Survival Jobs

Have you been unemployed for a while, say six months or more? Do you feel like you could write a book on networking? Are you absolutely exhausted by the lack of luck you've had in landing the next good job? You are not alone! Even though you might feel like it, you aren't. So, here's another question for you to contemplate:

Have you considered taking a survival job?

A survival job: the type of job that helps make ends meet; the type of job that puts some bread and butter on the table; the type of job you thought you'd never have to take.

Have you considered taking a survival job? It's a simple enough question, so that's not the hard part. The hard part comes in the form of the answer, as for many, the answer is tied to identity and emotions and success and a certain title on a business card. For some, it has to do with ego and status and power. And still, for others, it's...well, that sort of job is "beneath" me. Take a survival job? What will others think?

Here's what I think others will think. I think they'll admire you. I think they'll wish they had the courage themselves to take a survival job. I think they'll see you as a person who doesn't let too much dust or despair gather around you. I think they'll view you as a problem-solver who finds ways to manage and cope during such challenging economic times. I think they'll see you as a person who is doing whatever it takes until you can find a new pathway to the future.

Whatever it takes...that's what I'd do, as long as the job is moral, legal and doesn't harm self or others. You don't have to do a survival job forever...that's why it is called a survival job. You do a survival job until you can find the real job that is good and right for you, or at least until you can get your ducks lined up and figure out the next grand plan to relocate, go back to school, buy a business, build a business, change careers, or whatever else it might be. Five reasons to take a survival job:

1. It will get you out of the house and around other people.

2. It will get your mind off your plight for a few hours each day.

3. It is a way to earn a paycheck, however great or humble, and contribute to your family finances.

4. It is a way of learning something new and discovering something about self and humility.

5. It will help you realize that you are not alone and that you can add value wherever you are, doing whatever it is you do.

Have you considered taking a survival job?

posted by: billiesucher

Comments

[Sally]

How do you deal with the question of being overqualified for the survival job (if you are in fact overqualified)? Lots of employers don't want to hire someone who may be overqualified, because they will have to go through the hiring and training process as soon as you land the right job, and they know you will be looking for that job with one foot out the door.

[billiesucher]

Hi Sally.....in an Alison Doyle post, she cites best job interview answers from Joyce Lain Kennedy in response to the FAQ Are You Overqualified for this job? Definitely worth a read here at: http://tinyurl.com/5vq9em
HTH answer your question.
- Billie

[Clare]

Survival jobs mean different things to different people. In the UK, a survival job might mean hanging around with other men waiting for a gangmaster to pick you up and offer a day of hard, physical labour for often below-minimum wage.

For others it might mean a "menial" task such as office cleaning or even telesales. In neither case will the employer be particularly worried about the possibility of you leaving for a better job offer. I've done a couple of telesales jobs as a stopgap, and in both cases learned more about human behaviour and motivations than I thought possible. My bosses (both top salespeople) also considered the work as a stopgap. As long as I made the sales and the company made a profit, they were happy. Obviously you don't want to tell the company that you consider the work "survival", and the phrases you link to on Alison Doyle's FAQ are great for this.

[Carrie Williams]

I love love this post! It's so great that you're actually writing something positive for once. We all know the job market is in the pooper, yet we keep talking about how horrible it is. There ARE options though, and I'm so glad you're writing about it. It's not all fun and games but it's also not all miserable and lonely.

[billiesucher]

Clare, thank you for your comments...they're very good and I especially liked your words:

Survival jobs mean different things to different people.

As my client said yesterday, "you gotta' do what you gotta' do."
- Billie

[billiesucher]

Carrie, I appreciate your thoughts...you're right, it's not all fun and games, but until things get better, might as well try to find some joy in the journey. Thank you for making a comment.
- Billie

[Karla]

Does it damage my potential future earning power?? If I take a survival job that pays far less than what I made in my previous career - won't a future employer look at the substantially lower pay and offer me less because I was willing to take a step backwards?

[billiesucher]

Karla, here is something very good to read that speaks to your comment about "step backwards." Please carefully read the wording of "Step 1" in Weddle's Job Seekers Newsletter here at:

http://tinyurl.com/ch2eds

Further, you can go here:

http://www.careerfitness.com

and take a free career fitness evaluation to see if you have what it takes to survive and prosper in the 21st century workplace. I believe this will shed some light on your questions. Thank you for taking time to post a comment.
- Billie

[Sharon Wilson]

Great post. It's important for people to realize that a survival job isn't a permanent thing. A few years from now it'll be a time you'll look back on and joke about.

[Clare]

I don't really joke about my survival jobs. For a start, they've been different from everything else I've done - and sometimes this came as a relief. But also, they taught me a lot, and what I learned from them has helped me in many different ways.

Each "stepping stone" (including the survival jobs) has shown me something that I didn't know. I've learnt what pushes people's buying buttons (from tele-sales); that lawyers tell dirty jokes as much as anyone else (from my days as a tea-lady in a top London law firm); and some good ways to turn around a struggling hotel with high rents (from my days as a hotel receptionist). OK, the second example isn't important in itself, but what it taught me was that lawyers are the same as anybody else - there's no need to put them on a pedestal just because they earn more money than I'll ever see in my lifetime.

I can imagine that for some people, these jobs aren't glamorous or particularly rewarding. But mine gave me an opportunity to meet people, have some fun at work, and get a better understanding of other people's lives.

[billiesucher]

Sharon, isn't that the truth about how you look back on the rough patches. And those are the ones you're still talking about 10 years later. Thank you for your comment.
- Billie

[billiesucher]

Clare, I could write a book -- another one -- on Things I Have Learned From Survival Jobs. There's always something to learn from any job you do. I had to LOL when I read your comments about the lawyers, though....our son is in law school...no signs of a pedestal perspective, yet. :) Thanks for your thoughts.
- Billie

[Staci Ward]

As a recruiter I have to disagree about a survival job. If I have someone apply for a position that they are overqualified for I won't consider submitting their resume to our client. I actually just had this happen to me. I had an eBay tech position posted $8/hr and I can't even tell you how many people applied for that position that were overqualified. It was really frustrating and I knew they were only taking the job until "something better came along". I don't think it's fair to my client to send them someone that will only be there until the economy picks back up. Any job is going to require training and I can't imagine many companies willing to take someone knowing they will leave in a few months. That brings up another point as well, sometimes, survival jobs lead to job hopping. There again, if someone has not been at the same job for at least a year (currently), we will not even recruit them. I'm not trying to turn this into a negative, just wanted to give everyone a response from the other side and what us recruiters are looking for. If you do take a survival job, I would strongly suggest to stick it out for a year or more.

[billiesucher]

Staci, thanks for presenting another perspective. Your post isn't negative at all...it simply offers another way of looking at things in a very tough and challenging market. Appreciate your view on a subject that's on a lot of job seekers' minds.
- Billie

[Geenacq]

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