Congrats! You got the job. Your re-employed. Now what?

Re-entering the workforce after unemployment requires intentional preparation. In this episode, I cover:

• Processing unemployment stress to avoid burnout
• Understanding and managing the stress cycle
• Adjusting to remote or in-office environments
• Answering, "What did you do during unemployment?"
• Managing the flood of new information

Chapters

• 0:00 Navigating Career Change Stress and Transition
• 7:54 Preparing for Re-Entering the Workforce

Transcript

Speaker 1: 0:00

Hi, I'm Jill Griffin, your host of the Career Refresh. All right, you got the job. Now what? If you've been unemployed or out of work for a while? Then getting the offer can feel like, ah, the challenge is over, and in many ways that might be true. Going from unemployment to employment hybrid or working from home to a workplace and being around colleagues all of a sudden all day long is a big switch. So today I want to share what I've learned throughout this journey, share some of the experiences my clients have shared and given me permission to talk to you about, and I'm also sharing tips to make re-entry easier.

Speaker 1: 0:58

The first thing I want to talk about is your health. You might be burnt out If you've been looking for a year or more, which I'm hearing some people are. In many cases, that may have led to a lot of anxiety, worry, fear, all the feelings right, and I would ask you have you had a chance to process it? There's a great book by Emily Nagoski and her sister, Amelia Nagoski, called Burnout, and I would tell you that it is a must read if you are a leader in any organization, and it is especially a required read if you're suspicious yourself of experiencing burnout. In summary, you have to complete the stress cycle.

Speaker 1: 1:36

Stress comes in two ways. There's the stressor and then there's the stress response. Your body is going to take care of the stressor. That could be physical In this case. It's probably accepting that you are unemployed and now, okay, I did it, I made it, I'm back to being employed. But you have to process the stress response. That's the fear, the anxiety, the worry, the potential depression, the loneliness any of the feelings that may have been going on in your body that came as a result of the stressor. Stressors are what activate the physical stress in the body when a stressor materializes. Here's what happened. Really simply and I'm very much simplifying this the body kicks in with rapid and involuntary response. Your blood starts pumping quickly, your heart and muscles, your lungs, take in more oxygen, neurochemicals and hormones flush your system.

Speaker 1: 2:35

So, to deal with that stressor, your body's non-urgent systems take a back seat to save your energy. Right, this is the fight or flight. This is. If you've ever seen an animal running away from a predator, you may see them release their bowels. Right, that's a secondary digestion. It's a secondary system. It's also why, if you're getting nervous or anxious, you might feel that your own digestion feels a little bit off. Again, just an example. So those non-urgent systems take a back seat so that you have all of your energy for the fight, the battle, the defense. So in this case, the threat's over, you got a job, but your body doesn't know that it's safe to function normally. Your body is still waiting for the signal for you to tell it that it's all clear. Otherwise the stress response keeps rolling and it is very hard for you to think and re-entry into a new situation if you're in that situation. So meanwhile your body's, as I said, its immune system and your digestive system, just to name two systems, have slowed down to deal with that stress response.

Speaker 1: 3:42

So, remaining under stress for weeks or, in some cases, years, the stressor takes a toll on your body and on the benign side, you may feel run down, you may get sick a lot. The constant flush of hormones and neural chemicals can wreak like hell and total havoc on your body. When you're constantly having this anxiety, fear, depression, loneliness, these sensations circling in your body, you have to complete the stress cycle. So you complete the stress cycle in two ways. One, there's the mindset. There's working with a therapist, talking to friends and family, working with a coach, rebuilding your beliefs, practicing meditation these are just a few of the proven tools we know that will help you complete the stress cycle. The second thing is the physical Exercise walking, laughing, kind touch, a hug, creative expression, right Something in movement, breath work, tensing and releasing muscles allows the neurochemicals and hormones to flush from your body. My wish for you is that you accept the job offer and you can take a month off and then, realizing that that might be completely unrealistic for many people, I want you to think about how you are going to rest and recharge between accepting the offer and your first day, so that you can complete that stress cycle if you have not already done so.

Speaker 1: 5:13

Next thing environment. If you are working on premise, I want you to think about it like it's back to school, right. For me, that was about, you know, notebooks and getting my backpack ready and maybe some new pens and just really thinking about how you wanted to creatively express yourself and there was something, even the smell of it. There was something new about that smell. So I want you to think about are you getting a new notebook If you're a pen and paper person, are you getting a hot beverage bottle or a new water bottle, a new backpack or some sort of bag. Are you thinking about how you're going to approach the new situation so that it feels fresh and I want visual reminders to this being new and not like before?

Speaker 1: 6:05

If you're in a working from home or remote role, this is or a hybrid role. This is even more important that you think these things through and change your space. Can you move your workstation to another part of your home? Can you face a different way in the room? I rearrange the furniture in my office yearly and when I worked on premise, I often moved my hot seat or, if I was assigned an office, I moved the physical furniture around in the office when I could to keep it fresh. The next thing I want to think about is your physical being. The next thing I want to think about is your physical being.

Speaker 1: 6:46

If you've been unemployed or you were most recently working remotely, I want you to take a look at your clothes and how you are representing. It may have been a while since you wore certain things that are in your closet. This is a great time to consider donating or tossing things that are worn, that you no longer wear, and if you have the budget to buy some new items, great, and I would encourage you to review your closet and see what you need first, see things that you might need to complete or refresh in some of the clothes that you're wearing, versus just going shopping. I'm not an advocate of just loosely spending money that you do not need to spend. So really think that through. And if shopping is not available to you, can you trade with friends? Can you thrift? These are just things to think about so that you feel great when you start. Yes, feeling great is a mindset, but if I feel great and smell great because I'm really big on like a very subtle scent, then that's going to come through in my actions and the things that I do and say. The reverse is also true.

Speaker 1: 7:54

Next, I want you to think about planning a routine the day you get that job offer. I want you to think are there bad habits that need to shift? Were you a night owl watching, you know, streaming video late past what would normally be a good bedtime for yourself? So, thinking about your sleep habits, thinking about your diet, are there things that we really want to be thinking about, of how we're going into this next job and I know you've read this before and I've talked about it before that how you fuel your body and what you choose to put in your body, whatever that looks like for you, is one of the most important things for you to feel that you're sharp thinking and that you're able to perform and you have the energy and stamina and hydration. So all things I want you to think about. And then also the cell phone in bed, that blue light right. You may not realize how much it's disrupting your sleep, especially if you're not necessarily expected to be always on in the morning. I'm not saying that you don't have responsibilities you do. But if you're not reporting to duty by a certain time each day and being on and now suddenly you are you don't realize how much these devices and things disrupt our sleep and it's really, really important.

Speaker 1: 9:12

Next, your story. Now you're past the interviews. It's about getting ready for the new culture. Colleagues are going to ask what you've been doing before this job and while you don't need to give them the same formal career narrative answer you gave during the interview, you're going to have to tell a narrative that fits your professional brand. Inevitably, someone is going to ask you what you were doing with your time off. So you want to think about what you want to say no-transcript, and looking for a job. I was caring for a sick family member and I appreciate the time I had with them. Lastly, you could say something like yeah, I've been taking advantage of the time to cross some things off my bucket list and I've been training for the marathon. Right, you want to think that through, because I find often when we relay it through and we positively visualize it, it ends up going really smoothly.

Speaker 1: 10:24

But if you haven't answered those things and you have a story around them, oh, I shouldn't have been unemployed this wrong. It's not your fault, it's just the marketplace. Friends, don't put it on yourself, but when you're thinking through that story and that positive story in advance, it's going to be so much easier for you. When someone asks you that question, you're able to say it with ease and wear it like a loose garment, versus feeling it very heavy and like, uh-oh, what else are they going to ask me? Next?

Speaker 1: 10:51

I want you to think about your mental prep. If you haven't worked a full day with collaboration and interaction from others, then you are going to be tired Again. If you are parents, I know you have full days with interaction and collaboration with the people, that the little people in your life right, your children are the people that you love and live with. That is different than what I'm talking about here. The intellectual stimulation, the being smart, the looking good all those things, the pressure that we put on ourself. You are going to be tired. This is normal. Don't tell yourself a story that you're not cut out for this or whatever blah blah thing you say to yourself.

Speaker 1: 11:29

Most of us have spent a good portion of the last four years on video meetings. I mean, I've worked remotely for almost nine years now, so by the time COVID hit I was an old pro. But the first time I was back in a face-to-face meeting, that was all day and then multiple days in a row. I was exhausted by all the energy in the room. Again, little woo. I'm an impact. I'm definitely impacted by other people's energy. So I do a lot to mentally think through when I go into conference rooms and meetings. But the idea that people were talking whenever they want, speaking over each other, interruptions, side conversations, giggle and jokes all these lovely, amazing things but if it's been a beat since you've interfaced regularly, that fun, the intensity of a workplace. You're going to have to pace yourself, and I'm just going to say it now. You are not going to be able to read and absorb everything they throw at you in the first few days. And give yourself the space and grace to learn the systems, the logins, the names and the faces, and I'll share for myself.

Speaker 1: 12:36

I often find I have a very hard time in remembering names. I'm much more visual than auditory, so I tend to write the name in my mind when they say it and I see it when they say their name. I then say it in my head like if I'm writing it in glitter or neon. These are the things that help me remember their names. Or I also might say like okay, sarah has glasses up, or make a rhyme like Tim likes to swim Doesn't mean that Tim likes to swim, but it's a way that I'm able to remember people's names because, again, your brain has not probably been an environment where you're taking in all of this information at the same time.

Speaker 1: 13:15

Next, I want to get through some foundational things that you may go. Yeah, yeah, yeah, I've got it, but I'm a coach and that's what I do. I bring out things that we need to be doing from a foundational skills to make sure that we are prepared, and what you have to get ready for. If you've been listening for a while, you know that readiness is a mindset and preparedness is the physical or maybe not physical. It's not. You know, we're not talking about you training physically for a marathon in this case, but I mean the physical part of you. Need to know your data, you need to know your sources, you need to brush up on skills. What are the things that you might need to practice in your role? Or, if you're not sure, head over to Coursera or LinkedIn Learning and search under popular, because you need to get your brain ready at least to be in the cultural references that other people are talking about.

Speaker 1: 14:07

I want you to think about setting early goals, establishing personal objectives for 30, 60, 90 days to track your progress. Think about these goals across departments, external partnerships or your industry or your field, or vendors or partners. Partnerships or your industry or your field, or vendors or partners. What are the goals you want to accomplish by each one of those buckets? And then thinking realistically about 30, 60, 90. I'm sure you're also going to have goals for the job, so that has to fit in there too, but you will find more delight in the re-entry if you're also thinking about some personal goals. Like you, want to make sure you meet with each of your peers cross-functionally within the first 30 days. That's what I'm talking about setting goals. Next, I want you to network. This is also part of the goals, but it can also be separate, both to your team members and key contacts within your industry or field.

Speaker 1: 15:06

You want to be building relationships early.

Speaker 1: 15:09

None of this like hey, can I pick your brain? Bullshit. We're not doing that. It's like really thinking through a 15 to 20 minute catch up, where one to two minutes is a quick catch up. You might, if it's someone you've never met before, you might have a very, very tight one minute career narrative. If it's warranted, what you do, the impact you'd like to make or where you'd like to focus in this new role then think about 10 or 12 minutes that it's about the questions you might want to ask this person, get to know them. When you stop talking about yourself and ask other people questions, they feel seen and it's going to increase your opportunity to make a meaningful connection with this person. Right, one to two minutes it's about a wrap, asking what you can do for them, how you can be in reciprocity, how you can help them, and I want you to practice this because that networking is going to be super important as you roll in.

Speaker 1: 16:03

And then I want you, lastly, to revisit the basics. I'm assuming that during the job interview you were familiar with the company's mission, the values, the culture, knowing their partners, their competitors, their frenemies. Again, I'm hoping you did this for the job interview, but if not, check out YouTube, check out the company's websites, maybe the socials. See if there are any talks or recordings that the board or the executive leadership or major partners or investors have given out there, so that you can be more familiar with the culture and the vibes from day one. All right, friends, I want to hear from you. Have you recently reentered the workforce? How did it go? What worked, what didn't work? What would you do differently? What tips would you share? We could talk about it, maybe even on this show. All right, friends, I appreciate you all so much. Have a great week, be intentional, be positive, stay in the mindset of possibility. I'll see you next time.