CHICAGO, Oct. 28, 2009 — While some are seeing signs that “The Great Recession” of the last two years is now abating, the same cannot be said about America’s unemployment crisis. One of the nation’s top economists recently warned that unemployment will continue to rise and could peak at 10.5 percent.
Now, author Stephen Adams says that his latest book, Back to Work! Create NEW OPPORTUNITIES in the Wake of Job Loss (Moody Publishers), can help people cope with the emotional and spiritual effects of job loss. How does he know? Because Adams has been there. Three times.
Adams’ unemployment hat trick is the result of corporate downsizing and management shakeups at three organizations. It’s the sort of thing that can make a person bitter. Adams, however, has learned to look for the proverbial silver lining, using each layoff as an opportunity to grow personally and professionally, and strengthen his Christian faith.
Now, he’s putting these experiences to work for the millions of Americans who are currently unemployed - helping them to let go of the past and treat unemployment as an opportunity in itself.
Back to Work! is packed with illustrations and practical advice from Adams’ own life and the lives of other successful career remodelers, ranging from how to overcome rejection, to survival and self-marketing.
“I’ve been there. Losing a job can ruin at least your day - maybe your life. Not so apparent are the gains. It takes special vision to see the benefits of job loss, but it can be done,” Adams explains.
So what’s the secret to managing change when it is forced upon you? Ironically, Adams says, the answer may be found by considering the organization that laid you off in the first place: “Businesses have been forced to reinvent themselves in a couple of key ways - discovering a sense of purpose or mission and focusing on their core competencies. Individuals will have to do much the same thing to reinvent their own careers.”
Adams says the process of reinvention will lead many to create new opportunities for themselves. In fact, of job seekers who gained employment in the second quarter of 2009, nearly one in 10 did so by launching their own businesses.
To that end, Adams’ book includes invaluable advice for readers hoping to strike out on their own as PICs (professional independent contract employees) - including a formula for calculating a billable hourly rate.
“Having a traditional job can breed a kind of security-mindedness,” Adams contends. “For generations, Americans have assumed that such security is our birthright, and we do not handle it well when that security is withdrawn. Employees who acknowledge the new reality will be well ahead toward coping and even thriving.”
The author concludes, “When it comes right down to it, is there any such thing as true earthly security? I think not. And I believe God can use job loss to turn our hearts toward eternal things.”
For interviews, contact Stephen Adams at 719-264-6555 or stephen36@aol.com.
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