You Are Unemployed Not Unemployable

Every contractor knows the feeling of leaving a role and not having a new position to go to. You are unemployed not unemployable – every job seeker should see it this way.

The nature of the gig economy is such that sometimes you have nowhere to go for a while. No matter how well you think you have planned your next move, all sorts of factors might conspire against you. The summer may be a little slow, and businesses might be cautious in the wake of the latest economic news. Maybe the right person might not be able to make a decision right now.

So, you are out of a job. No matter, you have funds to tide you along for a while. This is what you signed up for. Just because you are between jobs doesn’t make you any less of a fantastic prospect, surely?

In theory, that is the case, but you need to get inside a hiring manager’s head first. If given a choice (and there is always a choice) of someone with similar qualifications who are currently coming to the end of a role and someone who is not now in a role, there is nearly always an unconscious bias towards the person in work. Even if their contract ends in a few weeks (when they likely find themselves unemployed for a while), the employer’s preference will be marginally toward them.

Honestly, this is ludicrous, and this kind of thinking has to stop.

Not unemployable

As the gig economy expands at breakneck speed, we must rethink a few beliefs. In the world of permanent employment, not being in a role does carry a certain stigma. Unemployed not unemployable. Not many people would choose to put themselves in that position. For the contractor who has a six-month agreement, their activity is naturally far lumpier. They would rather wait and turn down a contract that isn’t quite right than work for the sake of working (and be miserable).

I often think that the stigma attached to being “out of work” sometimes forces contractors to accept projects that aren’t right for them. Theoretically, they don’t need the money immediately, but they feel compelled to take certain offers because they think they should be working. It might be too much of a commute, not in their area of expertise, and it might not be for the same money, but a job is better than no job. However, because of these compromises, they end up dissatisfied. They leave early, and if they are not careful, a slippery slope can begin.

The most experienced contractors are happy in their own skin. They are confident that an employer worth their salt will look at their experience and ignore their well-deserved past two months of playing golf. They work hard enough when they are in roles, don’t they?

Maybe it simply needs a mental shift. Rather than thinking they are between jobs, it might be better to see these gaps as part of the job. They can rest, recuperate and ensure they are physically and mentally ready for the next challenge.

It’s all part of the job for a contractor in the gig economy.

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This blog is shared with Job Seeker Duetists. 

Written by former recruitment ghostwriter Paul Drury (not AI).