{"id":16326,"date":"2026-09-01T17:58:06","date_gmt":"2026-09-01T22:58:06","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/my-all-about-you.com\/en\/?p=16326"},"modified":"2026-09-01T17:58:20","modified_gmt":"2026-09-01T22:58:20","slug":"now-lets-start-looking-forward","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/my-all-about-you.com\/en\/2026\/09\/01\/now-lets-start-looking-forward\/","title":{"rendered":"Now Let&#8217;s Start Looking Forward"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">The first 72 hours are over. Maybe you handled everything on the list. Maybe you didn&#8217;t. That&#8217;s all right. This isn&#8217;t a race.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Now we start looking forward.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">When I&#8217;ve been unemployed, my answer was usually to look for another job. I would sit down, search openings, send applications, wait, and then do it again. There is nothing wrong with looking for work. You need income. But I learned the hard way that a job search can expand until it takes over the entire day and, eventually, how you feel about yourself.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">I don&#8217;t want you to do that.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Start with the resume, but don&#8217;t stop there<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Pull out the resume you looked at during those first few days. This time, don&#8217;t simply fix the dates and add your last job.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Look at what you actually did.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Forget the title for a minute. What problems did you solve? What did people depend on you for? Did you train anyone? Organize something? Sell something? Calm down angry customers? Manage money? Fix broken processes? Work with vendors? Build relationships? Learn software? Keep projects moving?<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Your title is one piece of your work history. It isn&#8217;t the sum of what you know.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">And remember that a resume is not necessarily a list of every job you&#8217;ve ever had. It is a document designed to show a potential employer the experience and skills relevant to the position you&#8217;re pursuing. An employment application may ask for a fuller history. If it does, answer it truthfully. Those are two different documents doing two different jobs.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Look at the market before you decide what the market thinks of you<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Search the jobs you would normally apply for. Then widen the search.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">What other titles use the same skills? What industries hire people who do what you do? Are employers asking for a skill you don&#8217;t have yet? Are there positions one level above yours that you may actually be qualified to pursue? Are there adjacent fields where your experience transfers?<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Don&#8217;t assume a string of rejections means you have nothing to offer. It may mean your resume needs work. It may mean you&#8217;re aiming at the wrong jobs. It may mean the market is crowded. It may mean the industry itself is slowing down.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Find out before you turn it into a judgment about yourself.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">What do you actually need from the next job?<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">This is something I wish I had spent more time thinking about.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">When you need money, it is easy to make the entire goal &#8220;get a job.&#8221; But there are questions underneath that.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\"><li>What income do you realistically need?<\/li><li>What benefits matter to you?<\/li><li>How far are you willing to commute?<\/li><li>Are you willing to travel?<\/li><li>Would remote or hybrid work help?<\/li><li>What kind of schedule works with the rest of your life?<\/li><li>What responsibilities do you want more of?<\/li><li>What are you tired of doing?<\/li><li>Would you change industries?<\/li><li>Would you learn something new if it opened a better door?<\/li><\/ul>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">You don&#8217;t have to know every answer today. Start noticing them.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Don&#8217;t spend eight hours a day applying for jobs<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">This is one of the biggest things I would change if I could go back.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Give the job search real time and attention. Then give the rest of your day a purpose too.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Call people you know. Attend a Chamber of Commerce event. Go to a job fair. Volunteer somewhere that matters to you. Take a class. Learn a program employers keep asking for. Exercise. Go to church. Help a charity. Work on your house. Spend time with your family. Make something. Fix something.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">None of those things are pretending you aren&#8217;t unemployed. They are refusing to let unemployment become your entire identity.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">And start looking for ways to bring money in<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">This does not have to be your new career.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Maybe you can do freelance work. Maybe you know how to repair something, photograph something, tutor somebody, make something to sell at a farmers market, provide a service locally, DJ an event, help a small business with social media, care for pets, do bookkeeping, mow lawns, organize homes, or do contract work in the field you already know.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">The point isn&#8217;t to grab every side hustle somebody on the internet claims will make you rich. The point is to ask a much more practical question: <strong>What can I already do that somebody might reasonably pay me to do?<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">If you find another job next week, wonderful. You don&#8217;t necessarily have to stop what you started. A small stream of income on the side can remain small. It can also become something more. Either way, you have begun building another option.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Your job this week<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Don&#8217;t measure this week only by the number of applications you send.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">By the end of the week, try to understand your resume better, identify several kinds of jobs you could pursue, make at least a few human connections, and identify one thing you can improve or build while you search.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">You still need a job. We&#8217;re not pretending otherwise.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">But this time, we&#8217;re going to do more than wait for somebody else to decide when you get to work again.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>The first few days are behind you. Now it&#8217;s time to look at your resume, the market, your skills, your needs, and the possibilities you may not have considered before.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":132804860,"featured_media":16372,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_coblocks_attr":"","_coblocks_dimensions":"","_coblocks_responsive_height":"","_coblocks_accordion_ie_support":"","_jetpack_newsletter_access":"","_jetpack_dont_email_post_to_subs":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_tier_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paywalled_content":false,"_wpcom_ai_launchpad_first_post":false,"_jetpack_feature_clip_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":"","jetpack_publicize_message":"Stepping Forward\n\nSo it's been 72 hours.  What do you do?  Let's start developing a plan.  Check out the possible \n\nAll About You\nhttps:\/\/wp.me\/p9vUsN-4fk","jetpack_publicize_feature_enabled":true,"jetpack_social_post_already_shared":false,"jetpack_social_options":{"image_generator_settings":{"template":"dois","default_image_id":0,"font":"","enabled":false},"version":2},"_wpas_customize_per_network":false,"jetpack_post_was_ever_published":false},"categories":[401],"tags":[785752356,785752354,785752357,9986],"class_list":["post-16326","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-faith","tag-career-transition","tag-job-loss","tag-resume","tag-unemployment"],"jetpack_publicize_connections":[],"jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"jetpack_likes_enabled":true,"jetpack_shortlink":"https:\/\/wp.me\/p9vUsN-4fk","jetpack-related-posts":[{"id":16325,"url":"https:\/\/my-all-about-you.com\/en\/2026\/08\/28\/you-just-lost-your-job-the-first-72-hours\/","url_meta":{"origin":16326,"position":0},"title":"You Just Lost Your Job: The First 72 Hours","author":"myallaboutyou","date":"August 28, 2026","format":false,"excerpt":"Whether you were laid off, fired, or simply told your position was over, the first 72 hours can feel like everything needs to be solved at once. It doesn't. 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By securing jobs, raises, or side businesses, workers can increase tax revenues, aiding public services. Small actions like freelancing or selling items can generate extra income, encouraging community growth and pride in collective contributions.","rel":"","context":"In &quot;Budget&quot;","block_context":{"text":"Budget","link":"https:\/\/my-all-about-you.com\/en\/category\/budget\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/my-all-about-you.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/07\/image.png?fit=1024%2C768&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/my-all-about-you.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/07\/image.png?fit=1024%2C768&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/my-all-about-you.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/07\/image.png?fit=1024%2C768&ssl=1&resize=525%2C300 1.5x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/my-all-about-you.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/07\/image.png?fit=1024%2C768&ssl=1&resize=700%2C400 2x"},"classes":[]},{"id":15460,"url":"https:\/\/my-all-about-you.com\/en\/2026\/07\/12\/peter-the-man-jesus-called-rock\/","url_meta":{"origin":16326,"position":2},"title":"Peter: The Man Jesus Called Rock","author":"myallaboutyou","date":"July 12, 2026","format":false,"excerpt":"Jesus looked at a fisherman he'd just met and gave him a name that belonged to God alone. Before Simon had done anything remarkable\u2014before he'd followed, witnessed a miracle, or proven himself steady\u2014he was called Rock. Why would Jesus name someone for who they hadn't yet become? 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