It has now been two weeks since I and several of my
co-workers were laid off in the latest round of budget cuts at the Red Deer
Advocate. I knew when I returned there over two years ago that the event would
likely happen, but was hoping for a little longer.
I have now experienced a lay-off and immediate escort to the
door, a lay-off with time to clean my desk and be escorted to the door, and
this time, a lay-off with one week’s notice in which I was expected to do “business
as usual”. In some ways the latter was the hardest.
However, after the week of work I have now had one week of
unemployment. We were yard-sitting for friends while they attended a wedding in
the Maritimes, so there wasn’t a great deal of time for reflection and
relaxation. My attention was taken with the feeding and entertainment of two young cats. There were cherries to pick and flowers to water, as well as
the usual household tasks.
Today we moved back to the farmyard we have been tending for
over a year. Now I must discipline myself to use some of my time to search out
future employment. I have a good start – two resumes sent today – but it is
very tempting to sit back and enjoy summer!
Job searching is not what it used to be. Each time I have
been looking for a new job the process has changed. Remember when one would go
to a central office and look over boards covered with notices of job openings?
Now those “boards” are on a computer, in one’s home. Social media is where most
of the networking is done. And today’s resumes were sent via Kijiji.
A period of unemployment is opportunity to bring one’s
skills up to date and prove that they are adequate to meet the challenges of
the workplace.
I’ll make it through – the sun is shining out there!
