I have been unemployed for one year. What should I do to help me find work?

Recently, someone asked me this question on the online platform called Quora.

Sharing my answer with you...

Read “What Color Is Your Parachute?”.

Do the flower exercise suggested by the book.

Internalize the advice about interviews suggested by “What Color Is Your Parachute?”

Change your resume. If it’s chronological, make it skills-based.

Edit your resume, based on advice from resume writers, and authors of books about resumes.

Minoo Jha

 · 2y

Is it okay to put hobbies on my resume when applying for a job?

Not okay - according to Brenda Greene, who has interviewed recruiters at Fortune 500 companies…

Try to think of creative ways to stand out in a sea of candidates.

See if you can create a one-pager leave-behind to take to interviews.

You can try to modify this, or create something similar, that might work:

Minoo Jha

 · 3y

What are the best/innovative ways to introduce yourself to anybody?

Triple Hatter After reading Richard Nelson Bolles’ What Color is Your Parachute?, I found myself doing some soul searching. I thought about my past, my present and my future - all the colors and threads which were the patchwork of my life. And then I wrote a one page “dare to share” piece about myself, I titled Triple Hatter. I created it as something I would leave behind at an interview. I would hand it over to the interviewer at the end of the interview and say “This will tell you things about me that may not have been caught or covered in the interview”. If I was interviewed by 3 people in turn, I would hand out a copy to each of the interviewers as they left the room. I am sharing Triple Hatter with you. I hope it will motivate you to read What Color is Your Parachute? (when you get a chance) but more importantly, to learn to accept who you are in your entirety (past, present and future)... ... and then to “dare to share” everything you are with the world. Read Triple Hatter. Then go write your own Triple Hatter. And start sharing it with the world…. Triple Hatter One Gal. 3 Hats. I am a Commissions Analyst who writes advertising copy and a blog. I am a Copywriter who does Commissions Administrations and Implementations. I am a Commissions Admin who does Xactly Implementations You could call me a Triple Hatter. One Gal. 3 Hats. Solution Partners Inc, Los Gatos This is where I picked up my Implementations Hat. I said goodbye to fear and a regular paycheck when I signed up to be a contract Business Architect with Solution Partners and do Xactly Incent Implementations for different companies. 2 years and 4 projects later (including two 3-month stints at Salesforce Inc) – I am still entranced with the nuts and bolts of the Xactly Incent Commissions Machine. And now I can’t wait to see what it’s like to work both sides of the equation – the administration side and the implementation side. Which company will provide me with the opportunity to put both these skills to work? It’s exciting to speculate and wonder. Extreme Networks, Santa Clara This is where the Commissions Admin Experience I had gained at Palm was put to the test. And my ideas about my skills and traits. Excel whiz. Good at picking up new software. Accurate. Deadline Oriented. Dependable. I was there 5 years and had a fantastic relationship with my boss. Need I say more? Palm Inc This is where I got my training wheels as a Commissions Admin. No sooner did my boss sign me on to assist with commissions, when she went out on Maternity Leave. And never returned. So I was Palm’s one-woman commissions team from that point on. Of course, this meant I needed to take off my training wheels ASAP. Staying up nights with multiple Excel books, I did. It paid off. Minoo Jha Life Strategies My writing hat. It’s my oldest hat. Writing comes naturally. As flying to a bird. For a while, it looked like I had a broken wing. But when in December of 2010, I started blogging, I knew I was back in the groove. I write the Minoo Jha Life Strategies blog. Posting regularly to it, inviting guest posts and promoting it via Facebook, Twitter and Pinterest. Triple Hatter. That’s me.

Remember to be ready for this question for the interviewer: "What questions do you have for us?"

You will need to have a few questions ready, such as "Will I be working alone or as part of a team?", "Will I have to lead any meetings?", "Are the hours standard?", "What do I need to bring on my first day?", and so on and so forth.

Meanwhile, here’s my advice for staying positive, hopeful, and engaged:

Minoo Jha

 · 6y

What advice would you give an unemployed person?

Hi, You asked, What advice do you have for someone who's about to be jobless? This is to be read in in advance of and immediately after you become jobless. 1. Think of your blessings. Even a simple thing like the presence of loving pets, loving friends and family, or having a comfortable living situation, is a blessing. Improve your outlook by thinking of all your current blessings. 2. Express positive thoughts out aloud. Tell people what you have learned about your situation. Tell them what’s good about the fact this happened to you. The more positive things you think and say about what happened to you, the more positive will be your future thoughts, feelings, and communication. The more positive things you think and say about your situation, the more improved will be your outlook, and optimism about the future. 3. Take positive action. Instead of isolating, connect. Connect on the phone. Connect for coffee and conversation. Connect with individuals or groups who will revive your spirits. Connect for a cause you believe in. There are so many ways to connect. 4. Express gratitude. If your situation is a result of other people having done something to you, try to think of the good things they did, before the negative event happened. Maybe you can even write a thank you letter or note of appreciation to them, acknowledging those good things. You can write the letter and keep it, or write the letter and mail it. Either way, its impact will be immediate. You will feel better both about yourself, and about them. 5. Keep yourself fit. Get a gym membership and sign up for a pumped up gym class. Try a new style of haircut. Pay attention to your grooming. Keep your appearance smart and sharp. 6. Make ‘not working’ work for you. Turn it into an advantage. If you are not working, think about the fact most people become their healthiest and most resourceful when they are not working. This is because they have the time to work out, and eat right, and think of ideas. You can become part of this wonderful statistic. 7. Do something positive every day. Do something positive in at least one area in your life every day – something good for your career, or good for your health, or good for your relationships, or good for your personal development, or good for your emotional balance. It may be something as simple as taking your dog for a walk, working on a creative project, cooking something, reading an uplifting book, or working in your garden. 8. Talk to the right people. Talk to friends or family who believe in you. They will remind you of your strength and your abilities, and it will help you stay positive and keep negative thoughts at bay. 9. Pick up a pen and list all your achievements. Write down all the amazing things you have accomplished in your life. Write down the disadvantages you overcame to achieve each of those accomplishments. Put dates against each milestone, and record the wonderful results and events associated with each milestone. 10. Read and watch positive & inspiring material. Find material which encourages you and energizes you. Find material which teaches you to become smarter and wiser and less afraid. Listen to and watch this material again and again and again. Make the messages part of your DNA. 11. Bring back your sense of perspective. You may be able to say, “If this had not happened to me, I wouldn’t have learned to value the things that matter most.” 12. Do things which give you a sense of control. Do things which will give you an “I’ve got this” feeling. Clean up your house, clear your backyard, get up to date with your medical appointments and financial obligations. 13. Find the silver lining in your situation. Can your tough times made you simpler, freer, bolder, wiser, more creative, and more appreciative? What’s not to like about that? 14. Create joy for others. Cook a meal for someone, ask someone to join you for a walk, or for happy hour. Spreading joy is a great way to feel good when times are tough. 15. Grab a pen and think of some ideas. Put down some ideas of what you can do in your current situation. How can you use your time, your energy, your resources? Some really creative ideas and insights can come out of putting on your thinking cap. 16. Surrender your problem to a higher power. This sounds counter-intuitive, but it is proven. It has worked for many others. It could work for you. 17. Finally, be hopeful. Remind yourself of the wisdom of ‘This Too Shall Pass’. No matter, what you are going through, it will pass.

With Every Step, A Choice we Make

With every thought, a choice we make

To think thoughts that are impure,
Or thoughts that are chaste—
With every thought, a choice we make.

__

With every word, a choice we make,
To use words that bind,
Or words that break—
With every word, a choice we make.

__

With every glance, a choice we make
To see more abundance,
Or to see more waste.
With every glance, a choice we make.

__

With every step, a choice we make,
To act after thoughtful contemplation,
Or to act with haste.
With every step, a choice we make.

__

With every judgement, a choice we make
To see differences
Or our differences, to forsake
With every judgement, a choice we make.

__

With every response, a choice we make,
To forgive and forget,
Or to continue to resent and ache.
With every response, a choice we make.

__

With every waking hour, a choice we make,
To sow the seeds of compassion,
Or the seeds of hate.
With every waking hour, a choice we make.