I am unemployed for a year. Should I quit searching for jobs?
Hi. I can understand your situation. Sometimes it takes longer to search for a job, even if you have the required skills and experience. You can also be out of a job longer than you know you should’ve been, due to psychological challenges such as depression. At times, some people are lucky enough to land on a new job without much effort, but for others, it’s more complicated. Let’s discuss more.

Recently, I had a chance to hear from two people whose stories relate to yours. One guy got a job in his field after staying unemployed for more than three years. He got a better salary than he had ever had before. During the years of unemployment, as he told me, he had been working upon his skills, searching for jobs, and managing day to day expenses with small part-time jobs. The other guy remained unemployed for more than a year, didn’t work much on skills, but didn’t give up on hunting for jobs. As a result, he landed an entry-level job in a different field as his last job’s profile that he enjoys. In essence, one should keep on trying, keep improving, and let the chips fall where they may.
Being out of a job for a year is not that unusual, and certainly doesn’t have to be a bad thing. If you’re worried about getting an interview and someone asks about it, just say you were going through an education phase to build new skills, and you’re fully ready to put those skills to use now. As long as you are confident in your answer, it really doesn’t matter. A hiring manager cares about whether you’re a good fit for the job today, not what was going on six months ago.
The key is to remain positive. We have a lot of influence on how others perceive us and how our life changes just based on attitude. No one can predict when you would get a new job. Ultimately, it’s you who has control over how soon it happens. There is no doubt you are trying, but, sometimes we are working harder in a way that is not efficient.
What would efficient mean, in this case? It depends. It might just mean picking a job in a niche that definitely needs workers, out of all the niches you could get started in.
In my opinion, making money online, and growing that from side hustle to your main income source, is an extremely efficient use of your time. It’s constant income from very little work, once you set it up, and you can never be fired from it. Be cautious in going that route if you’re interested, though, because many fraudulent websites and scammers will misguide people into thinking it’s easier than it is.
In present times, there has been a shortage of jobs. Plus, the number of applicants has increased multiple times. So your situation is fairly normal. Anyways, if a job is a necessity for you, then I have the following tips for you:
#1 Focus on job offers that strongly correlate with your skills, qualifications, experience, etc. Search more thoroughly and apply to fewer, but better jobs. Nowadays, recruiters use tools that scan the profiles of job seekers. In short, if you are registered on a standard job portal, and you apply on every other job that might work for you, there is a possibility that the applicant tracking system may point you out as a spammer or someone lacking focus.
#2 Keep your social media profiles up to date and professional. Some recruiters nowadays also check a candidate’s LinkedIn profile. If you don’t have that, then make one. If you already have it, then update it and make it look decent. It’s a good way to build professional contacts and grow your network, too.
#3 Fill the gap of unemployment by upgrading and expanding your skills. You can also take part-time jobs, do freelancing, etc. All of these have gotten easier than ever to get started. Being an online career guide, I have penned down a post that can be helpful for anyone in your situation, or anyone who is planning to quit a job. I have discussed 3Ss in my post which are: be Skilled, do Smart work, and stay Strong. Those 3Ss can help you to get out of the present situation. If you are interested, you can read my post: I’m Ready to Quit My Job YESTERDAY, How Do I Do It?
You can also look for ways to start making money online on my website. Besides these tips, I can give you more suggestions specific to your case.
In conclusion, be positive and don’t lose hope. Lots of people are out of work for a while, and it’s not as big a deal as you make it out to be in your head. Staying strong, ignore negative influences, and focus your energy on ways to improve your prospects.
Please feel free to reply to me if you need clarification.
Good Luck!
Thanks,
Cleo