped in a cycle of staying up late watching netflix only to wake up at 11 the next day with your brain feeling like mush. Set an alarm for 8 am or earlier and resist the urge to hit snooze. Getting a job is a full time job, you owe it to yourself to treat it like one. Try to avoid looking at a screen before bed and do some reading instead. Read something that interests you. I just finished Legends of the Fall by Jim Harrison and I highly recommend it. Save the textbooks/technical readings for your "workday".

During the day you can split up your time however you want. Maybe spend the mornings doing readings/an online course/learning to code/applying to jobs and keep your afternoons free for networking calls/coffee chats.

2. Hit the Gym If you end up landing that 80+ hour week job you've been gunning for, you won't have nearly as much time to exercise. Take advantage of the time while you can. If you're scrawny, eat more. If you want to lose a few, eat at a caloric deficit to impress your next interviewer with that jaw line you forgot you had. I like to do heavy compound barbell lifts with a variety of accessories (the program I'm currently running is nSuns, search it on reddit). If you'd rather only do cardio, do cardio. Maybe calisthenics are more interesting to you? There are plenty of great programs for that on reddit, too. You have no excuse to not work out in some capacity.

3. Network Network with everyone. Talk to your friends, talk to your friend's parents, talk to your friend's parent's friends. Talk to people in the industry you're interested in, talk to people in industries you're not necessarily interested in just to make sure. The more you talk to people, the more comfortable you will get talking and you will find it easier to form real connections with the people you're speaking with.

Network with alumni from your college and go to as many alumni events as you can. Don't go expecting to walk home with a job but it is an awesome way to meet people in different stages in their career who went to the same school as you. At the very least, you'll have familiar bars, sports, and classes to discuss.

Always follow up. Say you meet a VP from a boutique bank that interests you and you get their card; send them an email saying it was nice to meet them. Maybe you both talked about a shared interest in hockey? Great, next time you see an awesome hockey highlight, email them a link to it. There are plenty of great networking guides on WSO, use them.

4. Get a Hobby Spend an hour a day learning the guitar or take a day every week or two to go fishing. Being unemployed sucks so it's nice to tune out for a little. Maybe learn how to cook. If you're living with your parents, try to cook them dinner at least once a week.

5. Stay Positive All it takes is one interview to change your situation.

Thanks for reading. Feel free to add your tips that helped you during your unemployment.