In the last 48 hours I've seen so many posts as international relief sector colleagues and friends are communicating the nonprofit fallout from the current administration's evisceration of USAID. Yes, I've still been job searching even as I'm working to build up Prairielight, and honestly both consulting and in-house just got magnitudes harder with more seekers and a lot fewer roles and much smaller budgets. But I wanted share some perspective from farther down the business-building/job-seeking road, to do anything I can to help others who've found themselves heartbroken and job hunting right now.
Some of this is obvious, some of it you may already be doing, some of it you might quibble with. But l’m laying it all out there in case it helps people get their feet under them a little faster after this hard punch.
- First, very first, if you still have health insurance through the end of the month, go make a dentist appointment right now. Go see the allergist or gyne or anything you may need to hold you for a while. Job loss counts as a qualifying event for a spouse's insurance or to get onto the ACA, but don't stall. COBRA is expensive and may not cover you long enough in this market. State Medicaid health plans are options for those who meet income requirements, as long as they still exist.
- Then, as soon as you feel able, take that first hard look at your budget. There are things you’re going to have to cut, and the sooner you cut them the further you can stretch what you have. Given the breadth and depth of the sector’s devastation, you may have to stretch it for a while.
- And here’s a hard reality that I’ve been forced to believe, the older you are the longer you’re probably going to have to stretch. I did not know I was an ‘older jobseeker’ until this job market told me so, as I’ve watched eight finalist searches get handed to candidates 15-20 years younger. I didn’t think it meant me yet, and it does. (My new crusade is to tell every hiring manager I personally know that they need to be actively open to hiring people older than they are for any available position.)
- Now, as you work through that budget, make sure you budget some money for your job search. If you decide to consult there may be website or business license or tool license costs. You may need some new clothes or a haircut, yes even for Zoom interviews. You may want to invest in new training or certificates. Figure out how much it makes sense to spend on this and stick to it, even when you know that $2k e-Cornell course would be awesome.
- Go look at all your subscriptions and memberships and pause or end as many as you can. Things that made sense once a month when you have income coming in may not make sense now. Look at your charitable donations and monthly giving too. Keep as many of those as you can, but you might need to pause or reduce some.
- Food. Food is expensive. Coupons are your friends now, and it helps a lot to watch the local stores for sales, particularly on meat and coffee (if you’re a carnivore or coffee-drinker). Store apps give you access to all of their ads. Many also let you shop online and do curbside pickup, and this has been a gamechanger for my household. We shop online to know we’re staying within budget, and don’t go into the store where we might be tempted to pick up just a few more things. Most importantly, by doing that it reduces the number of times you have to tell yourself “No.” Because being kind to yourself is the A-number-one rule of this game.
- There are also food bank resources in most communities. Here in Portland, those include the Oregon Food Bank and places like Birch Community Services. Two weeks ago those resources might not have been for you, you might have been a supporter. They still may not be for you, but at some point down the road they might be for you. That’s why they are there, and then some day they will not be for you again and you can support them again. Use the resources that are available.
- And in that space, your utilities probably have resources for people on low incomes, your health care providers probably have resources for people on low incomes, if your household finds itself in a low income situation as time goes by, start asking what resources you can use. If you manage your own utilities, you can also reduce your costs by doing things like getting on a time-of-day cost plan and making sure you run washer/dryer/dishwasher/recharge your EV when electricity is cheapest. You can turn the thermostat way down and heat one room with a space heater or wear a rechargeable heated vest or jacket (my Ororo vest is a lifesaver).
- You may have to have a little chat with your beloved pets, and make changes to their food or cat litter or toy budget, that all adds up. You’ll have some extra time for them, though, so it evens out.
- If you have kids, they may have activities you can’t renew right now. If you need to, definitely look into scholarship options or talk with grandparents about helping to keep those going. Depending on kid ages, this may be a really important moment to model how to be responsible in a time of setback, because sooner or later they likely will face a similar time.
- Now, some more ways to still be kind to yourself. As the seasons change, set up a clothing swap with friends so perhaps you can end up with some new threads without spending any $. Even on-sale or thrifted goods add up. As you watch employed friends take vacations, offer to house or pet sit. This gives you a change of scenery or neighborhood (your own ‘vacation’), and maybe an extra source of income. Also, let your friends be nice to you. Especially if this goes on for a while. If they want to cover your coffee or dinner, let them. If they want to cover tickets to a show or event because you’re who they really want to go with, let them. And if you’re the employed friend reading this, if you can, make those offers. I’ve been on that side too, it all comes around for us eventually.
- Use some of your not-working time to be creative if that’s something that brings you joy. Crafting and artwork could even become a source of some income if you want to go that direction. I opened an Etsy store over the winter and it’s giving me a good way to spend time without looking at a screen. Gardening is another thing that you can dig into (pun intended), but weigh equipment and water costs before you decide to go all in.
- Volunteer opportunities abound, and are a great way to make connections and network while giving back to your local community. You are not going to be job hunting those same 8-10 hours a day that you were working. Use that time productively if you can, talk with everyone, explore your neighborhood and your community. It’s way too easy to lose entire days looking at jobs on LinkedIn.
- And my final two notes. First, your job is not your worth. Read that again and tape it to your wall if you need to. Every single day, even when things get tough, you are worthy, you are loved, you belong. Second, what you don’t have right now is a job. What you do have is a gift of time. Spend some of that time with the people you love. Show up for your kids, your friends, your partner, your family. You get to be the person who has time right now, don’t let fear paralyze you or rob you of that gift.
- One of the things I’ve done during this time is make a little bit of room in our budget for me to spend time with my octogenarian dad (the Etsy $ is going toward my next trip to visit him this spring). We went on a 10-day road trip last summer, something I would not have been able to do if I’d been working. We had a blast, and I treasure the photos and memories of those miles.
- Reach out, folks. We take care of each other. If you’re in Portland, one of my now-employed-adult kids gave me a Portland Japanese Garden membership for Christmas and I’d love to go walk in nature with you.
P.S. You can find me at https://perchancebluehome.etsy.com if you want to check it out!