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WCNC BLOG |
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November 2008
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I am excited about our Back to Work series that continues this week. It is a topic I feel passionate about. I was laid off shortly after graduating college - right after 9/11. I was living in Kentucky, no family around, no savings and bills to pay! It was a shock to the system and it taught me a lot. More importantly, I learned how to survive without a job. Maybe what I learned can help you too. Take these tips to heart they worked for me - hopefully they'll work for you. 1. Unemployment office. It is hard to go in there. My unemployment office was in Fayette County KY. I can sum up the whole experience using an abridged quote from Harlan, the man who signed me up: "I'm going to have to tell your company to stop sending all the pretty ladies down here." I also got asked out on a date there, once. It was an experience and will be the first chapter of any book I ever write...BUT I couldn't have survived my year without it. It helped me bridge the gap between paychecks. It's insurance money. You paid for it. Don't be shy. Go in there and claim it. Just be careful about looking cute. You may get hit on. 2. Get Out of the House - I noticed I would get a little stir crazy and well depressed, it I sat in the house too long. So get out of the house, it will make you feel like you have a purpose. I would go to the library, research stuff on the Internet. My friend Lisa was gracious enough to let me use the office in her house throughout the day, which was a lifesaver. I thought of it as my own "job search office" 3. Limit Daytime TV References - A funny tip, but there's some truth to it! Don't talk too much - hey did you see that on The View? What about Regis and Kelly? That hurts your image at the cocktail party. People will be like, why are you watching so much daytime TV, you need to find a job. Trust me. 4. Set daily/weekly goals - I networked every day. I set mini goals for myself. Today I'm going to send out three networking emails and apply for two jobs. Something like that. It makes you feel accomplished and encouraged, especially when you make contact with someone who offers to help. THIS IS A MUST DO, especially when the rejection letters come pouring in. 5. Find something to do - When I think back to the things I got myself into when I got laid off, I laugh every time. I temped at a company where I was supposed to answer phones, but ended up doing their monthly sales forecasts. My bosses were Bambi and Tillie. Tillie got mad because she thought I jammed the copier on purpose. Um. No. I also ended up teaching at a business school. That was so much fun and rewarding (wow! People actually think I'm an expert in my field, even if I DON'T have a job!). I also pitched a project for the Girl Scouts. They strung me along for months and finally said no to the project, but they sent me a CASE of cookies. Hello! 6. Get Humble - You've lost your job. You are not independently wealthy. You've got to pay the bills. Figure out how to make your situation work and get to it. Potato Chips and your coach will NOT solve your problems and in this economy a job is not going to fall out of the sky. How'd I get back on my feet? I took a major pay cut and accepted my next job. Why? I needed a job. I needed insurance. I needed a paycheck. I couldn't take one more rejection letter. In the end it was worth it because it got my foot in the door. I'm now in a great place career wise. I wouldn't have gotten here, if I didn't take that first humbling pay cutting step.
Do you have any job search tips? Email me. rclapp@wcnc.com 1 CommentsLeave a comment |
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