Ask A Progeek: When You Have No Job

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This week’s question is one a lot of us face:

If the interviewer asks why you don’t currently have a job, what’s the best way to answer?  (assuming there is no legitimate reason other than, no one has hired you since your last job ended)

See, first of all I’m not going to tell you to lie – and you shouldn’t, both for ethical reasons and because people will probably figure out you’re lying.  You need to tell the truth – it’s just going to depend on the size of the truth.

If the truth is simple, use it.  Don’t embellish it or go over it in detail.  You can overdo it and in a few cases dig your own grave by getting to wordy.  If a truth is simple, keep it simple, “I was laid off as the economy tanked,” “I’m on a search,” “I just left school.”

But maybe the truth needs some context.  Maybe you have to explain a layoff, or a move, or that you took a break.  Maybe you need a larger truth to put things in context – and to make sure you communicate the story, the narrative, about you and your career.  You can mention the fact you’re taking time to look at specific jobs, or you relocated for opportunities.

You have to call out the size of the truth you want to use.

However – and there’s always a however with me, isn’t there – you also need to think ahead about what you say after the truths, big or small.

See no one wants to just hear you’re unemployed.  Wether it takes a sentence or a paragraph to describe things, they want to know what you’re doing.  Don’t just say you’re unemployed and why, let them know how you’re doing nonprofit work, or studying, or something else.  Don’t let them wonder, don’t leave it to them to ask – show that in your unemployment you are staying busy.

For pro geeks like us, it should be damn easy to show how active and self-educating we are – our usual hobbies are often like min-careers.  You probably have done and are doing more than you realize even recreationally.  Anaylze those hobby/geek interests to see if you’re truly developing professionally (and if not then maybe it is time for some charity and other work)

Thus parked with the right-sized truth, you already answered the question doubtlessly in their mind, “what are they doing now?”  You answered their current question and their next one, giving you control of the narrative – all by being honest.

Stick with the truth  – in the right size, and with the right followup.

– Steven Savage

Steven Savage is a Geek 2.0 writer, speaker, blogger, and job coach.  He blogs on careers at http://www.fantopro.com/, nerd and geek culture at http://www.nerdcaliber.com/, and does a site of creative tools at http://www.seventhsanctum.com/. He can be reached at https://www.stevensavage.com/.

Book Review: Language Intelligence By Joseph Romm

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Language Intelligence: Lessons on persuasion from Jesus, Shakespeare, Lincoln, and Lady Gaga  by Joseph J. Romm

ISBN-10: 1477452222
ISBN-13: 978-1477452226

PROS:

  • Explains good communications skills.
  • Lots of interesting current and historical examples.
  • Spells things out in plain but effective language.

CONS:

  • Glosses over a few areas.
  • Feels a bit rushed.

SUMMARY: This is the book to buy right now to improve your communication skills.  But, you know, read the review first if you want.

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Digging In The Big Pile Of Predictions

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Bonnie brought something to my attention recently, a lovely blog post (http://www.kickerstudio.com/blog/2009/02/atts-you-will-ads-15-years-later/) on how an AT&T add over 15 years old predicted a lot of our current technologies.  It’s well worth a read because it will make you think.

As soon as I heard about the article I thought about other predictions that I’ve seen made over the years and indeed decades, and the predictions I’d made.  For instance I recall some two decades ago when I first saw electronic publishing for professional journals, predicted how that would be the future, and pretty much promptly forgot about it (and had one of my co-workers point it out).

It probably doesn’t take much for us to dig up all sorts of old attempts to predict the future, from fiction to sober analysis, from wild theories to drunken wisdom.  Looking at this AT&T add, looking at my own attempts, I’d like to propose something.

As we know predicting the future is helpful, as we know looking at trends is important.  For professional geeks like us it’s part of our careers as well.

So let me humbly suggest that we may want to look back on the huge heap of predictions in our past to see what we can learn.  If an AT&T ad relegated to obscurity can predict so much, what are we missing?

I don’t suggest this sarcastically or casually.  I myself learn a lot about the effect of internet technology by examining the effect of print and literacy on cultures centuries old.  I find at times that distance helps us predict easier, gives us clearer perspective, and gives us some separation from current events that may cloud our vision.

So what’s your favorite predictions of the past that surprised you?  Old ideas forgotten or not thought of for awhile?  What old lessons are new?

For me:

  1. I recall from reading a book on printing in China centuries ago that noted how language changed to fit printing – which reminds me a lot about how language change in the internet age. (the same reading also was insightful on how specialist skillets affect technology).
  2. Star Trek’s PADDs.  They were just iPads basically.  The resemblance is creepy, amusing, and insightful.  It also told us something about what we wanted, but it took the iPad to remind us we wanted it.

Now, when you look at these predictions, what do they tell you about the economy and your career . . .

– Steven Savage

Steven Savage is a Geek 2.0 writer, speaker, blogger, and job coach.  He blogs on careers at http://www.fantopro.com/, nerd and geek culture at http://www.nerdcaliber.com/, and does a site of creative tools at http://www.seventhsanctum.com/. He can be reached at https://www.stevensavage.com/.