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.