Blogging for Change

Navigating Unemployment When Your Skills Aren’t In Demand

by Emilie Burke on
8/6/2018
in Personal Finance
Collection of people waiting for an interview

The following is presented for informational purposes only. MMI is not affiliated with any of the services mentioned in this article.

Losing a job is always difficult, but if your skills are no longer in demand, it can make your job search even more challenging. With the growth of technology, the types of employment opportunities available have changed drastically. If you don’t have the skills needed to qualify for these new jobs, it can be difficult to find your next position.

When your job skills aren’t in demand anymore, there are a few things you can do to help you get back to work.

Think Outside the Box

Most jobs require skills that aren’t the primary purpose of your job description. For instance, many sales people also need marketing skills in order to be successful even though “marketing” isn’t in their job description. Give some thought to the other tasks you did that weren’t in your main job description. Did you have people working under you? That’s management. Did you have to run numbers and be responsible for a budget for your department? That’s accounting. Did you have to write letters, schedule employees, and manage invoices? That’s office management. Get creative. There are probably several things you did in your day-to-day activities that weren’t part of your official job description.

Learn New Skills

Take your experience and job skills to a new level by expanding on what you already know or learning something new. For instance, Coursera offers an online course from The University of London called The Manager’s Toolkit: A Practical Guide to Managing People at Work. It’s completely online, can be completed in about 20 hours, and the cost is only $49. You’ll have a new skill that is in-demand.

Update Your Resume

Now that you have some idea of your other job skills, you need to update your resume to reflect these skills. If you’re not sure how to do this or how to make your resume stand out, hire a professional to write one for you or take the free online class offered by Skillshare on How to Get a Job: A Step-by-Step Guide. Resumes and cover letters are covered in this course along with great interview tips and advice to help you be current in the job market.

Go Online

It’s time to get your updated resume online where employers can see it. If you’re not already on LinkedIn, you need to join and create a profile. Human Resource managers and headhunters are always searching for good people there. Once your profile is updated, start making connections with people that are within the companies you want to work for and join job seeker groups. If you’re not sure how to use it, take a free course from Udemy called Get Hired: Launch Your Stand-Out Resume & LinkedIn Profile.

Start Your Second Act

If all else fails, it may be time to finally take actions on those dreams that have been at the back of your mind for years about some kind of business you’ve always wanted to start. There are so many ways to make money both on and offline these days, you may decide that a traditional job is not what you want anymore. Follow your heart.

Just because your current skills aren’t in demand anymore doesn’t mean you aren’t. Learn something new, follow your dreams, and create a future that will make you happy.

Tagged in Managing a loss of income, Navigating change

Emilie writes about overcoming debt, while balancing trying to eat healthy, stay fit, and have a little fun along the way. You can find more of her work at BurkeDoes.com.

Recommended Articles

Man sitting in front of pile of bills, trying to understand his options.
Professional Budget Advice
Make the most of every dollar and start building toward your dreams! Budget counseling is FREE and available 24/7.
Learn More
Learn more
  • Better Business Bureau A+ rating Better Business Bureau
    MMI is proud to have achieved an A+ rating from the Better Business Bureau (BBB), a nonprofit organization focused on promoting and improving marketplace trust. The BBB investigates charges of fraud against both consumers and businesses, sets standards for truthfulness in advertising, and evaluates the trustworthiness of businesses and charities, providing a score from A+ (highest) to F (lowest).
  • Financial Counseling Association of America Financial Counseling Association of America
    MMI is a proud member of the Financial Counseling Association of America (FCAA), a national association representing financial counseling companies that provide consumer credit counseling, housing counseling, student loan counseling, bankruptcy counseling, debt management, and various financial education services.
  • Trustpilot Trustpilot
    MMI is rated as “Excellent” (4.9/5) by reviewers on Trustpilot, a global, online consumer review platform dedicated to openness and transparency. Since 2007, Trustpilot has received over 116 million customer reviews for nearly 500,000 different websites and businesses. See what others are saying about the work we do.
  • Department of Housing and Urban Development - Equal Housing Opportunity Department of Housing and Urban Development
    MMI is certified by the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) to provide consumer housing counseling. The mission of HUD is to create strong, sustainable, inclusive communities and quality affordable homes for all. HUD provides support services directly and through approved, local agencies like MMI.
  • Council on Accreditation Council On Accreditation
    MMI is proudly accredited by the Council on Accreditation (COA), an international, independent, nonprofit, human service accrediting organization. COA’s thorough, peer-reviewed accreditation process is designed to ensure that organizations like MMI are providing the highest standard of service and support for clients and employees alike.
  • National Foundation for Credit Counseling National Foundation for Credit Counseling
    MMI is a longstanding member of the National Foundation for Credit Counseling® (NFCC®), the nation’s largest nonprofit financial counseling organization. Founded in 1951, the NFCC’s mission is to promote financially responsible behavior and help member organizations like MMI deliver the highest-quality financial education and counseling services.