Recover From Unemployment
Times are hard and everyone has either been unemployed or knows someone who has. Know that you are valuable and have important skills for the right employer, even though you were just let go. It is scary when time goes by and you are still unemployed, but know it won't last forever. Now, you have to create a strategy to recover from unemployment.
Contents
Steps
Get Another Job
- See what is out there. The first order of business is to survey the possibilities.
- You may not have paid any attention to the resources available to help you get back on your feet. Now, however, you need to know about them.
- The state unemployment office has a wealth of information including job openings, community resources and various industry news articles.
- Scan newspapers and websites for job openings that interest you.
- Review the classified ads in the local paper and in any other newspapers in areas where you may relocate.
- Sign up with major Internet sites such as CareerBuilder and Monster that post ads for jobs.
- Public libraries have newspapers from all over the country and most have computers you can use.
- Take a temporary job. These may turn into full-time jobs if you are a good fit. These pay the bills while you are looking.
Reorganize After Being Hired
- Assess your financial situation. Unemployment may be a national problem, but for you and your loved ones, it is very personal.
- Prepare a budget of bills that must be paid and the income you expect to bring in after taxes.
- List all of your creditors and the amount of normal monthly payments going forward.
- Be sure to list the necessary weekly living expenses of food, gasoline for work and any other items that are regular expenditures.
- Remember that you may need to make some purchases for the new job. Specific clothing items or job-related tools top this list and often cannot wait.
- Take the amount that is left and set it aside to help you catch up. This is your operating capital to get you through this recovery.
- List all of the bills you are behind on with the amounts beside each. Total this record.
- Call individual creditors and discuss what can be done. Many of them have programs that will allow you to start fresh with them, since it seems you will now be in better shape. Others may suggest the missed payments go onto the end of the note. Or refinancing could be an option.
- Rent and utility expenses are a different story. You need to arrange to pay each month's bill as it comes due and add a specific amount on top of that each month until you get caught up.
- Stay aware of the financial climate. You can easily find yourself in the same situation again.
- Deposit as much as you can in a savings account.
Tips
- Check into further education if you had to take a job that was not in your area of expertise. Don't allow yourself to give up on what you want to do in life after getting over the joblessness you just went through.
Warnings
- Not everyone will agree with what you have in mind. Keep your mind open when working with creditors. They could offer options you never thought of.
