Job Loss: 5 Answers to the “What do you do?” Question

It is the first question we ask when wemeet someone new. And it is the last question we want to be askedwhen we are out of work: “What do you do?”. It is a strange quirkof our society that we define ourselves first and foremost by thework we do. Being unemployed can leave us feeling out-of-place anduncomfortable, and can even lead to avoidance of social gatheringsand, therefore, networking opportunities.

I’ve interviewed a lot of people whofind being out of a job a real social challenge. This is particularlythe case amongst those who are in their 40s or 50s and have only hadone or two jobs. People in this group have often defined themselvesboth by their career and by the company they used to work for;leaving a long-term job can be a double-whammy and a real blow to theconfidence.

But there are ways to deal with thisawkward situation, and even to turn it to your advantage. Here arefive ideas:

Get creative

A good way to lighten the situation isto be creative in the way that you describe your situation. There arethe old favourites like ‘between jobs’ and ‘extended break’.But perhaps you can come up with a fresher approach. ‘Mr. Mum’(where relevant), ‘my own boss’, ‘dealing with a mid-lifecrisis’ or ‘studying poverty’.

Be honest

If you are honest about your situationyou might be surprised where the conversation goes. Many of us have aperception that we are the only person to have been made redundant,when in fact most people will lose their job at some point in theircareer. So explaining that you are an out-of-work accountant mightprompt a frank - and useful - sharing of experiences.

Focus on your skills

Remember that conversations like thisare, in fact, networking opportunities. You never know how the personyou are talking to might be able to help you. So rather than simplysaying that you are an unemployed engineer, see if you can drop someof your skills and experience into the conversation. ‘Projectmanagement’, ‘advanced computer skills’, ‘mechanical wizard’.This makes it easier for the person you are talking to recognise howyou might fit into an opportunity they are aware of.

Be open to new ideas

A trick to effective job search is toopen your mind to a broader range of opportunities. We can easily getstuck on finding another job very similar to the one we have left,but this is very limiting. So steer the conversation to what otherpeople do, how their industry works, what other sorts of people theywork with. Any of these things could prompt a possibility in yourmind.

Talk about other stuff

If you’ve really had enough job talk,then simply steer the conversation in another direction. “I’m notworking at the moment, but I did go to the football on Saturday. Doyou follow football?”. “I’m unemployed, so I’m going to lotsof movies. Have you seen the latest Star Trek?”. Or get your newacquaintance to talk about themselves - most people like doing that.

Whenyou’re job hunting, any opportunity to tell others about yoursituation is a chance to gain some information or to make a usefulconnection. Networking like this leads many people into new jobs. Sowhatever you do, don’t avoid social situations. Rather, keepexperimenting until you find a comfortable way of describing yoursituation.

David James Brewster, is a writer for Classifind.com.au. Classifind.com.au is Australia's largest search engine specialising in jobs. Hundreds of thousands of job listings from major Australian job boards are brought together in one place, reducing search time.