7 MUST DOs ONCE UNEMPLOYED by Matthew Howland

Receiving the news that you are now the lucky and latest unemployed individual is shocking. Many people have the "deer in the head lights" experience (immobilizing stupor). You are not sure where to move, what to move, or how to move. The following list will help you get your feet on the ground and your career back on track.

1. | APPLY FOR UNEMPLOYMENT
Surprisingly some people wait to apply for unemployment. This can be a major mistake, resulting in lost income. It s important to you apply for unemployment insurance benefits immediately after you become unemployed.

To get started, search Google for unemployment. Add your state to the search to find out specifics for your location. Another good resource is the US Department of Labor State Unemployment Insurace Benefits page. Visit Unemployment Filing Tips to make sure you have everything you need when you go to file your claim.

2. | BUDGET FOR YOUR NEW INCOME
Once your application for unemployment is filed, it is important to make sure that your current lifestyle is in line with your newly adjusted income level. Most people either live at or above their means, so any reduction in income can cause real financial trouble.

First, establish your new income. Add up all monthly income including: unemployment, spouse's salary, part time jobs, child support/alimony, and money from assistance programs. This is the time to think "Do I have any way to make additional money?". Check out GovBenefits.gov for assistance program eligibility.

Second review all monthly expenses. Make sure you are conservative when listing your expenses and add a slush fund in order to be certain all costs are covered. If your monthly expenses are more than your monthly income, make some expense cuts. You probably do not need the 500 channel cable package. Cut back to the bare minimum or none at all. Also look at ways to cut groceries, phone, energy, and vehicles. Do whatever it takes to make sure your income is greater than your expenses.

After you are done, your expenses may still exceed income. Look at ways to supplement this temporarily. Are there things around the house that can be sold for extra cash? Do you have a vacation package you can sell on ebay or get a refund? If you are spending more than you make, it is now time to get extreme with your finances.

For more information on budgeting through unemployment take a look at the Personal Budget Worksheet.

3. | CREATE OR UPDATE YOUR RESUMÉ
It is important that your resumé is current, sharp, and represents you. Many make the mistake of throwing together a resume and fail to be creative or thoughful. Take the time to seriously research how put together a resumé. Look at different resume styles and choose the one that best represents your personality and background. Given the fact that resume reviewers look at your resume for an average of ten seconds, you need to make sure you do everything possible to make your resume pop.

My favorite resource for resume writing is Rockport Institute | How to write a masterpiece resume. This page takes you through resume writing step by step and has been pivotal in the development of my own resume. Another good resource is www.how-to-write-a-resume.org.

After you create a killer resumé, have it reviewed by impartial people. You can show it to family, friends, and peers. You can also post it on online forums for feedback. The crucial aspect of having your resumé reviewed, is showing it to people who will be honest, and not just say "Oh that looks so nice. What great job you did." The person who reviews your resumé and only has nice things to say more than likely will not be the person who is hiring you.

4. | SIGN UP FOR JOB BOARDS

Although I am convinced that people rely too heavily on job boards, I do believe they are an essential part of your job search. It is important to sign up for multiple job boards (i.e. Monster.com, CareerBuilder.com, and Yahoo Hot Jobs) not just one. Why? Because some job boards do better with certain job fields than others. Also, employers do not post job openings on all every single job board, so you do not want to limit your opportunities.


Search for niche job boards related to your field of interest. For example, I work in the construction industry. One of the job boards my resume is posted on is ConstructionJobs.com because it is used by many construction related companies.


One of the online tools you cannot do without is the job search engine. Sites like InDeed.com and SimplyHired.com allow you to search across multiple job boards.


While signing up for these different sites, be sure to sign up for daily or weekly job alerts to your email. This will help you focus on only the newest jobs.

5. | NETWORK


Make a list of people who can help with your job search. These people can be close friends, college buddies, neighbors, or past coworkers. This is your personal network, which will be a great resource. These are the people who if times get really tough, can talk you through and encourage you to keep your chin up. They are not only your network, but your support and encouragement.


After you make your list, start contacting these people to let them know your current employment situation. At this point you have already called some of them. As you share, many of them will offer job leads for companies they think are hiring. Make sure you have a pen and paper ready to jot down all useful information. Some of these people will also be your resumé critiquers.


You can also use social networks like LinkedIn, Facebook, and MySpace to stay connected with others.

6. | LIST POTENTIAL EMPLOYERS

As stated earlier, I think the job boards are important, but should not be relied upon soley. A company may contemplate a new position, but not posted an ad yet. If your resume happens to come across the managers desk right at that time, you may get a chance to interview before anyone else does. Some studies suggest that every job listing posted on a job board receives 150 resumes. Others say thousands. Not very good odds to bet your life on.


For this reason, make a list of all potential employers within an hour of where you live. Start with companies you can name off the top of your head. Then open up the yellow pages or use an online company search like Google Maps, yellowbook, or any favorite local listing directory to expand the list.


Once you have an extensive list (60 to 100 companies), prioritize the list based on who you think is hiring and your desire to work for the company. Research companies online using jobbala.com or Google to find background information and insider information from employees of the company.

7. | PLAN FOR JOB HUNTING


While unemployed, your number one job is to find a job. During my time of unemployment I would start working at 8am and would not stop until 6 or 8pm at night. Every morning I made a plan for what I was going to accomplish that day and then set out to do it. People would ask "What are you doing with all of your free time?". I would respond with "What free time. I am working as hard now as I ever did."


Set goals for what you are going to do on a daily and weekly basis. One goal may be to apply to six companies a day. Do this either through job boards or by applying to companies on your list of potential employers. Include in your daily plan time to follow up with employers you sent your resumé. See future articles on jobbala.com about managing your job search.


Once a daily plan is in place, share it with someone who will keep you accountable. This person must be willing and able to light a fire under you when you are feeling bad for yourself, because those days do come.



About the Author
Matthew Howland; Matt is the owner of jobbala.com
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