7 Ways to Turn Unemployment into a Positive Situation 七招化解失业的被动

阿莱娜·齐纳 译/王冰 Alena Cheina

Unfortunately， unemployment is often associated with negative feelings of fear， unworthiness， and stress. After being unemployed for a while， many will feel that they have lost all purpose and control of life. However， if you find yourself without a 9-5 daily routine， you will soon realize the one advantage that you have over your behind-the-cubicle friends—TIME.

Being unemployed for some time before landing1 your next job is necessary as it gives you time to improve your knowledge and the skills needed for your future career. Put all your stress aside and follow with me to learn how you can take advantage of a negative situation and turn it into a wonderful experience that can help place you above your fellow job-hunters.

1. Get to know yourself.

We are in a constant state of change， and its perfectly natural that some of our interests， skills， and weaknesses are evolving as the years go by， therefore a reassessment of our traits is critical if we wish to progress in our career. For that reason， take this time to evaluate yourself， everything from the skills you obtained at your previous employment to your failures and flaws. Make a list of your strengths and weaknesses that will help guide you in addressing future interview questions.

This is also a great time to figure out exactly what you want in a career.

Converse with yourself to figure out the perfect career that will make YOU happy even after the “honeymoon” stage during employment wears off2.

2. Improve/Modernize a skill.

A lot of the knowledge that we possess is no longer current due to the constant introduction and easy access to new information and research. A programmer who knows how to work with only code from the early 2000s is not seen as a viable asset for the company. The purpose of this step is to upgrade a current skill and obtain new knowledge that can be considered very valuable in the eyes of the employer.

It is simple as subscribing to blogs， downloading free guides， reading articles daily， or purchasing a paperback written by an industry leader. You can also join Google Hangouts that pertain to your industry and learn the new trends that can be imperative to your new employer.

By adding new skills and courses on your resume， it is a great way to show your future employer your time-management skills and most of all， that you value your time.

3. Perfect your presentation/interview skills.

Not all of us are born to be stadium-packing3 speakers， so if you lack such skills， it is crucial that you begin to practise your verbal and non-verbal behaviour as it can be the deciding point of whether youll get the job. Strong verbal communication skills are highly valued by most employers， as they are signs of educated and competent individuals. For this reason， learn new vocabulary to eliminate the ‘ummms and ‘yeaas when speaking to an interviewer. If you have a strong accent then practise pronunciation.

Research the most commonly asked interview questions and formulate the perfect answer that depicts your interest and skills. Make sure to practise your non-verbal behaviour， such as hand movements， posture and even smiling， as this is vital in creating the best first impression. Studies of the employment process indicate that 65—70% of hiring decisions may be based on non-verbal communication.

4. Take time to search for your dream job.

Dont start applying to the first job advertisement you see， rather take the time to figure out what classifies as your dream job and use a variety of tools to find the perfect employer. Use multiple job-hunting sites to look for jobs based on your salary requirements， position， location and skill set. A lot of these sites now feature4 reviews， salaries， and information about the company culture so that you can learn everything you need to know before you apply to ensure that it is the best fit for you.

5. Put effort into developing a great portfolio.

Many jobs require for the candidate to provide the employer with a portfolio showcasing their best and latest work; this can be a deal breaker if your portfolio lacks in presentation and quality. Take this opportunity to work on your portfolio by adding new content， purchasing a new binder， or creating title pages. Anything that would make you stand out from other candidates can significantly help your application during the evaluation process. Make sure that it is clean （no coffee stains！） and that the first page includes a hard copy of your resume. Divide your portfolio by sections and use sheet protectors5 to ensure that your work is safe from fingerprints and accidental dog drool.

6. Become a freelancer.

Our office is now our computer with the Internet bringing work to the worker not the other way around6. If you are a marketer， graphic designer， web developer， copywriter， artist or editor， this is a great opportunity for you to work for international companies from the comfort of your home. A freelance job can help pay for your bills while you search for your dream job. Additionally， if you land a great gig7， you can add it to your work experience， further boosting your image in the employers eyes.

7. Pick up a hobby.

Everyone has at least one thing they love to do but never seem to have time for. Whether its going to the gym， knitting， biking， spending time with family and friends or learning to meditate， now is your chance to grow as an individual and experience all of the beautiful things that life has to offer. Let your creativity blossom and you will soon find happiness where there was fear.

很不幸，失业常常与恐惧、无用、压力等负面情绪相关。失业一段时间后，很多人会感到他们完全失去了对生活的目标感和掌控感。然而，若脱离了朝九晚五的日常工作，你将很快意识到，相较于那些坐在办公隔间里的朋友，你有一个优势——时间。

获得下一份工作之前，失业一段时间是必要的，这让你有时间去丰富未来事业所需的知识和技能。暂且抛开你的全部压力，来和我学一学如何利用失业状态，将之转化为一段精彩的经历，以帮助你在接下来的求职竞争中获得优势。

1. 了解自己。

我们处于不斷变化之中。年岁渐长，我们的部分兴趣、技能和弱点也自然随之改变。因此，若想取得事业发展，重新评估自己的特点至关重要。为此，利用失业这段时间进行全面的自我评估——从你在上一份工作中获取的技能，到你的失败与不足。列一份自身优势及弱项清单，它会带给你回答未来面试问题的思路。

失业也是一个绝佳的时机，让你想清楚自己在一份工作中究竟想要什么。

和自己对话，找到即便在工作“蜜月期”结束后仍给你带来快乐的完美职业。

2. 提高/更新技能。

持续涌现且易于获取的新信息、新研究使我们掌握的很多知识已落伍。一名只会使用21世纪早期代码的程序员不会被公司视为可用之才。这一步骤的目标是升级一项流行技能，并获取新知识。这些技能和知识要能在雇主眼中具有重要价值。

具体操作很简单，例如订阅博客，下载免费指南，每天阅读报刊文章，或者购买业界领袖写的平装书。你还可以加入与行业相关的谷歌环聊群组，了解对新雇主来说非常重要的新趋势。

在简历上增加新技能和新学过的课程，这是向未来雇主展示你时间管理能力的绝佳方式。最重要的是，这表示你珍视自己的时间。

3. 完善展示/面试技能。

并非人人生来就是能吸引大量观众的演说家。如果你缺少这类技能，那么开始训练语言和非语言表现非常重要，这可能会决定你能否得到某份工作。大部分雇主非常看重出色的语言交流能力，因为这是个人受过良好教育和有竞争力的标志。因此，你要掌握新词汇，以避免和面试官交谈时出现“嗯……”“是啊……”等语气词。如果口音很重，那就训练发音。

研究面试中最常见的问题，构想能展现兴趣和技能的完美答案。务必练习非语言行为，例如手部动作、姿势，甚至微笑，因为这些对于给人留下完美的第一印象至关重要。对招聘过程的研究表明，65%到70%的聘用决定可能基于非语言交流。

4. 花时间寻找理想工作。

不要看到第一份招聘广告就开始申请，要花时间想清楚哪类工作是你的理想工作，然后用各种工具去找到最完美的雇主。使用多个求职网站，基于薪资要求、职位、地点和技能组合来寻找工作。现在很多求职网站都提供雇员评价、薪资及公司文化相关信息，你在申请前就可以了解到你需要知道的所有信息，以确保这是最适合你的选择。

5. 努力创作一份优秀的作品集。

很多职位要求应聘者向雇主提供一份作品集，来展示他们最好和最新的作品。如果你的作品集外观不吸引人，或内容不够优质，这可能会导致你求职失败。利用失业这一时机完善你的作品集，增加新内容，购买新的活页夹，或是制作标题页。在雇主对求职者的评估过程中，能让你从其他候选人中脱颖而出的任何因素都会对你的求职申请大有助益。确保你的作品集干净整洁（没有咖啡渍！），首页有你的简历。作品集要分门别类，并使用文件保护套，以确保作品不会沾染指纹或偶然被狗的口水弄脏。

6. 成为自由职业者。

如今，我们的办公室有台电脑就行，工作任务通过网络传送给工作者，而不是反过来。如果你是营销人员、平面设计师、网页开发工程师、广告文字撰稿人、艺术家或编辑，失业对你来说是一个极好的机会，你可以舒舒服服待在家里为国际公司工作。一份自由职业可以帮你在寻找理想工作期间支付账单。另外，你若找到了一份好的兼职，可以把它写入工作经历，这会进一步提升你在雇主眼中的形象。

7. 培养一个爱好。

每个人都至少有一件喜欢做却似乎从未有时间去做的事情。无论你喜欢去健身房、编织、骑单车、陪家人朋友还是学习冥想，现在都可以利用失业这一机会来获得个人成长，体会生活能够提供的所有美好事物。绽放你的创造力，很快，你将会在曾经令人恐惧的失业状态中发现幸福。

（译者为“《英语世界》杯”翻译大赛获奖者）