In between jobs—not!
I glance over LinkedIn and notice that many of my contacts have created a profile (LinkedIn is a social and professional virtual network where you can connect with your contacts and stay updated about their educational achievements and career development). I am surprised to see that several people write “in between jobs”! That statement doesn’t make any sense—what do they hope to achieve with that sentence? Are they saying that they have taken time off on their own accord? Are they waiting for a new job? Do they have a new job and they are waiting to start? Or are they trying to say that they are looking for a job? In between jobs! You either have a job or you don’t have a job! Either you are looking for a job or you are not. I find it peculiar that people don’t want to write that they are unemployed. Tell it like it is. Have you been fired? Just tell it like it is. Are you feeling embarrassed? No reason for that. Mutual understanding—yeah right! I have never met anyone who was in complete agreement about separating. Either you were fired or you decided to resign. Let’s cut the crap! Yesterday I sat next to someone at a dinner party, and he told me that he currently spends his time at home and that he will spend the next year thinking about what he would like to do—with full pay for one year. Nice. I asked him if he got fired, and he answered, “Oh no—I handed in my resignation.” “Come on!” I said. “You can tell me the truth.” He denies to ever having
been fired. I don’t know many people who have the guts to resign from their job without having a new job on hand. Most people go from job to job. I wish that people would take the necessary time to think and feel before they accept a job. But the reality is that most people just jump from one job to the next, and most people who are headhunted end up taking the job because they feel flattered. Have you ever been fired? Don’t be afraid to talk about it. Tell why you got fired and what you have learned from the experience. You can turn it into a strength. I am not afraid to tell a new employer that I was once fired and received unemployment benefit (that was the time when I was pregnant with my first child). I have also received social benefits once—for two months. I had just passed the A levels, and I didn’t know what I wanted to do. After eight weeks, I had had enough of the public welfare system. I told my dinner companion that I personally find it much more authentic when people are honest—have you been fired? It is perfectly OK—almost normal. And if you have never tried to be fired, how can you be a good manager with the ability to understand other people’s thoughts in such situations? It is HEALTHY to have experienced being fired. It would also be strange if you could get through a whole life without bumping into a manager whom you can’t work with. Just say it like it is: “I am currently unemployed because I was fired.”