It has been six months that you have been unemployed as an engineer, perhaps a personal choice to take a break or just not getting lucky in job applications. You enjoy having no work to do and just binge-watching television series or doing the hobbies that you love.
It is a pretty chill life, right? But it has it downsides.
For one, you do not earn. The odds are that being an unemployed engineer makes you become dependent of your parents or loved ones because of your lack of source of income. Another is that you feel that you are falling out of the job market because as you get old, there are others who climb their professional ladders and there you are lagging behind.
A difficult reality to face when you are an engineer who became idle in the profession is how to apply for your next job.
Employers are curious what you did when you were unemployed, as well as how and why you arrived to that status. They will be concerned about it as it speaks a lot about your commitment and character, among others.
So what to do about it? Here are tips:
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Put things in perspective
There are many in the engineering field who believe that the longer you have been unemployed, the less desirable you become. Ditch that mindset and start looking for jobs anyway.
Many engineers today experience how job security is so unpredictable. For this, do not ever think that you do not have a chance to be employed just because it has been a while. Employers and hiring managers understand the transitional periods in your resume.
Switch up your strategy
Maybe it is about the way you find your work that is ineffective. Are you using the right platforms to seek jobs? Are you asking the right people?
It can also be about your qualifications. In hiring, managers evaluate your overall performance from interview, resume writing, skills and qualifications, social media behavior, among others.
Volunteer
If the problem is the lack of work experience, like many fresh engineering graduates or newly licensed engineers suffer from, one of the best ideas is to volunteer. Find meaningful related to your engineering field. While you may be unpaid, at least you are investing your time to forward your career as an engineer.
Source: Recruiter
