Losing a job can be an extremely bad experience. But at present, with the changing landscape in the workforce, the shame of unemployment should be a thing of the past.
In the old days, unemployment was equated with failure and blame fell squarely on the individual who couldn't hold a job. Today, with organizaitons in constant transition, most people have had either a direct or indirect experience of seeing someone leave their job without another to go to. In fact, most the professionals who reached out about their unemployment experiences agreed to do so only on condition of anonymity, indicating that we haven't come that far.
Many human resources professionals, said that they understand why corporations look through the resumes of the unemployed. The demand for jobs simply outweighs the supply of talent and hiring managers need a way to go through applications quickly. Yet the struggles of enemployment keep increasing due to the ruling out of those candidates who were a casualty of downsizing or bankruptcies.
On addition, the sting of unemployment grows more pronounced as you age. Having a graduation date on your professional profile that places you in your 50s does carry a much greater stigma than that of someone in their early 30s. Job seekers need to recognize that this shame still exists.
