Wake-Up Call: How a Young Bachelor Rebounded after Getting Laid Off

Though the U.S Senate recently voted against President Obama’s $447 billion jobs bill, everyday workers — employed and unemployed — still find ways to push forward, with persistence, faith and a will to remain positive by any means.

Despite continuously devastating setbacks, many professionals are finding motivation within themselves to triumph over the woes of unemployment. One of those is Marc, 32, a bachelor who managed to recently regain momentum after being out of work for two years.

THE DAY EVERYTHING CHANGED

When Marc went to work on February 18, 2009, he assumed it would be business as usual. He’d worked for one of the nation’s leading telecommunications companies for nine years, moving from a customer service rep to manager of large business accounts.  With a team of 13 staff members, Marc took pride in his career and enjoyed his work.

Though others had been laid off in the company, Marc was sure that he was safe and even joked at times that he’d be with the company forever. As a young, single professional with no kids, Marc was often the go-to guy for special projects and big accounts. His experience and ability to work long, late hours often resulted in more work, especially since so many others had been laid off.  When he was called into his boss’ office that day, he assumed it was to discuss a new project — until he saw another colleague leave in tears.

Marc was given 30 days notice of his termination.

Completely shocked and unprepared, Marc had no idea of what to do next.  He had never been unemployed and had spent almost of all his adult years working for a company that no longer needed him. For the first year, in a state of denial, Marc decided that he’d make the use his severance pay and unemployment insurance to  vacations, spend time with family, and live an adventurous stress-free life.  “I did all the things that I could never do because I was always working so much.”

A WAKE-UP CALL

Marc was in no rush to get back into the job market until the day his mom gave him a much needed wake-up call.  “She asked me how long I was going to live like this.”  This was the just the reality check that Marc needed especially since his money had begun to run out.

It had been years since Marc had been on the job market, and he honestly thought it wouldn’t be that difficult to find a new job.  “I never had a hard time finding work in the past. I didn’t think it would be this difficult.”

After a few months of sending out tons of resumes and even going on several interviews, Marc got no job offers. The intensity of being unemployed at the height of the recession began to take a toll on him. He found himself at a disadvantage because he

never completed his bachelor’s degree. “I had friends with master’s degrees who also couldn’t find a job. So, I knew if they were having a hard time, it would be even harder for me.”

There was a slight gleam of hope when Marc took a position with another major telecommunications company in March 2010.  However, after three months he realized he couldn’t afford to keep the job because the cost of the commute was actually more than what he was being paid. He was once again back to being unemployed (this time with no unemployment insurance) and had become very discouraged. “There were days that I didn’t get out of bed until 4 p.m. I guess you can say I was depressed.”

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GETTING BACK IN THE GAME

There was one place that he’d always had a desire to be more involved in but didn’t have the time to fully devote to: church. Deciding to become more active, he began helping to develop his church’s community development corporation, lending his planning, creative, and technical skills to improve and spearhead much of the organization’s projects.  “I felt like God was telling me to put Him first.  When I had a job, I didn’t have time for the church. Now was the time to give back.”  As a result of his work with the church, Marc was asked to do work for other individuals and organizations which helped to bring in some income.

With the

faith and support from his church, family, and friends, along with a new stream of income coming in, Marc got motivated to get back out there. He began getting up early every day as if he were going to work. “Looking for a job was my job.” He began to expanding his net, humbling himself and considering positions that hadn’t previously been on his radar.

Eventually, his hard work and humility paid off. He applied and landed an interview for a position as a dispatcher for a leading medical alert company. After three interviews, Marc was no longer being considered for the dispatch position but was asked to lead the company’s new quality assurance department.

Today, Marc is the quality assurance manager for the company, providing service to elderly and home-bound clients.  Though he doesn’t make as much as he did with the telecommunications company, Marc has a job that he loves and is proud of the work he does to help those in need.

LESSONS LEARNED

Don’t waste time: Marc spent his first year of unemployment traveling and visiting family and friends because he didn’t want to face the reality of being out of work.  He urges others who are unemployed not to put off getting back into the job market.  “The longer you’re out of work, the harder it is to find a job.”  Marc doesn’t regret the time spent with his family, but says if he had to do it over again, he would have been looking for a job at the same time.

Develop a schedule or routine for your day as if you’re employed: The hardest part of going back to work, Marc says, was having to get back into a regular schedule.  After almost two years of staying up late and waking up even later, it was difficult for Marc to get back into the routine of working.  Since looking for a job really is a full-time commitment, job seekers are encouraged to keep the same schedule that they would if they were working.  Fortunately, Marc learned this lesson early on and was able to smoothly transition into his new career.

Education is vital: Marc didn’t realize how significant a college degree was until he found himself out of work and competing with others who had several. As a result, he has registered and is scheduled to return to school in January 2012. With a major in Accounting and a minor in Marketing, Marc is confident that he’ll be in a much better position should he ever find himself unemployed again. Also, he wants to pursue a career in accounting, a skill that lends itself to full-time and freelance opportunities.

Aisha Taylor (@realTAYLORmade) is co-owner and chief consultant at TAYLORmade Professional Career Consulting, a Web-based, full-service career consulting company committed to “equipping, preparing, and empowering today’s professional” globally. Check out her weekly insights on job-seeking and interviewing success every Friday on BlackEnterprise.com.