12/01/2012Recovering Self-Identity Amidst Long-Term UnemploymentBy Dave GallisonThis topic, recovery from long-term unemployment, gets harder for me to write about the longer the tail of the “Great Recession” drags on. As a career counselor in private practice, I see the devastating effects on my clients who have been unemployed six months or more, particularly those in their forties and fifties. The frustration and shame is etched in the contours of sorrowful faces, down-turned shoulders and low voices that come from multiple rejections and being forced to tap retirement accounts to meet current living expenses.
From years of work in career counseling and outplacement, I am well-versed in how to teach my clients all the ways to access the “hidden job market,” network effectively, and find new opportunities. But the sheer scale of this recession—at the current rate of adding 144,000 new jobs a month it will take 15 years just to get back to pre-recession levels—suggests the employment landscape has been altered by a tsunami.
Without a Job, Who am I?
Life as those former job holders knew it, and the world of work, might never be the same again. Indeed, counselors like me may relay the new conventional wisdom that “all future jobs are temporary” and can end at any time.
For clients dealing with such a radical, frequently painful change in their external world, they may be forced to face inward, to one’s self-identity, the last remaining place that is under one’s control. This possibility of self-renewal is essential to moving forward. Job loss and sustained unemployment sap confidence and undermine quality of life, feeding a vicious cycle that inhibits employment prospects as well.
Proceed in Parallel.
Is there an Alternative to the Status Quo for the Long-term Unemployed?
Time for an Activity Adjustment.
For instance, losing the structure provided by workplace routines can be unsettling to those now unemployed. As a result, clients may benefit from directed coaching about ways they can rebuild their own newly-rewarding routines: daily exercise, working as a volunteer, and taking college courses as well as scheduling job search activities.
While having a purpose is subtler than structure needs, it is perhaps more essential to happiness and fulfillment. If a client is not aware of their purpose in life, then I may direct the client to exercises like writing a mission statement or to various forms of contemplation or readings to explore the deeper self. For many, meaning can be found in contribution, in living for something larger than self.
And finally, because work tends to provide ready friends and after-work activities—one’s sense of community--the period between jobs will require deliberate cultivation of friends and social relationships if balance is to be restored. I have been surprised by how much support and validation my clients report after a referral to any of the numerous area job search support groups. And, seeking involvement with a group—be it church, community-related, interest or sport, etc—reduces isolation and can add structure and reinforce one’s sense of purpose.
Let me bring this full circle: There is life after layoff and its personal, structure-altering and an economic jolt. The inner work for a client to realize they are more than their job and to rebuild self-worth is essential to getting back on the career track after long term unemployment.
Credit for some of the core ideas and references is given to Dina Bergren and Nicolle Skalski, whose presentation, Reinventing Career Identity After Job Loss, I attended at the NCDA Conference, Atlanta, GA, 6/22/12.
Dave Gallison, MS, LPC, is a Licensed Professional Counselor and has a practice in Portland, Oregon that emphasizes career and personal development to help clients find rewarding work. His website is www.gallisonconsulting.com and he can be reached through e-mail at dave@gallisonconsulting.com.
11 CommentsGinny Ruder on Sunday 12/02/2012 at 09:22 AM Thank you for putting this so beautifully. I try to encourage all my clients to volunteer while they job hunt. It gives them purpose and often it can expose them to new ways to think about themselves and how they fit into the work world. Paul Martin on Monday 12/03/2012 at 10:23 AM Great article. It succintly describes the issues that many unemployed people face and strategies that can help them and all of us gain a healty perspective on our lives. Dave Gallison on Monday 12/03/2012 at 01:02 PM Karen, Dave Gallison on Monday 12/03/2012 at 01:19 PM Ginny, Dave Gallison on Monday 12/03/2012 at 01:24 PM Paul, Amy in Chicago on Monday 12/03/2012 at 07:25 PM I so appreciated this article, Dave. Having just lost my job two weeks ago, I am in the excited and overwhelmed stage of unemployment. While I am so excited to start a new chapter in my life, I am well aware of the many steps and possible closed doors ahead of me. This morning I wrote on my blog "Who Am I Without a Job" and am restling with this very thing. Fortunately, my faith is the core of my identity, but my career has been right up there. I will check out the books you suggested and continue to take a deeper look at this valuable time of reflection, innovation and character building. As I always said to my team, "Good Times!" At least for now! :-) Dave Gallison on Monday 12/03/2012 at 08:07 PM Amy, Amy in Chicago on Monday 12/03/2012 at 08:17 PM Thanks, Dave. I guess I should share what my occupation was/is: Career Counselor! LOL So I am entering this season very well aware of how to find a job and very well aware that there is more at work than the obvious - and I want to honor that. I was at a large, for-profit university and part of a 900 person lay-off, so I am in very good company. In the midst of this I want to be sure I am serving and helping others and not allowing my situation to consume my time and thoughts. Thanks, again, for helping those of us who are helping those in the midst of transition. Bless you! Marie Zeits on Thursday 01/24/2013 at 03:34 PM Dave.. Thanks for this very insightful and relevant article. As the spouse of the type of unemployment situation you described, it was helpful to me. The effects of long-term unemployment especially as one ages Dave Gallison on Saturday 01/26/2013 at 06:57 PM Marie, Disclaimer: The opinions expressed in the comments shown above are those of the individual comment authors and do not reflect the views or opinions of this organization.
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Karen Hanen on Saturday 12/01/2012 at 08:28 PM
Dave this is an excellent article and a great reminder that our role is to attend to the whole person and help them make sense of their long-term unemployment situation, while finding renewed meaning and purpose in their lives.