My daughter is in NYC this week interviewing for her first big job after she graduates. I decided not to share recent stats on the grim long-term unemployment picture, and tried not to think about what her expensive college tuition might land her. She is different — that’s what I want to believe! In many ways, she shows up like a true professional, she does her research on all the companies, reads blogs, re-tweets the VP’s tweet streams, and shows up prepared to make a difference.
Except for that slight mishap when she dropped her phone in the toilet and had to run between the AT&T and Apple store to figure out what to do with a wet iPhone . . . Phew! It’s all good now.
She asked me what she should do if she gets an offer from the one company she doesn’t want. My response is: TAKE IT! Say yes. Why? Because you are much more marketable being employed than being unemployed. Does she have a competitive advantage over the long-term unemployed? Yep. Our culture has a problem with stale things, and unfortunately the long-term unemployed have been on the shelf too long.
My advice: Don’t quit your job. You will be much more desirable if you are still employed.
If you have been unemployed for a while (I know it’s not your fault!), find a volunteer opp that keeps you busy.
Listen to this SWSW panel discussion on Designing Careers That Don’t Exist.
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