Another network you need to maintain

Just about every job search expert agrees that maintaining and making use of your network of professional connections will help shorten your job search and make it more effective. And today, many opportunities exist for you to grow and exploit those networks, from professional and trade groups to informal social events to online sites like LinkedIn and even Facebook.

But staying emotionally and mentally connected is just as important. Because so much of our identity is tied up in our work - "So what do you do?" is one of the questions people ask most often when they meet new faces - going without work usually exacts a mental toll on top of the financial one, and the longer the stretch of joblessness, the greater the toll.

Friends and relatives can and will offer support if they are at all sympathetic to your situation, and that support can help you get through those times when all looks bleak. But the support and advice they offer, while well meant, may be counterproductive or even damaging to both your career strategy and your mental well-being.

That's why many unemployed job seekers find that the best support comes from others like themselves. Shared experience makes for built-in empathy, and those who meet with success can share what they did that worked with those still in search of it.

During a previous stretch of joblessness, I found both the strategic and emotional support I received from fellow members of Forty Plus of Philadelphia valuable in keeping me focused for the long haul and emotionally healthy. Forty Plus is the nation's oldest organization devoted to supporting unemployed older workers, founded in 1939 after a round of layoffs at a manufacturing plant left scores of lifelong employees stranded. It has independent chapters across the country, all of which provide mutual assistance to professionals and executives 40 and over seeking re-entry into the world of work. The Philadelphia chapter is currently dormant, regrettably, for the need for it is perhaps greater now than ever before, but perhaps some enterprising mature professionals might want to revive it; if so, use the e-mail address on the website linked above for more information.

Another option still exists, however - Joseph's People. This faith-based organization's volunteer members support one another with a full range of services for unemployed workers and their families, going beyond job search mechanics and strategies to include emotional and spiritual counseling, financial advice, and services and assistance for job seekers' families and loved ones. Started in 1995 at St. Joseph's Church in Downingtown, the organization has since expanded throughout the Philadelphia suburbs.

Organizations like these help you maintain that other network you need to succeed in the job search - the emotional support network.

By: Sandy Smith

Sandy Smith is an award-winning writer and editor who has spent most of his career in public relations and corporate communications. His work has appeared in The Philadelphia Inquirer, the Philadelphia CityPaper, PGN, and a number of Web sites. Philly-area residents may also recognize him as "MarketStEl" of discussion-board fame. He has been a part of the great reserve army of freelance writers since January 2009 and is actively seeking opportunities wherever they may lie.