Writer Interrupted by…Unemployment
by Ron Estrada
You’re fired. It’s not just a catchy phrase worthy of copywrite protection by billionaires turned reality show stars. It happens to all of us at least once in our professional lives. When it happens to the part-time writer, our first response may be, “The heck with it, now’s my chance to write full time!”
Whoa there, cowboy. A little perspective may be in order here. First of all, as a full time fiction writer you will join an elite class of artists with an average annual income of about twenty-thousand dollars. If you were pulling down sixty-thousand at your last job, I’m willing to bet my favorite pair of fuzzy bunny slippers that you won’t be able to live with that sort of pay cut.
Second of all, even if you have a novel ready for print, get it to your agent, then sell it to a publisher, you’re looking at a good year or three before that $2000 advance check hits the mailbox. If you still have a mailbox by then.
Thirdly, the decision to go full time should never be made hastily. Writing is a business. If you were to start your own small business–say a coffee and ice cream emporium–you’d normally continue working a regular job while building up the business. When Ron’s Bean’s ‘n Cream finally gets to the point where I can pay myself (about two years), then, and only then, can I stroll into my boss’s office and tell him that I was the one who released live crickets in his office vents every month for the last seventeen years.
Now I don’t want to douse your flame. So, for those of you with that freshly printed pink slip sitting atop a pile of bills on your desk, here’s my advice. Don’t worry, it’s free. And worth every penny
Update your resume immediately. If you’ve been out of circulation for a while, you’ll be surprised to find that it is quite acceptable to include a LinkedIn address under your name and phone number. Hyperlink it! You’ll be sending most resumes via e-mail. If you’ve got a blog related to your industry, include a link to that as well at the bottom of your resume under “other interests.” Don’t include blogs or websites that have nothing to do with the industry, especially if you write political opinions like me. Best to keep that to our readers.
Get on your state’s webpage and do whatever needs to be done to collect unemployment. This humiliating step should be done quickly, so as to keep the pain to a minimum. Surprisingly, my own state of Michigan has a Michigan Talent Bank website that turned out to be the best source of new opportunities. Companies are always eager to hire locally and some may even get a little tax break for posting on the state websites and hiring out of the local talent pool. Get to your state’s site, get the resume posted, and apply to a few jobs right away.
If you’re like most writers, you’ve probably been asked to write columns or copy for websites from time to time. Make a list of those people you’ve said “no” to in the past and start making phone calls. I even had a headhunter (professional recruiter) ask me to update her website, which earned my $200 for a few hours work. Every little bit helps. If you’ve been writing pro bono pieces, call the editor up, explain your situation, and ask if they wouldn’t mind paying you until you can get back on your feet (No, I didn’t ask to get paid for this. Gina starts telling me stories of her abusive childhood in a Siberian orphanage whenever I bring up the subject).
Make sure you have at least three professional references. You’ll be surprised to find how many of your former colleagues have moved on. Facebook and LinkedIn are great ways to track them down. Always ask them if you can use them as a reference and make sure they expect phone calls from your potential employers. Writing friends count! But be sure to use someone from your own industry as well. Have all their contact info, including e-mail. Print up a copy for every copy of your resume.
Get an account set up on popular job seeking sites like Careerbuilder.com and Monster.com. There are others, but those are the big ones. Upload your resume and fill out all the info. A word of advice: you should never have to pay to search for a job. I’ve fallen for that and have had no better luck with the paid sites than the free. As writers, we’ve seen all the scams. Be wary of them in your job search as well. I find the best way to use these sites is to find the job your interested in, then go directly to that company’s website and find the “careers” link on their home page. Apply directly from the home page. Always, always, include a cover letter. Do whatever you can to find the name of the hiring manager or HR professional you’re applying to. Then write a professional cover letter that is specific to the job you’re applying for. You’re a writer, for goodness sake. This is where you should shine!
Now for the fun part. You have extra time. There is no reason why you shouldn’t grab an extra hour or four to complete that novel. Make yourself a daily schedule. Maybe you can write for three hours in the morning, then do your job searching for three hours in the afternoon. You’ll be interrupted by interviews eventually, but don’t feel guilty for working on your “other” career during your down time.
And when you’re interviewing, and the interviewer asks about what you do in your off time, by all means mention your latest 400 page thriller that you’ve been working on. Hiring managers like to hire interesting people, and who’s more interesting than a writer?
