Are sales considered a less stable career?

How can I overcome several challenges I've been facing when looking for employment, to get my career back to the way it used to be? And, what are some quick effective ways I can find employment given my situation?

• I've always considered myself to be a qualified, skilled, passionate, hungry and loyal technology professional in the startup industry here in NYC. By my 5th year out of college, my career was growing faster than i could keep up with at times. I was proud of my work and the companies i had the opportunity to work for. I was confident, assertive, energetic and optimistic for my future. Today, over a year later, I'm no longer employed. I'm broke, ashamed and devastated. I lack the pride and self confidence I once had; it deteriorates more as each day passes.  The only thing I really have been able to hold onto is my passion for this industry and what I do. How I got into this mess: In early 2011, I was forced to leave my full-time job.  Health problems caused my performance to suffer and I was burnt out. 3 months later, back on my feet, I excelled in the freelance world, at least enough to stay financially afloat. But returning to full-time employment in the startup space seemed impossible. I went on a dozen interviews only to realize my self confidence and self-doubt overshadowed any accomplishments on my resume. And, so, as each day passes, it gets harder and harder to find work.  Im open to freelancing, but it's always a temporary fix. As I understand it, these seem to be the challenges I face in finding full-time: 1. I'm damaged goods with an ink stain on my resume. I've always read that a good interviewer at a remotely decent startup won't even consider candidates that are currently unemployed, never-mind due to a lay off.  I imagine they're thinking: "if no one else has scooped her up by now, there's probably a reason" 2. Its been a year+ since my last full-time job; some employers may think this amount of time is too significant to return to work fresh and read-to-go. 3. My involvement in freelance work in the past year paints a picture that I wouldn't be happy --or qualified--in a full-time role (which isn't true) 4. If I lower my standards and apply for junior level positions, employers may tell me I'm over-qualified and are skeptical as to why I'd lower my standards and salary 5. If I look for jobs out of the startup space (to bigger companies) the bigger companies tell me I lack big company experience and are concerned I wouldn't  like the culture. They question my motive for such a drastic change in corporate culture. ("this isn't the place for entrepreneurial spirit") 6. If I look for roles outside of tech (sales, recruiting--anything--) I lack direct experience and employers are skeptical as to how long I'd be around 7. Finally, I'm ashamed of getting laid off. Sometimes I'm honest about it, other times I'm not. Regardless of how I communicate why I am where I am, it doesn't sound good. So, bottom line: I'm desperate for a job. *any job* sure, I love startups, but my livelihood is more of a concern right now.   How can I overcome these factors and find employment? How can I reach out to my network and ask for help without sounding desperate? Are there companies out there that can look past some of this and hire me for the talent, hardworking and loyalty I will offer?

• Answer:

  I'm sorry to hear you had problems finding a job. Based on what you wrote, it looks like you need a reboot, and start over again: forget what happened in the past, and focus on the positive elements: you said it yourself, you're skilled, passionate and hard worker. That's the message you want to convey. I don't know much of your background, but I'd be happy to help you in two ways. If you have a technical background, you can join Whitetruffle. If you do, send me an email at and we'll look at your profile and make sure it is optimized to attract employers. I don't guarantee it will work, but it is an avenue to explore. The second way I can help is by reveiweing your resume and provide feedback based on what we know companies respond to by looking at the data we collect on our site. Again, don't know if it is going to help, but that's what i can do to help you. And i'd really like to help you.