Finding Dignity, Finding Hope. Identifying Your Identity.

Finding Dignity, Finding Hope. Identifying Your Identity. I have blogged a lot about personal branding, and depression in the job search. I have said that when I lost my job I lost my identity.  I used to be Jason Alba the General Manager, but when I became unemployed I was Jason Alba the I have no idea who I am. It might sound  weird  to someone who hasnt gone through it. If you told me I would think that way I would have thought you were crazy. Alas, thats really what happened. Perhaps our identity should not be so tied up in our job title, or position within a company.  But it is.  And you dont realize it until it is taken away. How does our brand impact this issue? People ask what to put in the current title on LinkedIn if they are unemployed. I suggest they could put something like Interested in ______, passionate about _______, Experienced _________ where each of the blanks are job titles (or something similar). I heard a speaker say a carpenter who loses his wood and hammer is still a carpenter.  Isnt that so true? When we lose our title we feel like we cant say we are that thing but we are. Even though our temporary status changes, we are still that thing! I was inspired to share this with you today after reading Donna Sweidans post: Finding Dignity, Finding Hope. Giving Job Seekers Permission to Reclaim their Professional Identity In that post she talks about what Michael, someone from her workshop, wrote. It is very, very powerful.  Please go check it out. And remember, just because you lose sight of what your identity is does not mean you have lost your identity. Finding Dignity, Finding Hope. Identifying Your Identity. I have blogged a lot about personal branding, and depression in the job search. I have said that when I lost my job I lost my identity.  I used to be Jason Alba the General Manager, but when I became unemployed I was Jason Alba the I have no idea who I am. It might sound  weird  to someone who hasnt gone through it. If you told me I would think that way I would have thought you were crazy. Alas, thats really what happened. Perhaps our identity should not be so tied up in our job title, or position within a company.  But it is.  And you dont realize it until it is taken away. How does our brand impact this issue? People ask what to put in the current title on LinkedIn if they are unemployed. I suggest they could put something like Interested in ______, passionate about _______, Experienced _________ where each of the blanks are job titles (or something similar). I heard a speaker say a carpenter who loses his wood and hammer is still a carpenter.  Isnt that so true? When we lose our title we feel like we cant say we are that thing but we are. Even though our temporary status changes, we are still that thing! I was inspired to share this with you today after reading Donna Sweidans post: Finding Dignity, Finding Hope. Giving Job Seekers Permission to Reclaim their Professional Identity In that post she talks about what Michael, someone from her workshop, wrote. It is very, very powerful.  Please go check it out. And remember, just because you lose sight of what your identity is does not mean you have lost your identity.