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Losing your job can be demoralizing, but you need to look ahead and pick yourself up. In this episode I outline some things you need to do when you lose your job to include a list of ten things to get you going on your job search.
Things you need to do right away…
1. Unemployment – be sure to file unemployment, it’s not a hand out, but something you may be entitled to.
2. Health benefits – take advantage of COBRA, Obamacare/private insurance. You don’t want to be left in the open should something happen to your health, or the health of a loved one.
3. Get into a routine – keeps energy up, provides structure and prevents you from falling into an even deeper rut.
4. Set goals – provides sense of fulfillment and purpose. People like to stay busy and productive. Employers will ask what you have been doing with your time, setting goals and keeping active will give you a way to answer that question.
10 Things To Start Doing To Find Your Next Opportunity
1. Job alerts – set them up, I recommend indeed.com.
2. Update your resume – we should always be doing this.
3. Update/register on LinkedIn.com – great social network for professionals.
4. Start networking – in person and online.
5. Job boards – get your resume online via job boards, setup alerts (see #1 above), and look at postings.
6. Career fairs – go to them, dress appropriately and get noticed by talking to people.
7. Associations – start getting to Meetups, trade organization meetings, users groups, etc. Keep in mind you want to not only network here, but also keep your skills sharp and in touch with your industry.
8. Staffing firm – consider signing on with a staffing firm or temp service. They can open up job possibilities and get you short time jobs until you land your next long-term FT opportunity.
9. Record progress – the journey may be long so it’s important to keep track of who you spoke to and when. You also want to remember where you applied and when which will prevent double submissions that lead to disqualifying you for reasons outside of qualifications.
10. Exercise – relieves stress, releases good chemicals within the body and mind. Even if it is just for a walk, it will benefit you.
If you are finding this useful or think this could be useful for someone you know, please consider leaving me a review on iTunes. Reviews weigh heavily in getting recognized and will allow others to find the show.
In the next episode I will be touching on the mighty resume. If you have questions regarding the resume, email sean@talentjockey.com or call 608.616.0775 and I may put your question in the episode!
RE #1 That is if you were working a regular job and not as an independant contractor. In that case you’re kinda screwed.