Dealing With Unemployment
March 17, 2008 – 8:27 pmUnemployment can tear lives apart but handled properly and sensitively, losing your job doesn’t have to mean the end of the road for you.
The first thing to consider once you’ve got over the shock, is finances. Indeed, if you have enough in the bank, is this newfound freedom an ideal opportunity for you to live a dream? Should you open your own business, go travelling or write a book? These are things many people dream of but very few ever have the time to do.
Now you do. And work can wait.
Or are finances tight?
If so, take a day or two to recover from the shock, relax and enjoy yourself a little (go for a walk, see old friends etc.) then it’s time to get back to it.
First off, how can you cut your monthly living expenses fast to make it easier to make ends meet? What can you cancel, what can you stop doing. Try ringing people you will owe money to soon (credit card, mortgage, medical insurance etc.) and explain the situation. Many will be simpathetic and may be able to offer you a payment holiday or reduced rates.
Then it’s time to find a new job.
Be realistic - firstly you need cash, the job satisfaction and pride have to come later.
So don’t aim too high. Sure, start applying for jobs of a similar level to your old one, but you can’t afford a slip-up so also apply for basic, entry-level jobs like working in a store, a bar or a fast food joint.
I know, the thought of mixing drinks on a Friday night probably doesn’t appeal, but it’s better than missing mortgage payments. And once you’ve got regular (if considerably smaller) cash flow coming in, it’s then that you can start to hink about the next step.
The next step, of course, being to look for more enjoyable, more meaningful (and more profitable) work.
I hope it doesn’t take you too long to get yourself back on your feet. Good luck to you.
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