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When I finished college and moved to Denver, I thought I’d have a great job within a few weeks. I had solid work experience accrued throughout my college years and a respectable, non-technical degree in my pocket. But those two weeks turned into four full months before I landed my first job in the training industry.

Those four months without work took a terrible toll. I didn’t sleep soundly for more than a few hours each night. Stress and worry tear down immunity quickly. I got so sick with the flu I think I might have died. The few thousand dollars we had saved quickly evaporated and my wife was pregnant with our first child – no health insurance!

I spent about 16 hours a day either searching Internet job sites or driving around the commercial areas of Denver inquiring at businesses about openings. I annoyed friends and family members with my “networking.” Worst of all, I lost hope and let my self-esteem deteriorate.

Lessons Learned

Job Hunt 4 Hours Per Day | After a few hours of search new listings on job sites each day, each additional hour I spent became more ineffective. I would read the same postings over and over again. I would check for email messages from people in my network dozens of times each hour. While all those things need to be done each day, they only deserve a few hours of attention.

Get a Cell Phone and a Part-time Job | I worried incessantly about missing a recruiter’s phone call if I left my perch by our phone. I thought I couldn’t afford a cell phone.  A cell phone would have permitted me to at least get out of the house much more than I did without missing a job-related call. I could have easily worked a part-time job in the afternoons or evenings to slow our financial hemorrhage. The activity would have distracted me from the worries and concerns of unemployment. It may have provided some much needed socialization and could have even led to a more permanent career.

Learn New Skills | Knowing that my job hunt was leaning more and more towards instructional design work, I could have spent an hour each day learning new software without having to spend any money on it. I could have added the results of this software study to my online portfolio and enhanced my marketability.

Exercise | Even a mild amount of activity would have done so much to reduce physical and psychological stress. The exercise would have cleared my mind and enabled me to concentrate better. That ability to focus would have come in handy during the 100 or more resumes revision sessions.

Have Fun | I knew that I would eventually get a good job but let fear and anxiety ruin what could have been an enjoyable 4 month semi-vacation. I could have read many more books on my to-read list, or gone on longer walks with my wife. I should have taken many more naps. I regret that so much of that time was spent in fruitless searching and worrying.

What about you? How have you made unemployment more bearable? Please let me and the other readers know in the comments section.

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