The number of long-term unemployed has nearly tripled since the start of the pandemic, now accounting for 43.4 percent of all unemployed persons. Nearing the record 46% long-term unemployed seen following the Great Recession in April 2010, this category includes those who have been jobless for 27 weeks or longer and, in March 2021, was measured at 4.2 million people total. If you’re a professional in this situation, there are important lessons to be learned from the numbers.
- When long-term unemployment is as common as it is now, it’s easy for employers to see – and hopefully for you yourself to see – that being jobless for a period of time is not a result of laziness or some moral flaw. It’s related to the structure of the economy and, in this case, the strength of the COVID-19 pandemic’s economic impact.
- Rather than starting on the defensive and trying to explain why you have been out of work, we recommend a strategy that gets a potential employer looking toward your future. By creating a proposal in addition to your resume, you can demonstrate to the hiring manager that you have value to offer going forward. If a proposal sounds broad to you, consider writing a document that analyzes a current problem facing the organization (or the organization’s clients) and suggests one or more solutions.
- If you’re unsure what kind of future-oriented writing you should do, review industry publications, attend a few webinars, or consult former colleagues. For years, we have advised parents looking to re-enter the workforce after taking time off to raise children, and this strategy could now help millions of professionals facing gaps in their resumes.
- Take a strategic approach to choosing an industry because some are just better positioned to thrive right now. This was true before COVID-19, when the financial services industry accounted for an outsized percentage of corporate profits, and the pandemic heavily rewarded some industries and punished others.
- Identify your transferable skills. Career transition experts talk a lot about this, and it’s the most effective strategy for finding work after an extended period of unemployment. Most people wildly underestimate the extent to which they have such skills, but understanding yours will shed light on your qualifications for many different roles.
If you keep these five ideas in mind, you will be miles ahead of those focused on explaining what’s in their rearview mirror instead of where they want to go.
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