Searching for a new job can be a lonely experience.  When you leave your old job (either voluntarily or involuntarily) you experience some very real losses.  We often think of the financial loss but there are other losses which are much more subtle but are equally hard to adjust to.  These include the loss of a daily routine; a sense of belonging; a feeling of purpose and the loss of regular contact with professional colleagues.  It can be a difficult adjustment.  And it’s easy to become isolated especially with the current popularity of job searching primarily on the Internet.

Start a Career Support Group

Here’s an idea . . . seek out a career support group.  It can either be one offered through an employment organization or a community group.  Or even better, start your own with other people who are in an active job search.  Not sure where to meet others like you?  Just start asking around especially if you involved with an employment group – we have ProNet for unemployed professionals in Northern Nevada – and invite a couple of other folks to join you for coffee once a week.

You’ll be pleasantly surprised by how helpful a group like this is especially in helping to reduce the isolation almost everyone feels in today’s new world of high-tech job searching methods.  We need the human touch – the chance to talk and support each other.  And people know people know people.  Remember 80% of professional jobs are never publicly advertised.  They are filled by personal contacts and referrals.  So reach out to others – you help them and they help you!