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Someone has helped me done up a translated English version of the Sin Min interview report dated 10 Sep:
Man, unemployed for 18 months, now dedicated to helping the unemployed here
A man who currently resides in Australia (Syndey), Mr Gilbert Goh (48 years old, amateur author), has tapped into his previous ordeal of an 18-month unemployment stint, and formulated seven tips to help those who have lost their jobs to gain reemployment.
Mr Goh feels that there are about 5,000 people in Singapore who have been out of work for up to 12 months. They range in age from 40 to 50, and belong to what he calls a growing sector that society is neglecting. Thus, this group of people should roll up their socks and get down to tough measures to upgrade their marketability. Additionally, they should prep themselves mentally for the challenges ahead, especially when and if they are given a chance to start from lower rungs than what they used to command in the workplace.
Starting out in the Ministry of Defence for 11 years, Mr Goh went on to join the insurance industry for another four or five years before venturing to Australia to further his studies. After graduating, he returned to Singapore in the middle of the SARS and economic crisis. The unfavourable conditions led to his 18-month sojourn of unemployment. It was during this trying period that he hatched the idea of writing a book about the experiences and thoughts that transpired during the ordeal.
Said Mr Goh with a laugh: “After completing the book, I approached 20 to 30 publishers without any of them showing interest. Fortunately, Rank Books saw potential in my effort. The book was launched this year in February at a price of $13, but my profit is only $1 per copy.”
In June this year, Mr Goh decided to move to Australia with his 15-year-old daughter and his wife, a bank employee.
Seven tips for the unemployed
Mr Goh’s book, entitled How To Survive Unemployment, details seven strategies to help unemployed workers to overcome their career setbacks.
- Be determined to clinch work: Although Mr Goh was actively seeking unemployment for 18 months unsuccessfully, he did not shun short-term work. This determination to stay active helped him to earn enough money to take care of miscellaneous expenses. Any work is better than no work, and it keeps one from having to stay at home all day, staring at the walls.
- Identify and fine-tune your goals first: The Employment and Employability Institute (e2i) conducts programmes to retrain workers who have difficulty finding work in their former career sector. Unemployed citizens need to pay only 10 percent of the course fees. However, such courses, while useful, should not be jumped into blindly. Jobseekers should carefully examine their career aspirations and interests to make sure that they attend a course that is relevant to their future plans. Following market and employment trends is a tricky and risky move when seeking retraining.
- Seek and accept the support of family and loved ones: For those who are experiencing extended periods of unemployment, there is nothing more important than the understanding and support of family and loved ones. Open communication channels with them and share your fears and worries. Iron out the issues with them as a team, and the emotional stability gained from a conducive support network of friends and family can go a long way toward healthy self esteem and motivation.
- Join support networks with other job seekers: By networking with people who have similar problems and needs, one can gain a more realistic perspective of one’s own predicaments in the big picture, while also exchanging ideas and leads with others. If nothing else, members can provide emotional support to each other. As a matter of ego, it may at first be difficult for some people to join such groups–don’t let this hangup stop you from reaching out to others.
- Take the time to “find” yourself and what means most to you in life: Those in the 40 – 50 age group who experience long periods of unemployment may need to sit down and really decide what ultimately matters most to them. The outcome of such self-examination will guide them in their search for alternatives–such as switching to a different industry or career, or starting a business doing something you have always wanted to do.
- Build up your positivity, and keep it up: When facing hurdle after hurdle in your job search, one needs to constantly replenish the waning enthusiasm and naturally declining sense of self worth. It is advisable then, to keep one’s mind active and busy by engaging in productive activities such as taking up enrichment programmes, career skills courses, and learning opportunities that raise our value in the eyes of potential employers. By doing so, we won’t need to stare at blank walls all day at home while the rest of society chugs along and makes us feel left out. As a bonus, we will make new friends and gain further networking advantages.
- Define a realistic target date for getting re-employed: Setting a fixed date by which we must successfully secure a job, is one way to motivate us. It also introduces a certain competitive element which some people thrive on. So, someone who has been out of work for a year now, can set a target date three months into the future, in which to secure work. By setting a specific deadline, one is encouraged to adjust one’s previous activities to enhance the job search process, to identify the measures that are not effective, and to think up new ways to improve one’s chances.
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In a bid to stay positive, I would recommend exercising regularly to keep in shape. As the saying goes ‘a healthy body, a healthy mind’.
You may want to discover neuro-linguistic programming and definitely brush up on your interview technique. Go to as many different interviews as possible and find out as much as you can about the companies beforehand.