Keeping hope alive

Published on Apr 29, 2021 by Matt Bud, The FENG
Being Out of Work Networking

Whether you are currently working and hate your job or are currently in active search mode, the most important job you have every day is maintaining an optimistic view of the future.

The stresses and strains of a job that is winding down may at times seem beyond bearable. Back in 1991 during the last several months before the advertising agency where I was CFO lost our largest account, the back biting and back stabbing among the “leadership group” reached incredible proportions.

So too, job search itself is filled with highs and lows. The highs are always diminished by the possibility that the job offer you fully expect to get never comes. The lows when you have no interviews scheduled and you think you have called just about everyone you know in the past two weeks, are feelings we generally don’t want to share with “the family.”

I would suggest to you that no situation is totally hopeless. We have our proverbial “the darkest hour is just before dawn” that we can fall back upon if need be, but the best solution to keeping your spirits up is knowing that you have done it before (held a “proper job”) and that you can and will have one again. It may not be right away, but something will come along at some point for you to do that you will find interesting and that will provide you with a source of income. It may not be what you originally envisioned, but so what?

As one of my friends once said: “No one is out of work forever, it just seems that way.”

Just to prove to you that the forces of good are on your side, I would point out to you that you have 36,000+ friends that you can always call upon if you think you need help or more networking contacts. I try to believe everything that people tell me, but if you try to convince me that you have called everyone possible, I am not going to find that credible. We have a membership directory available for searching that if printed would be larger than the telephone directory for many large cities.

Have you honestly looked for all your old friends recently? If they were finance types, they are probably members. Perhaps you missed the notice of their joining us. Did you ever go to any industry meetings? Is it possible there are a few members from one of your competitors that you have failed to contact? (By the way, the answer to this question is yes.)

Just as there is always one more typo in any document, there is always one more person you can contact in The FENG. And, since we typically add 40+ members every week, you can never actually run out of people to call.

But, to repeat the original thought behind tonight’s editorial, you need to work very hard to keep your hope alive. If you come off as discouraged, no one who is having a good day will want to talk to you. If you sound “alive,” I’ll be happy to take your call and see if I can bring you to the next level. Making happy people even happier is a lot more fun than trying to bring a real downer back to “normal.”

In conclusion, as a member of The FENG, you have every reason to have great hopes for the future. Now that you are feeling pumped up, I hope you will reach out to a few other members and “share the love.”

Regards, Matt