How did you get out of unemployment?
That’s the question that I’ve been asked by a number of friends since I recently found a job after being unemployed for just a couple short months. As some of you may know I was laid off from my previous job back in March and that I have just moved from Milwaukee Wisconsin to Dubuque Iowa to pursue a new job. I have one friend in particular who is currently unemployed and picks my brain for what I did, apparently so successfully, to get a job almost right away (although honestly it seemed like forever). As unemployment seems to have hit almost everyone I talk to in one way or another I would like to take this post and share with you what I did to become gainfully employed as quickly as possible…as well as a few mistakes I made along the way.
A Day In The Life…
Becoming unemployed is a big hit. It comes at you physically, mentally, and financially…and it sucks. The first hit I noticed was the mental one. Having a job and being employed it a big part in the life of most people. Generally you spend 8 hours a day, 40 hours a week, 1200 hours a month, and an astonishing 14400 hours a year at work. People may or may not like their jobs but having a job is important as it allows you to me counted as a productive member of society, what is one of the first things asked when you meet someone new? ‘So, what do you do?’ Losing your job, something that is such a part of who you are, is a big mental blow, it was to me.
Secondly my job loss hit me physically, I got lazy. When you don’t have somewhere to be, no obligations to be met you get lazy. You sleep in late, you sit on the couch and flip through the t.v. channels, you click mindlessly through YouTube videos. Lot’s of job hunting can be done today online with no reason to leave the house or walk somewhere…so you don’t.
Third is the financial hit which affects everyone differently depending on their financial status at the time they lost their job. In my case I had enough money in an emergency fund that allowed me to pay all my bills and expenses until I had a job. And if you are one of those who does not have an emergency fund? I’ll go over that in a bit.
Ok, so you have been hit by unemployment, you are drained physically and mentally and you may be leaking money in a fashion similar to the national debt. What do you do to get back on your feet, to get out of your rut as soon as possible? Very simple actually, act like you are still going to work. Every day I had a schedule, that I would write out the day before, that would outline the next day. Generally it would look something like this:
5:30 Wake up.
5:30 – 6:30 Shower, shave, and get ready for the day. On some days that I was feeling exceptionally lazy and un-motivated I would dress in my work clothes, drive around the block, and come back home ready to work.
6:30 – 7:00 Eat breakfast
7:00 – 8:00 Check & respond to email, read feeds from Google Reader, read the morning news.
8:00 – 12:00 This, at a minimum, was set aside for job hunting a.k.a. ‘work’. For me looking at this time as work really helped me focus on looking for jobs and not getting distracted with other things.
12:00 – 5:00 If I was still busy with job stuff my work time would continue after noon but generally this was my relax and unwind time. I would make sure to get outside and do something. Go to the bank to put my unemployment check in my account, go on a walk, ride my bike, go to the library, something to interact with other people and not just be by myself.
5:00 – 10:00 or 11:00 Here I would generally mix job hunting and ‘fun’. Along with checking email I would maybe read a book, play a game, watch a movie, anything that would allow me to wind down in prep for a good night of sleep.
That, by and large, was my daily schedule for the length of my unemployment. I occasionally would take a day off to see my fiancee but even on weekends I always made an effort to do something in an attempt to find a job.
Yeah, great, but what did you DO to find a job?
The daily outline above does touch on the time I spent during the day looking for a job but let’s take some time to get into the details. Keep in mind that my job field of Information Technology may vary some from the job you are looking for so modify my tips to fit yourself as needed.
My job search was comprised of 3 elements: friends, family, and the internet. In the first few days I was unemployed I composed an email with the following information:
- Sharing the fact that I was unemployed and that I am currently looking for a job.
- Explained the type of job I am looking for, including the different names the job is know as (if applicable).
- Let the recipients know you are willing to relocate, if at all, and where you would be willing to move.
- If you are not willing to do so mention that and share where you are currently located (just in case they don’t already know).
- Thank the recipients in advance for their help and give them your contact info.
- Attach a copy of your resume, make sure it is current and up to date.
Then send that email out to close friends and family, don’t send it out to people you don’t know personally or well. I sent an email like that the first week I was looking for a job and although the email itself did not get me my final job it did result in me submitting my resume to a few jobs I would not have been aware of had I not sent the email.
Also, update your resume. Make sure it is current (includes the job you just got finished with) and honest, don’t lie, if you say you have done or can do something be prepared to prove it. When printing it out use some cream colored resume paper, it’s just $5 at Wal*Mart and it makes your resume just a bit more professional looking.
The internet not only helped me apply for jobs, most jobs can be applied for online in this day and age, but it helped me find jobs. There are many websites out there that allow you so search for open job positions, the ones that I used with thoughts on each are as follows:
- Craigslist – Really, they have a whole area for job postings. I almost got a job that I found posted on Craigslist. One thing to note though is you may want to create a filter in your email so that all email from Craigslist goes into it’s only folder…some job posts are spam even though they seem legit, trust but verify.
- LinkedIn – A social networking site for professionals of all sorts. You can upload your resume online and search for jobs posted on the site. Highly recommended.
- Monster.com – This is the one that we have all heard of. People have told me that they have got a job from here…but myself I didn’t have much luck here. I can’t vouch for it personally but it doesn’t hurt to check it out.
- Indeed – A job search engine that allows you to search open jobs as well as job trends and salaries. I found some stuff to apply for here but I also found quite a few out-of-date job postings.
- Yahoo HotJobs – Yahoo’s job search site. It seems to post lots of similar jobs to Indeed.
- CareerBuilder – A jobs site with extensive job listings, highly recommended but be careful what you check and uncheck when you are registering…they will span you.
- SimplyHired – I was not told of this site until after I got a job but I’ve heard good things about it…and Time and Forbes seem to approve of it.
- Dice.com – A job site for tech professionals only. Extensive listings depending on your location. I liked the amount of listings but I did not enjoy how even though they let you upload a resume they still made you fill out all your info into form fields.
Every day Monday through Friday I would try to apply for a minimum of one job a day, usually more, and I would keep track of the following information for each job I applied for:
- The company the job was for.
- The locations of the job.
- The job position and details.
- When I applied for the job.
Of course the internet is not your only option, depending on your job you could still pound the pavement looking. Just go into the business and ask if they are hiring, if they don’t know ask if there is a supervisor or HR employee (depending on the business) who may know more. Be polite, if they don’t want to share they prolly are not a place you want to work…if they don’t want you don’t waste your time.
In addition to the internet and just popping into random businesses I looked up a number of different temp agencies (companies that halp you find temporary work that sometimes turns into a full time job). With the temp agencies I noticed that although they do have jobs and are willing to help you it is important to look out for yourself. You need to be specific about what you want, you need to follow up with them about any opportunities and that sort of thing. Also, remember that you are just a job for them, they can and will help you, but they don’t have to care.
Wonderful, but some days I just feel so down…
There were days where no matter what I did I couldn’t get out whatever funk I was in. They didn’t happen often but when they did my first priority was to get out of it and get on with my regularly scheduled programming. This, is really where your friends and family come in. Sure, they can help you look for jobs (and they did) but the way they really helped is they were there for me when I needed them. Sometimes I would just call up my father and talk to him for a while, tell about how my job search was going, see how his day was. It was good to talk to someone who I knew would listen and give advice if I wanted it. If a phone call didn’t do it occasionally I would drive up to see my parents (my parents only live 2 hours away) or visit my fiancee for a few days. If it was not possible to go visit family I would try to get together with friends in the evening.
Ok, I’m not down about being unemployed, I’m looking hard for a job, but I’m leaking money…help!
This is the part that worries most people. Money is needed almost every day for some reason or another; gas, food, bills, and rent…they all need to be taken care of and if you don’t have an emergency fund I have once recommendation. First, apply for unemployment, there is nothing wrong with it if you actually need it, that’s what it is there for. Then after you have the unemployment set up get any job you can. Full time, part time, anything. Seriously, and this is the mistake I made, even if it is McDonalds, or Wal*Mart, or Pick n’ Save when you don’t have money to pay bills any job will do. As I mentioned before I did have an emergency fund which allowed me to just get unemployment but in hindsight having even a part time job while looking for something more permanent would have been better than sitting around all day…even when I had a schedule as mentioned earlier.
Final Thoughts
All the things I shared above are pretty much the start and end of how I did things when I was unemployed in an attempt to find a new job. In my case I had to move to find a new job, you may or may not, but I want to leave you with a few final thoughts:
- Yes, you are unemployed, but if you are spending money on things you need don’t beat yourself up. You need to eat, that movie that just came out on DVD last week…not so much.
- You have friends and family for a reason…use them and let them support you, that’s what they are there for.
- Visit a church even if you normally wouldn’t, you would be surprised just how soothing, calming, and reassuring sitting in a church and thinking is.
- Keep your chin up and look hard, there are jobs out there, you just gotta make yourself shine above the competition.
So, that’s my story. What about you? Are you currently unemployed? Were you unemployed and have now found a job? Please share your thoughts and ideas in the comments below. Also, if you liked this post please share the link with your friends and family.
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