Reality TV Meets the Job Search
Last week the reality of the jobless recovery hit reality TV with the premieres of "Downsized" on the WE network and "The Fairy Jobmother" on Lifetime.
"Downsized" follows Laura and Todd Bruce, an Arizona couple, and their seven children who went from a $200,000 annual income to near poverty after Todd lost his construction business. They now live on Laura's $39,000 teacher's salary.
"Fairy Jobmother" contends with climbing out of the abyss that is unemployment. The protagonist is Haley Taylor, a 43-year-old hairdresser turned employment counselor from Yorkshire, England, who tries to coach, prod and push desperate, but sometimes reluctant job seekers into job-search makeovers.
In the first episode of "Fairy Jobmother," Taylor works with Shawn and Michelle Aughe, who have been unemployed for five years, have two toddlers and live on welfare. Their lives, turned upside down by unemployment, have deteriorated to the point where they live in a home littered with dog poop. Both, it seems, are suffering from clinical depression.
At TheLadders, we've spoken with many unemployed job seekers who are contending with exactly these sorts of challenges to their self-esteem, relationships and future employment prospects. (As a layoff success story myself, I know firsthand that maintaining physical and emotional health are paramount in the face of unemployment stress.) We've written about striking a balance between the job hunt and family needs, and we've even written about "Two Layoffs, One Family: When a Household Is Out of Work."
In the case of the Aughes, Taylor offers some advice that's familiar to our readers: Volunteer to re-engage in the working world and open new options for a full-time job.
In a story titled "5 Steps to Volunteer Your Way to a Job," Debra Donston-Miller breaks it down:
1. Use your network to find open volunteer positions. That will get you into an organization faster.
2. Determine whether the volunteer opportunity matches your "availability horizon," both so you can achieve success and so you don't leave the non profit in the lurch.
3. If you are able to secure a position where you're actually doing a job that's in line with your skill set, then you can absolutely list that on your resume as a position you've held. Disclose that you were a volunteer, but list all of the duties and responsibilities that you had, as well as any significant responsibilities.
4. Join a professional organization or a chamber of commerce within your region. These organizations are already in the business of helping each other, and there's always a need for fresh blood. Professional organizations are a fantastic place to network and work. It's great exposure on many levels.
5. Treat an extended volunteer job like any other job on your resume, provided it is related to your profession and can demonstrate what you accomplished at the charity.
If the lack of paying jobs has you feeling cornered, investing in altruism can change your mindset, renew your resume and get you back on track.