Of course I opened it right away. There, under a facsimile of a British crown, was the phrase, "Keep Calm and Carry On." Because I felt immediately bolstered, I printed it out and posted it above my desk, so the next time I was tempted to quit looking for work I would have a stern directive to think about.

I also started thinking about the good things in my life - for starters, the engaging people I have met in my weekly job search work team, who have truly become my friends. Even though I am now one of the senior members of the group in terms of job search duration, I still feel part of something bigger than me. Well of course, with the national unemployment rate now up to 8.5 percent as of March 2009.

Although the current unemployment rate is staggering, it still doesn't compare to the 10.8 percent U.S. unemployment rate of December 1982. At that time, I was struggling as a recent college graduate to find my first job.

Back in 1982 I faced the classic Catch-22 many a young college grad encounters: I had no real work experience outside of a part-time student job at University Food Services, and because I had no experience, I couldn't get hired to gain experience.

Now the problem is exactly the opposite. I'm well qualified and experienced, but I've frequently been told I'm overqualified for the positions I'm pursuing. I'm not alone in this conundrum: I’ve talked to friends with 25-plus years of work history who have seriously considered dropping anything on their resume pre-dating 1999.

Still there are some things we can't erase, and shouldn't try to, such as hard-earned life experience and, especially, education.

Comparing the current unemployment numbers to those from 1982 jogged a few memories of my first job search and what I had done to help myself at that time. Recently, I've had several occasions to unearth work samples from my own 25-plus year career as a writer and public relations professional. Some of those samples included a series of historical articles I wrote for my hometown newspaper, which were largely based on term papers I researched during college.

That led to the revelation that perhaps I should get back to my own roots of writing and research. After all, in my case those first articles eventually opened the door to full-time employment by giving me tangible examples of published work. I literally wrote my way into a job that lasted 11 years.

However, before that opportunity surfaced -13 months after college graduation - my writing provided some much-needed income. It also got me out of the house as I interviewed a variety of people.

For me, every month of unemployment has helped clarify what I'm really interested in doing for the next phase of my career (working with a company’s senior management and brain trust). That in itself is something to be thankful for.

And for one final blessing, last week on my morning walk in mid-50 degree weather, I spotted a red-winged blackbird. The lake near my home is full of ducks, and seagulls are whirling around the sky. Spring seems to be dancing ever closer. The days are naturally longer and the sun, ever welcome, is out more and more.

I do believe I can keep calm and carry on.

Jenny L. Herring, APR, is a financial writer and public relations professional with experience in both institutional and retail asset management.

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