Many people suffer from unemployment stress and lose self-esteem when faced with a job loss. Although negative feelings attributed to losing a job is completely understandable, it must not become a road block that would hinder oneself from progressing as the days passes.
In these trying times, a stronger heart and a tougher mind is necessary in order to go on with life and remain hopeful. It’s easier said than done but choosing which side we’d like to be on will determine the outcome of our decision.
Facing the sad reality is hard but we have to go on with our lives and remain strong especially if our family depends on us. As we try to get back on track, we may need some helpful tips along the way to keep us going so here are the 10 (ten) practical ways to empower yourself during unemployment.
1. Do some self-checking. Determine your transferable skills and interests that you do best and mostly enjoy doing in order for you to clearly assess in details which job(s) you would most like to have, to your family, friends, contacts, networks and employers and use this as your guideline when searching for work.
2. Utilize the power of the internet to your advantage. Search for jobs and post your resume directly on the company’s website you find fitting. Market your credentials on job boards for maximum exposure.
3. Socialize. If you’re the type of person who’s usually shy and timid, now’s the right time to get over that feeling. These are the hard times so you need to exert more effort than you should. Approach your friends, relatives, and people within your community for job leads. Don’t be shy as you might just get the right opportunity from these sources close to you.
4. Go back to your roots. Visit the Alumni services/career centers of the schools you have attended and check for job leads. Ask former professors and teachers for some help.
5. Seek assistance from the authorities. Visit your state/federal unemployment service or unemployment office or your local private employment agencies for unemployment benefits application which would help you sustain your daily grind and job-hunting expenses.
6. Read the local newspaper. Who says that the newspaper is dead? Find “Help Wanted Ads” from your local newspaper. Use them well to get the most out of it. Read thoroughly all the employment ads including the categories you’re not mostly interested in because you never know where your next job may be listed. Encircle all jobs that look interesting to you and go back to it when you’re all done picking which ones look promising then filtering which jobs suit your qualifications.
Cut out the ones left unfiltered and compile them in to a file folder so you can track which jobs you have applied for and how it was advertised in case you’ve been called for an interview. Journals related to your profession or field of expertise can also be used as a source of job opportunities so answer as many job openings that caught your interest.
7. Go out and visit places where there are job pick up points. It could be within your area, a famous landmark and/or street. Be interested in joining clubs within your area as additional source of job leads and connection as well. Cold call or visit companies that you can find within your Yellow pages directory for more sources of possible job opportunities.
8. Think of starting your own small business. But first, consider observing what your community needs and capitalize on that need.
9. Prepare yourself and retrain whenever possible. Think of going back to school to learn new things that are not related to your previous job or career and hone your skills. Take the civil service exam in case you want to work for the government or if an opportunity calls. This way, you can have a wider scope of job alternatives.
10. Keep the faith if you have one and pray as if everything depends on your god and work as if everything depends on yourself.
There are so much more to add but hopefully this list has served its purpose so keep that optimism flowing because eventually, these hardships are soon going to be over.
Filed under Job Hunting Tips by on Jun 28th, 2010. 3 Comments. 
“Nothing is definitely final until its final.” That’s what most 1.2 million hopeful Americans believe after the Republicans successfully filibustered the extension of unemployment benefits including Bill H.R. 4213 which will allow additional time only for application of unemployment extension.
With hundreds of thousands of jobless Americans depending on their meager unemployment insurance, they just won’t sit back and wait until their last hopes are gone and so are the increasing numbers of people who are signing the petition at change.org for the immediate passing of Bill H.R. 4213.
While Bill H.R. 4213 could be helpful for application of extension, it does not include a tier 5 of unemployment benefits.
Know more on how-to apply for extended unemployment benefits by visiting your state unemployment office.
Update: 15 July 2010
A new petition to Extend Emergency Unemployment Compensation can be found here which are normally petitions that send email to Capitol Hill.
Filed under Unemployment Trends by on Jun 28th, 2010. 1 Comment.
It’s final. The US Senate has finally rejected the legislation that would stretch the deadline for long-term benefits even after the Democrats trimmed the cost from $55 billion over ten years to $33 billion.
It was estimated that about a million Americans will be losing their unemployment compensation at the end of this month and as many as 2 million by mid-July.
The news will be a shocker to the millions who have ceased their jobs as a result of this economic downturn. The current national unemployment rate stands at 9.7% which is more than twice what’s considered acceptable.
Despite the cuts made by the Senate Democrats just to have the bill conform to what the Republicans say could add to the federal deficit to $1.4 trillion this year, after eight weeks debate, it has come to end and 41 Republican senators successfully filibustered the bill.
Unemployed? Visit your local unemployment office for assistance.
Filed under Unemployment Trends by on Jun 25th, 2010. 3 Comments.
