As the title suggests, I’ve got a job! Muahahhaha!! Finally!
Personally, I did not expect that getting a job would be this hard. When I
graduated from Nilai, I got every job I applied for. Naturally, after a year of
working experience and a double master, I would think that my market value is
higher. Oh, how wrong am I. The Australian job market is certainly very
different from Malaysia. Words alone cannot describe how different it is but in
essence let’s just say it’s a whole lot more complicated. There are multiple
recruitment process and let’s not forget about the competitions. Friends and
family back home often asked why it is so hard and my answer would be, why
don’t you try it out yourself?
These 10 months of unemployment gave me the opportunity to
develop my level of patience. One never knows how an unemployed feels until one
is unemployed. No matter how, you will not understand if you’ve never experience
more than half a year of unemployment and literally hundreds of rejection
letters. Although I did have a casual job which I was really fond of but it
wasn’t enough. It wasn’t full time. I was seriously on the brink of depression.
All my life, I always had something definite to do. So when I had nothing confirmed
and my future seems to be getting darker and darker, I went cuckoo. It doesn’t
help when family and friends unconsciously made it worse.
Anyway, here are a few do’s and don’ts when dealing with unemployed
people, especially those who had been actively looking for a full-time for more
than half a year.
DO NOT ask if they’ve got a job yet. It’s like a slap on the
face and a reminder that they have NOT got a job. It is even worse when the
question comes from family and close friends cause we hate to disappoint those
closest to us. Granted, they are concern and worried but sometimes, asking
about it does not help at all. For very obvious reasons when a person does get
a job, they will tell you. Asking isn’t necessary.
DO NOT ask what they did today. Duh.. Applied for jobs? As
an example, my days of unemployment are in no ways interesting. I woke up, turn
on the computer, look at all possible jobsite and applied them, hoping at least
one would offer me. Yes, I customised my
resume and cover letter. And yes, I got it checked by both professional and
non-professionals. So, do not ask what they did today, every single time,
because it is stressful to figure out an answer that will entertain you.
DO listen and not advise or judge them. Or give suggestions
on how to improve the resume’s market value. Just empathise with their situation
and relate to them. Sometimes, all we need is just someone to listen and not
advises on “how YOU think we can do better”. For example, when an unemployed
said he didn’t do well on the interview, DO NOT start commenting on the way he
dress or the way he talked or how his resume is not good enough. If the guy had
been actively looking for a job for
the past 6 months, I am pretty sure he already researched on how to perform
well on all those. Instead, just say that perhaps it is not meant to be, the
competition is tough, market is bad or cheer him up with other topics.
DO chat about what’s happening in your life. Gossips about bosses
or friends will put their minds off stressful stuff. If you think there is
nothing to talk about your life, then talk about the current issues. It doesn’t
always have to be personal life, does it? When people are unemployed, they
pretty much have nothing to do but read the news so go discuss about what’s
happening in the world, the good or the bad. News is like a daily entertainment
and you would be surprise on how much an unemployed know about economics,
politics and even celebrity gossips. Plus, it helps to stimulate your brain
too!
Anyway, I started my job a couple of days ago and am loving
it. Although it is not within my comfortable zone but I am glad that my colleagues
and boss are ever helpful. Plus, I get to inspect houses too! Which is quite
fun actually. Oh dear.. I think I got the “property bug”!
