Be a survivor in today’s job market

The shock of being laid off can be a big one

Some people handle it better than others do. Unfortunately many people have their lives wrapped around their current salary, and a loss of the job means possibly a loss of the boat, memberships in clubs, loss of vacations, etc. Just look at how many home mortgages are in trouble because that person/family over extended themselves. Become a SURVIVOR!

Ok, lets get abstract

If you were on an airplane that crashed on an unknown island in the jungle and you were the only survivor, what would you do? Would you sit around and mope about your plight? Well you may for a little, but the you would get hungry and thirsty, which would put you in survivor mode. Put yourself in that mindset and begin your new life!

Become focused

I’m probably one of the least focused people I know, even though others may say I am good at multi-tasking. It’s all I can do to focus myself some days to stay on a project or documentation. But I have worked at channeling my focus as a means to an end – finding work. You can too! I guarantee it!

Be realistic

Even though you may have thought there are jobs out there, you are one of many who applies for a given job. If you were making a big paycheck, don’t expect to get a job paying the same. You may want to consider working as a contractor for a while. I would be happy for you if you do, but for most people it isn’t going to happen.

Here’s some things I learned and did

• File for unemployment. If you know you qualify, at least you will have groceries. If you get a rejection letter and think you still qualify – fight it.
• Cut costs where ever you can. Reduce the TV cable bill where ever you can. Drop to a lower package. I dropped a $45 Comcast broadband account which they say “you can get up to 10 Mb download”. I never got it. I used dslreports.com/tools/speed test to give me close to accurate upload and download speeds. Then I got an AT&T broadband account which gives me 3Mb download ad $15/month less.
• Review your 401K. There is a 10% penalty for taking your money out of your 401K before you are allowed, and you will still owe taxes on that money too. But pencil out how much it would cost you to take some of your 401K and pay your credit cards off, or a car loan. The mental relief you will get out of paying off bills is tremendous.
• Launch a job search. Use your social networking skills to let people know that you are out of work and am looking for work. Check the local newspaper, online job engines, paid sites (which I’m against), and job fairs. I’ll adress this in a different page

It’s all up to you

Like anything else, the level of success will depend on the level of effort you put into it. Good luck with your search!

Photo courtesy of Balthus Van Tassel at Flickr