Excuse Me, Got a Job for Me Too? Or Turning a Setback into a Step Forward!
For years, the gambling industry has provided thousands of jobs, paid taxes and contributed to both local and national economies, in other words, it has “put bread on the table” for many Romanians and others.
by Irina Iagăru, management consultant
Irina Iagaru, management consultant
At the same time, for years the gambling industry has been viewed as a shadowy world where people enter and get lost in its web.
Those who work in this industry know that it is a job like any other, where you show up, work and get paid. No other philosophy, no other story.
The new regulations hit the industry like a bolt from the blue, leaving tens of thousands of people unemployed and forcing businesses to downsize or close.
Caught up in all the turmoil, forced to react immediately, organizers found themselves compelled to streamline their operations by downsizing.
The result..?! A massive wave of unemployed people, people for whom today is a struggle and tomorrow is a mystery.
What do we do when everything around us is falling apart?
We look for a new job. We retrain for a new career. We become entrepreneurs. We reach out to our contacts for new leads. We become influencers. We wait for change.
Blending a touch of sarcasm with a touch of reality, all of the above options are viable, so let’s get to work.
- Finding a new job can feel like an extreme sport these days.
The job crisis in the Romanian market is heavily influenced by the country’s political and economic instability, so there’s not much an individual can do about it.
An up-to-date resume rich in experience and expertise isn’t necessarily a guarantee of success in finding a job.
Persuasion, determination and the frequency of applications matter, too.
A rich resume often competes with other evaluation criteria that a recruiter uses, sometimes leading to hesitation on the recruiter’s part rather than a decision to “on-board” the candidate.
- Career change. Ideal!
A person’s greatest strength lies precisely in how they respond to a situation and how quickly they adapt.
Some call it resilience. Others, endurance. While others, a chameleon-like response.
I put it simply: when life gives you lemons, bring out the tequila and salt!
In other words, build something new, start from scratch, reinvent yourself!
A career change takes many forms, from turning a passion into a profession to learning new skills.
We live in an age where access to information is just a click away, yet the desire for knowledge and exploration has stagnated in some areas, largely due to the sheer volume of information and how it’s subsequently processed, which can open the door to opportunities for growth in certain business sectors.
- The dream of many, especially those who believe that “being a boss” is equivalent to being a wolf on Wall Street.
For anyone who hasn’t even sold a single piece of gum, their understanding of what it means to be an entrepreneur is as scarce as the black spots on a ladybug.
Entrepreneurship isn’t like riding a bike, which, once learned, is never forgotten, but rather like participating in a triathlon:
- You swim in murky waters
- You pedal to maintain your balance
- You withstand the pressure, you act on the fly
And yet, statistics show that from 2024 to 2025, there was an increase of over 20% in the number of new businesses.
We won’t go into an analysis of companies that have been deregistered, insolvencies, and so on, but we’ll maintain an optimistic outlook on the steps to take when you decide to start a business:
- Choosing the field – the hardest part, because it will define your business strategy.
If you turn your passion into a business, then the rest is simply paperwork, a business plan, human resources and marketing.
If you’re venturing into an unfamiliar field, you’ll also need a business advisor to help you draw up a business plan and guide your first steps in the business.
- Documentation required to establish a legal entity (LLC, Sole Proprietorship, Individual Entrepreneur, Individual Business, Individual Firm, etc.)
- Marketing and promotion – in today’s market, promotion is primarily done online (social media, dedicated websites and your own website), but traditional methods such as billboards and radio and TV advertising are also used (these usually involve significant costs, so they are preferred by companies with large marketing budgets)
- Human Resources – regardless of the business, people make the decisions, whether they’re the ones involved in running the business smoothly or the customers who help build it.
Make sure you surround yourself with people who have experience, potential, determination, and, most importantly, seriousness!
- Be present with your team, in your business and among your customers!
Never leave what you’re building 100% in someone else’s hands!
Keep your place, delegate and monitor as needed!
- Stay motivated: motivation is like a shower, you do it every day!
- Best of luck in your work and success!
- References, connections. Good, very good actually, especially for those who have them!
Romania. The country where people still hear, here and there: “If it doesn’t flow, it drips….”
We laugh at jokes from the past, from the days when people spoke in whispers, for fear that the walls had ears and the neighbors had eyes in the back of their heads, but also at the bad habits of those times.
As a regular person left without a job after hitting rock bottom, you start compiling a list of the people around you, those you’ve helped (or not) in the past, those on social media and so on.
What about those who “follow” you daily, who like your postings, who comment, aren’t they responsible for pitching in now to help with the misfortune that’s struck you..?!
No.
Little by little, the noose tightens and sometimes it tightens right around your own neck.
Of course, there’s also the happy case, when among these acquaintances is the one who saves the day, that person who reaches out a hand and pulls you out of the abyss of the hopelessly unemployed.
The rest is just gossip.
Job
- Yeah, this modern fad…
Good luck to everyone who believes that being active on social media adds value to their personal life or improves other social aspects!
I’d rather save this topic for a future issue, as the breadth of related issues deserves a more in-depth discussion.
- We’re waiting for change…
I’ve saved the most difficult aspect for last: waiting for change, preferably for the better.
The only way you’ll get no results is to wait for something to happen without taking action!
From a young age, we were taught that if something happens, there’s someone there to catch us (usually, mom…).
As adults, this changes, because starting in adolescence we begin to realize that our mother’s arms aren’t as strong as they used to be and most of the time, there’s no one standing behind us.
So what do we do? Simple: we take action!
Action breeds reaction!
The points above aren’t a guaranteed formula for success, but rather the steps that lead to it.
I wrote this short article for everyone, regardless of role, position or status, but with a nod of appreciation for those who, at this very moment, are fighting battles they didn’t start yet must participate in as mere soldiers.
May these battles be won!
Let us not forget, however, that “War is a place where young people who do not know or hate one another kill each other, based on the decisions of old men who know and hate one another, but do not kill each other…”
Semantics. Metaphor.
