Freelancing, for now!

November of 2020 I resigned from my company. As for the reason, I can tell you but might as well include that in a different blog "Reasons for choosing unemployment", lol. 

Anyway, I am now freelancing for 3 clients and this is a good way of making sure your resume has content while you're not doing a full time role. Many recruitment practitioners look at your resume and try to understand you as a worker. If they find long gaps in between employment, that usually gives them the impression that you have not been successful in gaining employment because you lack quality or that you are lazy. Yes, recruiters can think that and you have no control over it. So the best way is to make sure that does not show on your resume. 

So here are ways to make sure your resume does not show long gaps in between employers:

(1) Volunteer 
You may visit a friend who owns a business and volunteer for free. You may check online and see if there's a volunteering opportunity. Visit your local city centers to do the same. A few hours a week will do. If you get lucky, you can volunteer for an institution which might end up hiring you if you exceed work expectations. 

(2) Freelance

Use different freelancing platforms online. One of which is Upwork. They offer varying freelancing gigs which in some cases could pay you an equivalent of your previous monthly base pay. 

Here is one freelancing opportunity: 

Hiring LEAD GENERATION FREELANCERS!

I'm working with a fast growing knowledge research firm recently mentioned in Forbes and looking to hire Lead Generation Specialists to add to the team. Our clients include many of the largest Tier 1 global investment banks, private equity funds, hedge funds, corporates and consultancies. We bring commercial acumen, and a whatever-it-takes approach to every project to truly understand our clients’ questions and find the precise in-industry senior Experts who can offer them valuable insights. These Experts are often current or previous, leading C-suite level Executives in multinational firms.

To be successful in the role:

* You will have to be a confident and entrepreneurial individual;

* You possess excellent English communication skills;

* You are competitive and incentive-driven;

* You have the initiative in performing research tasks;

* You have lead generation experience from a BPO setting;

* You are a graduate of any discipline

In working with us,

* You will act as the connection point between our clients and industry Experts;

* You will be given responsibility at an early stage and can expect to have a significant amount of direct involvement with senior executives, and also clients.

* Your role involves intelligent online research, mapping out across all sectors and geographies, sourcing senior industry Experts who can address our clients' questions.

* You will spend significant time reaching out to these industry Experts (often CEO/CFO level) by phone and email to discuss projects with them.

* You will develop skills in negotiation, professional communication, project management, client service, and training.

What you will do:

* to search online (mostly LinkedIn) and generate industry-specific leads requested by the client;

* email, message, and cold call relevant expert leads, and then ask the most suitable leads to signup on our website to be scheduled for an interview with the client

Part-time hours: 10-40 hours per week

(work starts at 8AM UK time)

Expected Start Date: 22/02/2021

Job Types: Part-time, Commission

Commission Fees: Php12,000.00 - Php40,000.00 per month

Candidates: Philippines, Pakistan, Colombia

(3) Business

Start a small business and make sure to create an online page or a physical store. You can still include this on your resume if you're into business management roles. However, you do not need to indicate this on your resume but instead include this if the recruiter asks you about the time you weren't working (or if they ask you to narrate your working experiences. 

Now, go volunteer, find a freelance role, or start your business. 

Reasons for being unemployed!

A friend came to me saying he's fed up with his mom scolding him for having no job. He's been jobless for a year now and he thinks he needs to rest. I understand him. I was once unemployed and I told him the very reasons why he's unemployed right now. (Well, to give him an idea that he's being lazy, lol, just kidding!)

Anyway, here are the probable reasons why a person is unemployed:

(1) Being too picky. I understand that we all have our own specialties when it comes to skills or the jobs we can do. But sometimes, being picky with the job description keeps us from applying for the position or accepting the position. In a society where there are an estimated 650, 000 fresh graduates every year, there is no room for being picky unless you have been offered a job or you stand by your ambitions of getting hired and landing in your dream job.

There are those who choose high-paying jobs. Unless you're really lucky, everyone starts with a low paycheck. From there, you start your way up for a higher one.

(2) Being too lazy. Laziness comes in different categories, lol (as if I'm a master at this). Anyway, my categories are "being lazy finding a job" or "being lazy doing the job". 

Some people are too lazy looking for a job. They would rather stay at home and do nothing (just watch TV and eat). They seem to be waiting for nothing. It's like they feel they don't need to look for a job because it's fine. Looking at our economy, it is not fine to not look for a job if you're in the middle and lower classes of the society. 

Other people are lazy doing their jobs which makes them lose their jobs. There are many reasons for that. First, they are tired of doing the same old routine. There are people who like doing different things everyday. Being in a job that's daily performed, it gives them no satisfaction. Second, they lack motivation. Motivation comes in different ways - paycheck, good working environment, positive peers, promising career, fast promotion. If there is no motivation, an employee would be less productive.

(3) Does not qualify for the position. I know a lot of people who went through screening and was not able to pass. I, myself, went through that and it makes you wonder which needed to be changed to pass it.

Many people do not qualify for the position because of the educational background, the educational attainment, the years of work experience, the past work experiences, and many more.

If you don't qualify for the position you seek, then go look for a different one.

(4) Presentation. In finding and landing a job, you need to dress appropriately. I'm not saying you should wear a tux, but you should wear appropriately. If you are applying for an office position, then wear something formal, dresses for women and long-sleeved polo shirts for men. If you are applying as a hip-hop dance instructor, then there's no need for a formal wear, instead wear your dancing attire.

In landing a job, you are selling yourself. Presentation is of importance. Many applicants do not land the job because they do not look presentable (for a hotel receptionist) or because they don't fit for the job (a slim-bodied guy as a bouncer).

(5) Personality. Your personality is important in landing a job. You may not get the job if your traits do not fit the job. If you are timid and applying for a sales agent, there is a big problem there.

Looking for a job needs a lot of persistence and a lot of hard work. To land a job, you have to be ahead of everyone else.

(6) Competition. There is too much competition. With a hundred thousand graduates a year, and no new jobs created. To rise above the rest, make sure your resume is ready, your past work experiences lasted at least 6 months, and you impress your interviewer.

Hopefully you find your job soon.

Where to look for a job

A friend has asked me as to where or how to find a job. I said, "Jobstreet", then his face went blank. I had to ask if he knew what I said, still no answer. I realized he doesn't really know what it is. So I asked again, "How many hours do you spend on facebook?". He said five. I was shocked to know that he spends that much time online but does not know how to search for job sites.

Like what I told him, here are ways of finding a job.

(1) Newspaper (The newspaper has classified ads and I was not sure if he knew there's that section of the newspaper. I was right, he never looks at the classified ads. So one of the best places of finding a job is by a newspaper.)

(2) Online (There are a lot of job sites like jobstreet, mynimo, jobsdb, etc. and these have been classified by industry or field of expertise. I once met a person who knows how to use twitter, instagram, and facebook, but does not know how to google. How lame is that! I had to tell him how to google. All you have to do is type whatever it is that you need to search and voila! For job seekers, go search for "job vacancy", "jobs", "job sites". There are companies with websites, and in these sites there is a portion which shows their vacancies as of the moment. You may upload your CV's.)

(3) Friends (Ask your friends. They may know a vacancy or a company that's hiring. Ask for help if you are not sure. A few people ask for help in entering a company. Well, sometimes, I think it's too much. I personally do not like that practice, and if I do, I make sure that the individual I'll be endorsing is an individual with a great work attitude. So please, don't force your friends to hire you. Just ask for vacancies and send in your resume. Wait for a call.)

(4) Establishment Postings (There are companies that have wanted ads just outside their buildings or near the vicinity. Walk-in applications are suitable to get a quick reply. Companies would be quicker in responding to your application. While your hanging out with friends, check postings on walls. You might find a  job ad. But be very careful, there are ads that may be hoax.)

(5) School (If you are still studying, then this may apply. There are a few schools who help with the placement of their graduates. This will be very helpful for new grads. But if you aren't a graduating student, then there are schools that has bulletin boards for job vacancies from partner establishments.)

These five are certainly the easiest ways to find a job. To be able to land it, prepare yourself. Read http://myunemployedlife.blogspot.com/2014/07/unemployed-you-say.html 

Hope you guys find your job very soon.

Unemployed, you say!

With at least twelve (12) million jobless Filipinos, it is not quick to find a vacancy in companies.

Once we graduate high school, only a few manage to make it to college, others can't afford college and start looking for jobs, and if they can't find jobs, some engage in marriage (many don't even marry, they just live with their partners).

Those who go through college increase their chances of getting hired in better-paying jobs. A year up the college ladder, the better your chances in grabbing a job. But even when you're done with college, it sure is hard to beat everyone else when applying for a job. These jobs may also be different from what you dream of, or what you finished.

Then to be able to get a job faster, 
(1) don't be too picky (The aim here is to get a job asap to start receiving a paycheck. If you don't like the job, just stick to it for at least a year or two for experience and to be able to save up a little, then you could apply to a better opportunity.)
(2) research (Always do research before you apply for a company. To avoid getting yourself in a job that you might regret later, then research. Check about the company. Check if it's right for you. Check if it's the industry you want.)
(3) groom yourself (I'm not talking about looking yourself really good - which is important, but groom yourself for the career you want. What I mean is, acquire skills for your field of expertise, if you can afford paying for training, then please do, but if not, then go look for part-time or full-time jobs to gain experiences to enhance these skills.)
(4) groom yourself physically (unless your job is a physically tiresome job like welding, wirebrushing, grinding, then looking good won't do any good when you're in your workplace, but always look decent. Avoid haircuts that make you look like a member of some deadly gangs.)
(5) widen your networks (go volunteer to an organization near you, be part of society's groups. These groups will help serve as links to meeting people who might have jobs for you.)

Finally, never give up. Plan your career for the next 5 or 10 years. Don't lose sight of it - I mean don't forget your plans. We always change our plans, but it would be better to have guides.