Unemployed and Very Busy

Whoever said being unemployed meant having free time never saw my calendar.

Recently, I've been on a few interviews and I've noticed that all three of the individuals with whom I met shared a similar concern. They all wanted to be sure I could handle the work load. Each time they lamented about how their PR departments were so small and how all employees where many hats or stressed that their 3-4 clients were in fast paced environments, I just chuckled silently to myself.  My resume is chocked full of projects that require multitasking, strategy development, measurement, client management, and time. Then there's the significant amount of time I invest in applying to and following up on job opportunities. Yes, it's true. Job hunting is a full-time job. I've even developed a spreadsheet to track my applications. However, I always run into interviewers who are shocked by my work.

It's become apparent to me that many hiring managers, interviewers, and employers think that because I don't have a full-time job I must not be doing anything at all. Quite the contrary. I spend most of my time working on non-profit projects. For example, this summer I joined Wade Davis II and Darnell L. Moore as the PR Director for the first-ever YOU Belong Sports & Leadership Camp for LGBT Youth. I also traveled to the mid-west to pitch a potential client, developed 2 PR proposals, attended 5 industry networking events, participated in 2 webinars, read 3 books, and developed a speaker's bureau (more on that later). Yes, I've been very busy. I can't wait to have only 1 FT gig to worry about. With that in mind, check out my resume.

Back in 2011 the Classy Career Girl, Anna Runyan gave some great advice about surviving unemployment. I still use it to this day. Click below and check out her post.