Continuing our series on Surviving Unemployment, Vocal Point has an insightful article entitled You’re Hired with great interview tips. These aren’t the same boring ones you have heard before. Most of these are new to me.
For example, “Ask for the last interview. Don’t scramble to be the first one in line. Studies show that the last person interviewed gets the job the majority of the time, simply because that candidate is fresher in the boss’s mind.”
You’re Hired is definitely worth reading whether you are currently looking for a job or considering changing jobs once the economy recovers.
You hear the statistics every week in the news. You didn’t think it would happen to you, but now you are one of the millions of unemployed Americans. While it’s easy to become upset and depressed by being laid off, you can’t really afford to lay around waiting for a new job to come knocking. Finding a full-time job is a full-time job. You have to plan and organize your day just like you do at a real job. Get up, get dressed and get started.
When you find out you are being laid off, it is quite a shock to your system and is obviously very upsetting. But you can’t let your emotions take over. You have to go into task mode because you have a lot to get done before they escort you out of the building.
Lay Off Day
- As soon as you find out you have been laid off, go around and get personal contact information from your supervisor and colleagues you would consider as good references. You have no idea where everyone will end up in the near future and when you are job searching you want to be able to give the best possible references. You don’t want a new employer randomly calling your old job asking about you, only to get Kelly who?
- Next, go to the HR office and learn which benefits you will take with you and collect all the forms you need to complete. Most importantly you want to know how your health insurance will be handled and how much you will be responsible for paying. If you will be paid severance, ask how and when that will be paid. It’s best to have a notebook with to take good notes. On an emotional day like this, your mind may not be focusing completely on the task at hand.
Unemployed Day 1
- Apply for unemployment benefits immediately. It can take a few weeks before you actually start receiving benefits, so you need to apply ASAP. To find what information you need to file for unemployment benefits and where to apply visit your state’s Department of Labor’s website. Make sure you completely understand all the benefits as well as all the required procedures for continuing to receive benefits.
- Your resume should always be up to date. If it isn’t, update it with all your latest projects and be sure to include details. Have an HR professional look over your resume and give feedback. Don’t forget that you can also call your college alumni career services office for help too. That is often an overlooked resource. If you are thinking of applying to different industries, have different resumes targeted to each of them. A blanket resume, will get a blanket No.
- Get a professional image. If your email is cutegapeach@email.com, an employer might not find it as cute. Set up a professional email with your actual name. You should also print some business cards with your contact information on one side and a brief resume on the other. You can get very inexpensive cards at Vistaprint.com.
Unemployed Day 2
- Your best job referral is from someone who knows you. So send an email to all your friends, family and acquaintances and let them know you are looking for a job. And make it easy on them. Be specific about what skills you have and what kind of positions you are seeking. Don’t simply attach your resume and let them guess.
- Start planning your networking. Nearly 80% of jobs are found through networking. In this tough economy with tight company budgets and plenty of job seekers, many employers are choosing to save money on recruitment costs and not advertise for positions. They instead just put the word out through their employees and industry contacts. So you really have to be in the know to even know about the job. So go online and find career and industry specific networking opportunities and get out there.
If all of this sounds like too much work, remember finding a full-time job is a full-time job and if you don’t treat it as such you probably won’t end up with a job.
With the recession still in effect, perhaps no statistic is as closely watched as unemployment. It seems everyone has a friend or family member who has been laid off and can’t find work. So while you are happy you have a job and prefer not to think about the dreadful idea of being unemployed, this is precisely the time to think about it.
To survive unemployment with your sanity and finances in tact you have to be proactive. Here are some tips for being proactive and preparing for unemployment while you are still employed.
- Keep your resume in tip top shape – The best time to update your resume is while you are actually working and your skills and projects are fresh in your mind. You should be ready to send out your resume at a moment’s notice. Also, with the economy being where it is, you will need to be flexible. So it’s best to have several different versions of your resume. Each highlighting a different skill set or industry.
- Network on a sunny day – You should be actively networking when you have a job, not when you need a job. It’s estimated nearly 80% of jobs are found through networking, so you can’t afford not to network. It amazes me how some people suddenly begin networking when they lose their job. Think about it, who would you recommend for a job, someone who you have seen on a monthly basis and have come to know or someone who just shook your hand for the first time? In most major cities, you can go to a different networking event for breakfast, lunch and dinner every day. Just do an online search for your industry or career and you will find multiple options.
- Save for a rainy day – While you still have a job, start spending like you don’t and save, save, save. You should have at least six months worth of expenses saved. And if you are over 45, you need more like nine months. It takes older workers more time to find a job and many times it at a lower salary.
- Learn about benefits – Find out which benefits you can take with you before you are shown the door. Many benefits aren’t portable, for example life insurance and disability insurance. How much of your retirement account can you take? Most company retirement accounts have a vesting schedule, so you might not get as much money as you thought if you leave early. And most importantly, try not to cash out any retirement benefits. Instead roll them over to an IRA. Last but not least, ask about COBRA which is employer sponsored health insurance while you’re unemployed. Many laid off workers are learning they don’t get COBRA benefits since they worked for a small business with fewer than 20 full time employees.
- Separate your life – Many employees use their work email for everything ranging from work projects to personal matters and family issues. You should setup a separate email account for your personal matters and let all your friends and family know. Along the same lines, do not keep personal files and information on your work computer. If you must work on personal files on your work computer, save them onto a memory stick and not on the hard drive. If you are laid off, you might not be given time to retrieve or delete anything from your computer.
A friend of mine recently told me she was laid off. She seemed surprised but I wasn’t. Not that she was a bad employee, but because she worked for a home products company. With the dramatic drop in home sales and the shrinking of the credit markets providing home equity loans, it was just a matter of time before companies selling home products and services would see a drop in their business as well.
I had nudged her to look for a new job last year when the economy and especially the job market were still in good shape. Instead she chose to take a wait and see approach.
You can take a wait and see approach with your weekend dinner plans, but you can’t take a wait and see approach with your job. You have to be constantly looking. Even if you are not looking for another job, you need to be looking at your current job. How is your industry? Is it growing or shrinking? If you aren’t sure, then you probably can’t be sure of having a job.
It’s not just your job performance that matters. The performance of your department, company and industry can all influence your job, so it literally pays to pay attention to any changes. In my friend’s case, if she had been paying attention to the trouble in her industry or even her company she could have seen the signs that her job was in trouble.
It’s always easier and wiser to look for a job when you still have a job. Here’s a few reasons why:
- 1. You are more likely to find a better job. When you are employed you have a clearer perspective and can evaluate potential offers based on their merits not on when you get your first paycheck.
- 2. You are less likely to make any rash decisions simply because your rent is due and you need a job.
- 3. You will be more successful at interviews. You can concentrate on explaining your skills and experience instead of explaining why you are currently unemployed. Not to mention how much more confident you will portray yourself.
- 4. Most importantly, you will be more successful at negotiating your job offer since your future employer knows you don’t need the job.
I know sometimes being laid off can be a total surprise, but generally there are signs. You just have to look for them.