The Enlightened Unemployed
Sonia Wilson: A Better Fit
Sonia Wilson was shocked when she was laid off from her job as a bilingual editor at an international employment agency, as she thought there were no obvious signs of trouble. She had just attended a lavish company Christmas party, was meeting her weekly quota, and thought the position was relatively safe. She says that it took her about a month to come to terms with what had happened. While she felt hurt she was let go, she was also a bit relieved, as the job hadn’t been what she hoped and she wasn’t enjoying herself.
The months following her lay-off, Sonia spent time with her family, networked as much as she could, and travelled a bit (much-needed, considering her former employer offered no vacation time the first year of service). She made a conscious decision to not jump right back into a job; she had made this mistake before – rushing to accept a position just because she didn’t want to be out of work. The last couple of jobs she held had been with prestigious companies, but all had placed her in an office setting, behind a computer and a stack of paperwork.
“I realized I couldn’t work in a position where I wasn’t dealing with people regularly, and that I needed to find something more stimulating in my day-to-day activities,” she says. “It wasn’t that my values changed… I’m just trying now to bring myself back to a place where I can respect them again.”
Sonia wanted a job that more closely reflected her values. Her next job must balance time between office and field-work, deal with people in a social setting, and offer opportunities for travel – qualities much different from her previous positions.
She didn’t start actively looking for employment until a couple months in. This is the pattern with newly unemployed people. It seems that not many wake up the morning after being laid-off and start scouring the Internet for job openings. The breathing time between jobs has increased.
It’s now been just over three months since she became one of the many enlightened unemployed, and she’s already stepping out in a new career direction, much more her style – event planning. She’s currently on a one-month contract for an event management company – a perfect opportunity for her to test new waters before she takes the plunge. Sonia is a testament to the powers of networking. She was offered this job through a friend, who knew she was looking to make a change. Never underestimate the power of keeping your address book up-to-date.
What has she learned? “I realized that I have certain strengths and that the jobs I had weren’t allowing me to apply those skills. My career didn’t reflect who I was or what I was especially adept at.”
Sonia’s biggest challenge (beyond finding a career that fits) is staying on that journey. “I’m trying out the event-planning now, but if it doesn’t feel right, I don’t want to linger in a position that doesn’t suit me. That’s the hard part. You start working, earning money, getting to know a group of people, and feeling comfortable… it’s difficult to say – no, this isn’t right for me, give it up, and start over again.” But Sonia knows that it’s time for her to find a career that fits her excellent people skills, sense of adventure, and keen eye for visual details.
Next Page: Karin Jahnke-Haslam: In Search of Fulfillment