Articles - The Voice of Job Seekers

Practical and Thoughtful Personal Branding 2024 Looks Like This

One. Original. Thought. This is the best personal branding advice you’ll receive for the rest of this year.

You can find a thousand articles saying to curate articles and share them on your timeline to show thought leadership. Personal branding is based partially on sharing, building relationships and partnerships, and bringing value to people you network with or your audience. I’ve been on Twitter since 2008 but active since 2009, and many users/entrepreneurs are still just sharing.

You chance disagreements. At some point, through diligence and personal growth, your brand will come to fruition—not in how many will follow, but in the quality of those who follow you. It will be in who engages you in deeper conversation, not how many engage you.

The competition between the unemployed, underemployed, and underappreciated is more fierce than ever. It’s time to employ your differentiating superpowers, which are critical in the new job search.

Your brand value

I once worked in an environment where everyone shared everything. People were most proud to share what he or she made from home. One person didn’t share what he or she had but enjoyed what everyone else had brought. One thing bothered everyone: the person invited other people outside of the group to participate in eating but not bringing.

Some wanted to contribute, but others just wanted to know when they could come back to eat. This annoyed most of those who brought things from home to share. I think eventually, in communities online and offline, get at least a bit annoyed when someone doesn’t bring something of their own. It’s also harder to get respect for your brand.

A thought. An original thought.

How will we know you’re unique? Do we know if you’re different? No one wants to follow a clone, and hearing from a clone is more painful.

It’s hard to be seen when you have original content, thoughts, or a video. It takes courage to be seen differently, or to say things no one may not resonate with at first. I know first-hand rejection hurts. And I’ve grown comfortable with discomfort.

Even if it’s slightly different than the next person, you can stand out by delivering it differently. The words can be different. The tone could be different. Changing the way it’s delivered can be seen as refreshing. Your stories are going to be different. That is the game changer and the difference maker. Then your brand will be YOUR brand.

Share. Be honest. Telling the parent the baby is ugly.

One of the best ways to brand yourself is by saying the things no one will say. With political correctness should come tact and thoughtfulness. At the same time, as you start to show the world originality, there will be ugliness. The way you deliver the news is how you may save someone.

And political incorrectness is personal branding at its finest when it costs something or someone. It’s better if it’s truthful, insightful, and sprinkled with a little respect.

I became friends with an executive last year after I told him his LinkedIn profile looked like a bad resume. Although my candor startled him, we have talked several times since. But my tactful way of telling him the baby is ugly resulted in his acceptance of the change in his profile. Good people are genuinely interested in you and will welcome your delivery.

Only art institutes are interested in career curators. Employers are interested in work. Just saying.

Personal branding lesson from Duke Ellington

Duke Ellington’s rehearsals with his big bands were intense as he led them. He incessantly yelled, “Personalize your part! Personalize your part!” At first, it didn’t make sense to me in a big band with several different sections and many layers of any composition.

Within a horn section, you have several horns playing the same note. Depending on the arrangement, some instruments will be louder than others. As I thought about the importance of standing out as a sign of a strong personal brand, I felt the power of Ellington’s statement. It is about personalizing your part in making it different, unique, and special. All of us “own it” in a different way.

Sure, we can do the same thing, share the same message, and play the same song, but we would do it differently.

Yes, find and share your own.

One. Original. Thought. Personalize your part.

by Mark Anthony Dyson

How to Hang In There in a Tough Job Market

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Bob McIntosh from the Mass Herald Lowell Career Center hosts me to talk about resilience in the job search. Bob recalls our long-time relationship and different collaborations on podcasts and articles.

Bob works with the career center and has written for other career platforms, such as JobScan and The Balance Money. Follow Bob on LinkedIn for his eloquent career postings.

Conversation highlights:

2:40-9:00 The complexities of modern job searching, including issues like unemployment rates, application processes, and networking.

9:00-14:40 We discuss the merits of side hustles and volunteering to enhance employability and skills.

14:40-17:50 There is a substantial dialogue about using AI tools like ChatGPT for research rather than drafting documents.

18:00-24:00 Audience questions address general and specific challenges, such as job market barriers for autistic individuals and strategic follow-ups for government jobs.

24:00-30:00 The discussion also includes a poll on interview experiences and strategies for dealing with long interview processes.

30:00-40:00 Assessments of industry-specific hiring trends.

40:00-54:30 The latter focuses on older workers, emphasizing their advantages, overcoming technological gaps, and maintaining work-life balance.

54:30-58:00 The session concludes with practical advice, audience interaction, and a commitment to further discussions on older workers.

Don’t forget to subscribe to “The Job Scam Report” on Substack!

by Mark Anthony Dyson

This is The Most Powerful Job Search Strategy In 2024

In recent years, many people have benefitted from informational interviews. Such discussions can increase their connections with people who can provide information and potentially directly influence their career success.

An informational interview infuses purpose into networking. It creates a personal resource and helps job seekers or career changers land a career, job, or company. Lee Hecht Harrison, a well-known career management company, reports that one of 25 informational interviews leads to a job offer.

We know networking is critical for job seekers. It helps get referrals for jobs and insider intel about a company. Through networking, you create deep connections. And the right people can provide first-hand experiences about how to succeed.

Informational Interviews Are For Everyone

Job seekers in any career stage can use this strategy as part of their overall job search. College students should take advantage of their career services center. They can connect with alumni in their industry and start having these conversations. By asking the right questions, they can make informed decisions to either change majors or ramp up their interests and activities in their current major.

A seasoned professional changing careers can also make use of the informational interview. Whether making a job change or an industry change, they will benefit from knowing whether there is a culture fit with a company they are interested in.

For both the new student and the experienced professional, the informational interview may lead to introductions to key people. By talking to enough people, they can navigate the unknown in their target industry and get referrals.

What Are Informational Interviews?

Informational interviews — also called informational meetings — are business conversations with a 180-degree approach to the traditional job interview. The job seeker, who aspires to advance their career or make a career change, becomes the interviewer and talks to industry professionals about their experiences in an industry, a job, or a company. The goal is to gather information to become more informed, succeed, and meet people who can help them move forward.

In an informational interview, you’re not asking for a job or an interview. The purpose is to gather more information about the industry, tools, and strategies needed to succeed. The more informational interviews (or business conversations) you have, the more knowledge you will gather about an industry.

Someone learning a new skill might be interested in how many ways they could use it and learn about the additional training they need. In an informational interview, they should center questions around:

Additional resources
Other people they should know
Career options for using their newly learned skills

If the conversation takes place during a training program, they can find out how people are working and the expectations within the industry.

Read the rest of my article at Lensa.com.

by Mark Anthony Dyson

Fired? Afraid You Might Be? With Tom Spiggle

Tom Spiggle of Spiggle Law Firm is back on the show to talk about his latest book, “Fired? Afraid You Might Be?“

More about Tom:

Tom Spiggle is a former prosecutor and former Assistant U.S. Attorney. His website also has a very informative blog regarding these topics at SpiggleLaw.com. He is regularly quoted in the media often in publications such as The Washington Post, Forbes, CNN, and Huffington Post.

Episode highlights:

You need to have a plan because it’s not a matter of if but when, and you may leave voluntarily.
Layoffs in the last few years have adversely affected the employment status of pregnant women. “There are certainly cases where an employer takes action, and it’s unclear what their motives are, or they’re not clearly discriminatory. And those can be tough cases.”
Even if they’re not coming right out and saying we don’t want you here because you are pregnant. And then we also have, there, we have the Pregnant Workers Fairness Act, which is fairly new that requires that employers give you accommodations.
if you’re, undergoing a rift, negotiate the best deal that you can. A lot of people, maybe most people don’t want to, file a case in court and, haul their butt down to federal court and deal with all of that.
if you’re, undergoing a rift, negotiate the best deal that you can. A lot of people, maybe most people don’t want to, file a case in court and, haul their butt down to federal court and deal with all of that.
Some cases are worth that. But. A lot of times there are things that you can do to put yourself in a better situation. Buy yourself another six months, buy yourself another 50, 000, buy yourself some more health care while you’re working with, reading some of your good work or working with some of the career professionals that I list in the book or that are out there everywhere to help you get on in that next better job.
So just because they offer you something doesn’t mean you can’t negotiate it. Without having to, file a lawsuit without even having to necessarily hire an attorney or even if you do have that attorney come forward and negotiate on your behalf, which sometimes is good, but it does up the temperature a little bit.Get your best deal that you can.

Here are three ways you can join the conversation:

– Call and leave a voicemail at 708-365-9822, or text your comments to the same number

– Go to TheVoiceofJobSeekers.com, press the “Send Voicemail” button on the right side of your screen, and leave a message

– Send email feedback to [email protected]

Join “The Job Scam Report community!

by Mark Anthony Dyson

Job Scams: Executive Recruiters Don’t Do This One Thing

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Lisa brings a unique perspective to our discussion, drawing from her extensive experience as an Executive Search Recruiter. Her current collaborations with recruiters, her role as a LinkedIn Moderator expert, and her ownership of an Executive resume-writing firm staffed by former HR and Recruiting professionals further enhance her qualifications.

Here are a few of her takeaways:

The first thing a legitimate, reputable executive recruiter will never ask of executive candidates is to be paid. Legit, reputable executive recruiters are paid by their client companies, which contract them to find talent.
You have to execute the job search yourself. That means you have to network. This means you need to post your resume for specific job openings. You must send your resume to executive recruiters and network with them accordingly. Most hires happen through networking.
If you think you’ll have to find a way to avoid doing the job search, you may be susceptible to buying into a scam.

I created “The Job Scam Report” for those who want to learn more about avoiding scams and for victims to get support for their next steps. The site includes articles and resources, free and paid options, a community of people taking proactive steps to avoid and get rid of scammers, and an exclusive podcast.

markanthonydyson.substack.com

by Mark Anthony Dyson

The Fake Employer and Ghost Job Dilemma

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Job scams are a pandemic. If a scammer hasn’t tried to lure you into a fake job, your neighbor or coworker has been exposed to one. I created “The Job Scam Report” on Substack. Subscribe and get the latest in job scam avoidance and preventative tools, tips, and advice.

I was recently on the NPR podcast Jazzed About Work with host, author, and friend Beverly Jones to discuss job search trends and scams. This is my sixth appearance on her show. (She calls me a friend of the show; what an honor!). Scams are a pandemic, but job scams are

In this clip, I discuss the upward trend of job scams merging into fake employers and coworkers. The current tech landscape allows people to appear as actual employers to lure job seekers and fake coworkers into fooling other coworkers of an actual company into accessing and scamming them out of company money.

Job seekers must be more discerning about giving anyone, including a fake recruiter or hiring manager, more information than needed. I recommend a couple of ways people can exercise discretion so they won’t be vulnerable to privacy breaches.

by Mark Anthony Dyson

How Must Boomers Move To Win Today’s Job Search

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On this week’s show, my friend and colleague John Tarnoff joins me to discuss his framework for older workers to use to land their next opportunity. John has helped hundreds of older workers over the years. He has great insight into what works for those transitioning to work and entrepreneurship.

More about John:

John has been the founder of the Mid-Career Lab for nearly 12 years. He helps executive and senior-level careerists land better jobs and enjoy impactful and sustainable careers. John found he could have a greater impact in helping people after being a film executive with Dreamworks.

John has also completed several courses for the LinkedIn library and has been a Thrive Global Certified Executive Coach and Workshop Facilitator since 2018.

Show highlights:

John distinguishes mid-career work from earlier, earlier career, or entry-level work by pointing out that professionals bring significant background, experience, and insight. Strategic ability to their work and changes the game for everyone.
The resume is a subsidiary and secondary to your LinkedIn profile.
Being well-connected is a gold mine and necessary.
Professional branding through thought leadership is essential
“I think people are hesitant to jump in because they are afraid of making a mistake.”

You are more than welcome to join the discussion. Here are three ways you can:

– Call and leave a voicemail at 708-365-9822, or text your comments to the same number

– Go to TheVoiceofJobSeekers.com, press the “Send Voicemail” button on the right side of your screen and leave a message

– Send email feedback to [email protected]

by Mark Anthony Dyson

Do You Think of Yourself As Underemployed?

Underemployment is worse than unemployment for some depending on their other life choices and whether they feel trapped. Others will use it as an advantage because it gives them the space to hone their craft or sharpen their career tools.

There are are a few who will position themselves as a big fish in a small pond. I didn’t consider that in recent years and having written about it before, it’s important because it’s choice. All of the above are choices.

Many people choose underemployment to prepare for the future and take a job that is not stressful or demanding and for which they’re overqualified. It could be a competitive advantage if they buy time while going to school, get training, or need more time to prepare for a new career or venture.

Other people may have their confidence shot and take an underemployment to prepare for the future and take a job that is not stressful or demanding and for which they’re overqualified. It could be a competitive advantage if they buy some time while going to school, get some training, or need more time to prepare for a job that is not their chosen career for a short period. Sometimes, people get stuck in those careers because they are still trying to gain their confidence, and their mojo, salary, benefits, and coworkers cannot help them move forward. Mostly, it hurts their salary because they are not earning what they can, and it could be a little degrading because they’re underachieving.

Here are a few signs of underemployment. The following can keep you in employment captivity and ultimately affect your finances and the long term:

1. You’re caught in complacency

You become very complacent about where and how long you’ve worked, and you take more pride than that instead of learning what’s new in the marketplace and how that will translate to your future advancement and earnings. The cost of career development could be stifling, but the return on investment can be well worth it, especially if it’s far above where you are underemployed.

2. You covet and grow jealous of the career moves your peers made.

Seeing your peers move up and move forward with their careers ahead of you is a thing. You become envious of their new salary, promotion, and status. Meanwhile, you become disgusted with yourself and see it more as missed opportunities without knowing what opportunities are available for you and your future.

3. You’re easily distracted by personal obstacles

If you listen to yourself, you’re full of excuses and apathy. You think more about how arduous Your journey has been so far rather than the prize at the end, which is to create more impact on the work you love or used to love. Meanwhile, your obstacles may cost you thousands of dollars daily or weekly.

4. You’re scared of rejection.

You’re afraid of what others may think of you if you don’t get to where you want to go the first time. Today’s job search is full of trials and errors: what you did right, what you did wrong, and what to leave and what to leave out. If you are rejected, I cloud your vision and judgment about your life.

5. Uncertainty becomes a showstopper

We’re in the days where anyone can Google or YouTube what they need to know or at least where they can find more answers. Sure, confidence has much to do with it, and you may feel a lack of confidence now. Negotiating your worth is hard if you’re unsure of your market value and worth.

Some stigmatize underemployed as being lazy, unambitious, and problematic. Very few fit this description, and an argument to be made is many chose it as a way to transition to something bigger. People chose bridge jobs all of the time with plans to prepare for something bigger at the right time.

by Mark Anthony Dyson

Mastering the Art of Interview: How to Take Control and Impress the Interviewer

When candidates prepare for a single job interview, they must have intel about how the job and industry work and what makes the hiring manager and team tick.

Control of the interview is to create a conversation to make the interviewer feel you’re easy to work with daily and exchange ideas. You’re not controlling because you’re asking the questions. You guide the conversations with the answers and responses you give, making the interviewer want to know more.

1) How does your experience resonate with what the team does regularly? Through rapport, you look for times to trade stories with the interviewer(s) about departments, conferences, and training.

2) You can control the tempo of the conversation by getting the interviewer to engage in your stories. Storytelling is the best way to accentuate your strengths and how you implemented solutions. Engagement gets them involved in sharing some of their stories and challenges.

3) Show you can gather, analyze, and manage data to customize to the company’s needs based on what’s discussed in the interview. They want to preview your work behaviors and crisis reactions. Most interviewers consider their work challenges unique and want to know how the candidate faces adversity.

What about candidates who are nervous or shy during the interview? How can they take control without coming across as too aggressive?

A good candidate connects with the interviewer through storytelling, but if you want to positively persuade them to like you, control the pace of sharing your experiences.

Great stories convey peaks and valleys, intrigue and suspense, the protagonist (that’s you), and an antagonist (the problem). Ultimately, you share the solution, but it doesn’t mean you must tell it all in one shot.

You can pause and ask the interviewer if they faced similar experiences or challenges.

You can interject how you feared or failed in judging the outcome.

You can also draw some parallels between the company problems and the ones you’re about to share and how you solved the issues you faced.

I have interviewed and hired many call center reps in my management career. The best interviews were ones where the candidate was a great listener. Throughout our conversation, they were able to repeat the needs of our call center through specific examples of how they handled similar experiences.

Even short stories can have all of the elements told in a way that generates interest and conveys value. When people see themselves in a scenario, they’re intrigued.

You can always stop a story to see if people identify with the storyteller, the audience, or both. If the experiences are shared, the interviewer may share their knowledge. The exchange and conversation where everyone involved is learning and conveying interest is the best gauge of how your interview went despite the hiring outcome results.

by Mark Anthony Dyson

How To Avoid Being ‘Too Sentimental’ Toward Your Employer

The average person is affected by layoff announcements, whether directly affecting them or coworkers. The cubicle once occupied by a coworker had family pictures. The ones with encouraging smiles or rattling off cliche reminders to take one day at a time are all gone. You challenged yourself to remain unattached to coworkers, but it happened. You didn’t cheat on yourself. You became human.

Most careerists don’t realize sentimentality is a career killer. Yet, according to a recent survey, many give away too much to their employer. Only 45% report their employer sees them as a person. People are staying more and quitting less now, but statistics alone don’t predict satisfaction.

Many workers divorced the idea of coworkers as family. But it doesn’t mean sentimental feelings don’t exist about the job. It’s easy to remember when things were good. The great boss, employer, coworkers, or past accolades were real, but it’s not the current reality. These feelings stifle possibilities as much as a boss who undervalues you. It’s time to get real: You fear change, and the default switch is quiet quitting.

How many times have you put off your job search because you felt obligated to the employer for:

Did they give you the first job?

They promoted you more times than any other company you worked for.

Are your coworkers’ family (please say no)?

All of those seem legitimate when you have those feelings, but they don’t last when:

The new boss doesn’t value you like the old one did.

When peers you’ve trained are promoted ahead of you.

The enforced but dreaded RTO (Return To Office) is a headache.

One could argue acquiescence is equally damaging, but its application fits the company culture. It’s possible to have a culture of sentimental employees but to suggest everyone deciding to remain begrudgingly complacent is silly.

Avoiding sentimentality will mean an intentional path to career growth. It’s a lonely path, but seeing your younger, less experienced coworkers pass you is triggering when it happens.

Here are several steps to take to avoid the sentimental trap:

Find your reasons for career growth and not your coworkers.

The more purposeful you are in planning and strategizing your exit, the better traction you’ll sustain. As a “business of one,” you must consider what your next steps will create the most profit. Stifled professionals witness their younger and less experienced colleagues advance their careers and get mad but don’t get even. It only lasts a minute because it’s easier to immerse deeper into a project to meet a deadline.

Invest time and money into professional development.

Stagnant professionals often find themselves proverbial light-years behind when looking for new jobs. Technology is changing at the speed of light. If it’s been several years since you’ve received further training, finding relevance in your exit will take a lot of work. To show you can adapt to new technology and be adept at different kinds of learning, use your new skills to volunteer at an organization and ask for a reference in return for good work.

Join and get active in your industry’s organization.

There are valuable networking and development opportunities your company doesn’t offer. Active and engaging organizations offer a front seat to innovation, emerging technology, and how peers are advancing their careers. When you add value by presenting at an industry conference, participating in a committee, or helping in developing membership policies, members will connect with you.

Cultivate growth in your current position.

Your future employer will scrutinize your qualifications through the lens of relevance. Your performance, productivity, and problem-solving ability must be applied now rather than embedded in your past. Start tracking and documenting your past and present commissions using results and achievements to show impact. It will inform you how you can grow and use the data to help update your resume and make improvements for your following performance review.

by Mark Anthony Dyson

How Conferences Can Energize New Potential Job Opportunities

The significant ROI for me attending a conference is engaging in conversations over the conference app and letting everyone know I’ll bring my recording tools for podcast episodes. People were already engaged in productive discussions about my industry when I arrived at the meetings.

Conferences are crucial to networking, but so is having a podcast. When you’re strategic, this combination is natural and potent. Re-imagine connecting in ways to have great conversations, deep connections, and possibly be remembered for opportunities down the line. It’s a long game, but job search is a long-game lifestyle strategy.

The last two conferences I attended in person opened up a couple of business opportunities and added episodes to my roster for several months. On one in Feb. 2023, I live-streamed conversations with several industry leaders on my LinkedIn, YouTube, and Twitter channels. With excellent hotel Internet connections, the recording was seamless and more straightforward than virtual interviews. Through the live stream interviews, I connected to a couple of other opportunities for speaking due to the video’s visibility.

At the second conference, I recorded several months of podcast episodes and content to repurpose for the rest of the year. Most importantly, I met many people I wouldn’t have met without this strategy.

The critical takeaway is when you have a mission or intention, your conference experience can be career-filling. When you connect, have great conversations, and use the information to retool to give an employer or a connection value, then it can be a powerful experience. I hope by sharing my conference experience, you can reimagine how yours could be.

by Mark Anthony Dyson

How to Network and Strategize Thoughtfully for a Successful Career

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Welcome back to The Voice of Job Seekers podcast. I took an unannounced break from this podcast to concentrate on content for “The Job Scam Report” podcast. Some of you subscribe to the newsletter and podcast. Many good things have been happening there, so it has been quite busy.

In March of 2024, I was invited to join a panel (actually two) at St. Xavier’s University in Chicago. The panel consisted of Nathan Peck, an Associate Professor, James Miller, Shared Governance President, and Lauren Milligan, Founder of ResuMayDay, a Resume Writer and Career Coach. Each session had about 30-50 students.

Below are some of the highlights of the 75-minute panel:

Craft a Strong Resume: We encouraged students to tailor their resumes to highlight relevant skills and experiences for each job application, ensuring they’re clear and visually appealing. Lauren provided a basic overview of the ATS (Applicant Tracking System) and its role in hiring and emphasized the need for simplicity. She also added how ChatGPT can be helpful in the process.

Optimize Your LinkedIn Profile: The panel collectively agreed students must create a compelling LinkedIn profile to reflect their professional brand, including a professional photo, detailed work experience, and engaging summaries. We discussed how LinkedIn can facilitate the expansion of their network, and learning from successful career industry professionals through their profiles.

Network Actively: We advised students on building and nurturing professional relationships through networking events, social media, and industry groups to increase job opportunities and get referrals. Networking is vital for career advancement today, especially for introverts. It’s a great connection hub for building relationships with present and future collaborators.

Develop Interview Skills: Practice common interview questions and situational responses to prepare for interviews, enhancing confidence and communication. Lauren and I honed in on informational interviews as a tool. Students should do many of them to hone their interviewing skills, add depth to their network and industry knowledge, and accept feedback as constructive direction.

Create a Multi-Tiered Job Search Strategy: Implement various job search methods, such as job boards, company websites, recruitment agencies, and direct networking, to maximize reach. The college experience is an opportunity to use as much of your learning to bring value to an employer, using your strengths to stand out.

Research Potential Employers: Investigate companies of interest to understand their culture, values, and recent news, preparing insightful interview questions. Lauren suggested how ChatGPT could help you understand the job description to help you appeal to employers.

Stay Current on Industry Trends: Follow industry publications and join professional organizations to stay informed about changes and skills in demand. Participating in those organizations gives you a front seat to learn, network, and train, using the experience to prepare for industry job opportunities.

Utilize Informational Interviews: Contact professionals in your desired field for informational interviews to gain insights and advice on navigating your career path. It’s a good time to ask people and discern if you’re a good fit. What makes someone succeed in this industry versus someone else? What makes someone fail? What competencies in this industry are valued the most?

Follow Up After Interviews: Send a thank-you email to interviewers to express appreciation, reiterate your interest in the position, and underline key points discussed. Follow-up with the interviewer is rare among young professionals, but it may be a way to stand out among competitors.

Be Resilient and Persistent: Understand job searching is challenging. Maintaining a positive mindset, staying persistent in pursuing opportunities, and learning from rejections is vital.

You can look for episodes every other week. Subscribe to this podcast in your favorite podcast directory.

by Mark Anthony Dyson

9 Reasons Spouses Lose It When You Lose Your Job

Your spouse’s mind raced because the company announced you were laid off. It is one thing to have had steady employment, another when the safety net disintegrates. Many changes are about to take place, and some will affect you.

It’s a layoff, chill. Easier said than done.

I understand. Job loss is hard, and it’s harder when the former employer adds a broad, unfair, undeserved, and potentially damaging narrative.

Read 7 Signs That A Moratorium On Marriage Has Occurred (Until You Find a Job)

The Huffington Post recently reported that married couples on the brink of divorce are waiting because of a lack of employment.

In March 2007, before the bubble burst, 4.6 percent of the labor force was unemployed, according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics. Three years later, the unemployment rate jumped to 10.2 percent. Divorce, on the other hand, decreased by 1.4 percent between 2007 and 2008, according to the report, and then by another 2.8 percent between 2008 and 2009.

Things have changed in the last 10 years.

Your spouse lost their mind over time. Remember when he or she lost it because you worked overtime? You are not alone. At least stats show it’s a slow but grinding process, so there is hope if it seems bad now.

Read Marriage and the Unemployed Spouse

Hiring in your career industry appears bleak, and your marriage has peeling paint. I have listed a few reasons why your spouse is losing their mind if it’s still a mystery to you:

Your spouse thinks you should have seen job loss coming. This premise exposes your lack of communication before it hit the fan.
You are minimizing the impact on the family by saying things like, “It’s not so bad.” “I’m glad it’s over.” “My boss was out to get me!” Transparency is the key, and never talking about it with your spouse is a problem.
Either laid off or fired, you were dishonest about how it happened. That will definitely tick him or her off. Own up to a poor job performance or an incident that was your responsibility.
You’re the one freaking out. You are lashing out at your spouse and children for no reason. Showing control and restraint is YOUR responsibility. Practice temperance and reason, and everyone else should follow.
You lack updated, relevant skills to find a job. Unfortunately, a spouse who has encouraged you to return to school or pursue another career track will have little mercy on you. It is best to be humble, hear the noise, and push forward.
Your spouse knows the lazy person in you will not conduct due diligence. He or she knows that your ambition barely treads water. Diffuse the bomb before it explodes, and be aggressive in searching and researching jobs. Let your family see your research, talk with your spouse about potential decisions critical to the household (night job or day, lower pay, mandatory overtime).
That makes two. When both spouses are out of work, the panic button is abused. Keep your hand off the button!
You won’t take on extra chores since you have extra time. Unemployment has fringe benefits, but another way to reclaim your spouse. If there is a disconnect, then find ways to reconnect. If you know what makes your spouse tick, then be what they need to make them happy.
The lack of money will eventually exploit all marriage weaknesses, or at least most. However, the focus on money can turn into idol worship, thus becoming an even larger issue. Don’t be surprised if this has always been prevalent in your marriage.

Read 10 Ways Your Spouse Can Boost Your Career

Sure, there are other ways to keep the peace. The unemployed spouse has to compensate for the fear of not contributing financially. Although decisions made out of guilt or compulsion are potentially hazardous to any relationship, this is the kick in the behind you need.

Many issues existed before you lost your job. How you deal with them will determine whether your marriage grows or perishes later on.

What are other reasons spouses go CRAZY when a job loss in the family occurs? Perhaps there are ways to handle a spouse’s job loss properly. Please share either by commenting below.