Some people 'reward' themselves by owning a good car, being a member of a club or planning long-haul holidays. Some simply look forward to a drive to the coast at the weekend or a walk in the countryside with the dog. For a few lucky individuals, the job they do is a reward in itself.
Depression is a state of mind which people get into when their reward system breaks down. Perhaps their job doesn't offer the level of satisfaction that it used to, or because they are out of work, they are unable to give themselves the rewards which they value. Either way, anyone trying to find a job, or change the one they've got, is vulnerable. A person's self-image can take a battering at this time and the damage can be reinforced by failing to get the first few jobs applied for.
There is no easy solution and even people who know what to expect can still suffer bouts of depression during periods of unemployment. Jobs and identity are so closely related that, for many people, losing a job is a little like losing a part of themselves. They feel that they have been left behind and that they have no way of showing their worth. Their lives seem to have no purpose any more.
When it comes to getting a job, depression can become a self- fulfilling prophecy. You don't get a job because you don't make enough effort to complete the application form properly, or you don't prepare yourself for the interview thoroughly enough. Having failed to land a job on a couple of occasions you begin to believe that you will never succeed. 'Why bother trying? They won't give me the job anyway.' When it gets to this stage, the odds are stacked against you.
Depression is easier to avoid than to cure. No matter how hard things become you must remember that work is only one aspect of your life and that there are other things which are important to you. Make every effort to get a job, but keep up your other interests as much as you can. Stay in contact with friends and family and make a point of looking for new activities. Try also to put something pleasant into each day. Listening to a particular radio program; tackling a prize crossword; having a treat to eat - it needn't be a costly one. Don't discount voluntary work either. If you are between jobs, your skills, even on a temporary basis, would be greatly appreciated by a wide range of charitable, educational or sporting groups. You won't be paid, but you'll earn respect and you'll keep your interest in the outside world. It could give you something to talk about at interviews too!
Further information
Putting Redundancy Behind You, S Cane and P Lowman (Kogan Page, 1993)
Difficult questions
If you are facing an interview and are having trouble sleeping at night the chances are that two questions will be keeping you awake:
1. 'What sort of things will they ask me?'
2. 'Will I make a complete idiot of myself?'
You can rest assured that you won't have been invited to an interview just so that the interviewer can humiliate you. Employers are busy people and they have a wide range of applicants to choose from, so if you are invited to an interview, you can be fairly confident that you have at least some of the skills and qualities required.
On that basis, the majority of questions you are likely to be asked will be straightforward enough. A few may be tricky but there are several steps you can take to minimize risks.
First, study the job description and make sure that you know all the things that you will be responsible for. Then find examples in your experience to date which you can use to illustrate your ability to carry out the tasks that would be required of you.
Second, before the interview, find out as much as you can about the company. Is it a traditional set-up or is it run along more radical lines? What is important to the company - speed? accuracy? patience?
Third, use spare moments to think about the types of question you may be asked and the kinds of response you could make. Ask a friend to give you a 'mock' interview and tell you how you performed.
Finally, remember that an interview is a two-way process. Make a checklist of your strong points and take every opportunity to make sure that the interviewer is aware of them before you leave the room. Use the interview to your own advantage, making positive statements all along the way. If, for example, you are asked a technical question and you don't know the answer, be honest, but make a point of saying that you would be pleased to attend any training courses which the company could arrange for you.
Remember, you've done well to get this far and so there is no reason to fear the next part of the selection process. Whatever the outcome, you will leave the interview room with the same qualities and skills which you had when you entered half an hour earlier. If you are offered the job it will be because you have the most appropriate mix of skills and qualities for that company at that time. If you are turned down it won't mean that you are a failure. No matter whether you get the job or not, you come out of the interview no worse than when you went in.
Further information
Great Answers to Tough Interview Questions, 4th edition, Martin John Yate (Kogan Page, 1998)
