What to Do When You Lose Your Job

As humans, our first reaction to losing a job is to freak out. We wonder how we'll find another job and how we'll survive without any income. Life just comes to a crashing halt. I understand this feeling. In the past year, my husband has lost three jobs. We've learned a little bit on how to cope with job loss, how to survive without a job, and how to get a new job.

How to Cope With Job Loss

First of all, you need to understand the reason behind losing the job. Did the company outsource some jobs? Did the company go bankrupt? Were you fired for a breach of contract? Figure out why you were let go. You'll need this information for two things: forgiving yourself and applying for unemployment benefits. If the reason you were let go is due to company changes, you cannot blame yourself. There's really nothing that you could have done to prevent this from happening. Even if you sucked up to your boss and told him how great of a boss he was, you probably would have been let go anyway. Companies typically lay off people in order from less seniority to more seniority. Most likely you just hadn't been there long enough to have the seniority you needed to secure your job. This is not your fault. If you were fired because of something you did, you need to forgive yourself. Sometimes accidents just happen. Getting fired is a learning experience that no one wants to have but it can help you in so many ways. Forgive yourself and learn from your mistakes.

How to Survive Without a Job

First of all, you need to throw your pride out the window. The days, weeks, and months without a job are not the time to be proud and afraid to accept help. Secondly, if you were laid off, you should file for unemployment benefits as soon as possible. Most states have some sort of acceptance process and waiting period so get in line and file for unemployment. Thirdly, let go of all those luxuries you have in your life. Call your cable company and cancel the premium package and the extra features on your home phone. Cancel your Netflix and Blockbuster memberships. Go through your bills and see where you can trim down a little bit. Believe me - you don't want any additional expenses while you're out looking for a new job. You want to make whatever savings you may have last as long as possible. Finally, find something cheap but relaxing to do to wind down when you need to. Check out your local library and read some good books. Take a walk in the park with a friend. Living without a job is stressful and you need something to wind down. Whatever you do, don't pickup an unhealthy expensive habit like smoking, drinking or overeating. It will cost you money you don't have as well as your health.

How to Get a New Job

Getting a new job should be considered your full time job until you get a new full time job. If you aren't spending 40+ hours a week looking for a new job, you aren't trying hard enough. This doesn't necessarily mean you have to drive to every place in town asking for job applications and turning in your resume but it does mean that you should be spending a solid 8 hours a day working on something job related. When you wake up every morning, read the newspaper and check online job sources for new job leads. Some great online job resources are http://www.hotjobs.com and http://www.careerbuilder.com. Another great place to check is local college websites. There are 3 colleges in my area and they each have a job website. Unfortunately only one is open fully to the public but it still has quality job leads.

Also, spend some time rewriting your resume. Make sure you read through it and tweak it as necessary for each new job you apply for. Add your most recent job to your resume. Add any new skills you may have learned at your new job. Remove information such as why you left your jobs, boring objective lines, and skills that you no longer have. Learn how to write a good cover letter and submit that along with your resume. Practice answering common job interview questions and prepare good answers. Never get caught without an answer to a question. Answering "I don't know" to an interview question will get your application thrown out as soon as you walk out the door.

Finally, spend several hours a day applying for jobs. Fill out applications for jobs you haven't considered in the past. Who knows? You may find your dream job amongst those that you never considered. If jobs require that you apply in person, dress appropriately and bring your own pen when you come to fill out the application. If you're bold, ask to see the hiring manager and introduce yourself. Tell him or her that you are there to apply for the job and you just wanted to introduce yourself. Standing out like that could land you an interview on the spot. When applying for jobs, make sure you fill out every question. Some companies toss applications that are incomplete. If a question doesn't apply to you, write N/A or not applicable, depending on how much space you are given. Take your time filling out the application and write as neatly as you can. Again, some companies will toss an application if they cannot read it.

After you've filled out what seems to be thousands of job applications, you should start receiving phone calls to schedule interviews. Make sure you write down the time, date, and location of the interview. Repeat it to the caller to verify you wrote it down correctly. Next, prepare for interviews by researching the company. You want to show that you know about their company and that you want to work there. This will help you know the answer to the inevitable question "Why do you want to work for this company?" Wow them with your knowledge of their company. Prepare your interview clothing. At minimum, you should wear dress slacks and a polo shirt. Think about what their employees typically wear and plan to dress similarly or slightly more dressy. If the men typically wear suits, wear a suit. If you don't own a suit, buy a used suit at a thrift store. My husband has bought several great quality suits at Goodwill and they only cost $10 each. Add shoes, a shirt, and a tie and it will run you about $20. If you can't afford $20, sell some DVDs, games, or CDs, you can always buy those back after you have a job. If you cannot find any suits that fit you, call your local YMCA and churches in your area. Those places would be happy to give you a suit to wear. You just have to get out of your comfort zone and ask.

On the day of your interview, show up 10-15 minutes early unless you were told otherwise. Walk into the office, introduce yourself and tell them you are there for an interview at X o'clock. When you meet the interviewer, introduce yourself, look them in the eye and shake their hand firmly. Stay calm and answer their questions completely. Smile when necessary, but not during the entire interview, unless you want to be viewed as fake. Don't rush to answer the questions, think about your answers and never answer "I don't know." When the interview is over, shake the interviewer's hand, and thank them for their time. Repeat the application and interview process until you obtain a new job.

When you get a new job, feel free to celebrate.You have gone without a job and lived to tell about it.