Help - I Lost My Job!
Unemployment tips and resources for the recently laid off
The following 30+ articles from Wise Bread and other personal finance blogs are helpful if you have just been laid off or you suspect that you will soon be laid off. They are grouped into these four sections. (You can click on the link to jump to the section, or scroll down.)
- Initial Shock: Coping With a Layoff
- Getting a New Job: Tips for Finding and Getting Your New Job
- Scrounging Up Some Extra Income
- Still Have Your Job? Avoid Getting Laid Off
Also check out the sidebar for links to job boards and other job hunting resources.
Initial Shock - Coping With a Layoff
Seven Tips for the Newly Unemployed
The unemployment rate in California surged to 6.9%, and that is equivalent to the rate in early 2003. Most news reports say that unemployment will probably go up a bit more in the short term as our economy deals with the credit crisis. Personally, I am seeing some friends and family deal with unemployment right now, and here are some tips that could be helpful for those in this situation. By Xin Lu
You May Have to Fight for Your Unemployment Benefits
If you've recently been laid off, you may have to fight for your right to collect unemployment from the government. You probably know that if you are fired, you can't collect unemployment from the government. Although qualifications can vary from state to state, generally, only people who are laid off from their jobs will qualify for unemployment benefits. But did you know that, even if you are laid off, your employer can challenge your right to receive benefits? By Andrea Dickson
Getting By Without a Job, Part 1 - Losing a Job
Losing a job is always tough. During hard economic times -- when it may not be possible to find another job as good as the one you've lost -- it's even tougher. Here are a few steps you can take right after losing a job to make sure that your financial house is in order, so that you can focus on your job search. By Philip Brewer
Getting By Without a Job, Part 2 - Boost Income
If there's one fundamental rule for financial success, it's "spend less than you earn." That rule applies whether you have a job or not. But, if you're used to having a job, the adjustments to getting by without one are going to be huge. It can be done, though. I suggest a three-pronged strategy, the first prong being to boost your income. By Philip Brewer
Getting By Without a Job, Part 3 - Cut Spending
With the economy tanking, more and more people will be not just losing their job, but will be finding themselves without one for an extended period. When that happens it's not good enough to just cut back a little and use debt to make ends meet until the economy recovers. Getting by without a job is possible, even for an extended period -- but it requires taking drastic measures to cut spending, and it requires taking them early, while you've still got some cash. By Philip Brewer
Getting By Without a Job, Part 4 - Get Free Stuff
There are all kinds of ways to get stuff without money. You can grow it in a garden, gather it from the wild, make it yourself, get it as a gift, scavenge it from trash, or get it free from someone who hopes to sell you something else. All of these generally involve spending time instead of spending money--but someone who's getting by without a job probably has some time to spend.
Typical personal finance advice would have you divide your budget categories into two groups: Your fixed expenses and your discretionary expenses. I generally don't like that distinction much--how is your power bill more fixed than your grocery bill? When you reach the point of emergency economizing, though, it's a useful way to structure your thinking. By Philip Brewer
Finding and Getting a New Job
How to Answer 23 of the Most Common Interview Questions
Let’s face it; no one likes the interview process. Well, certainly not the people being interviewed anyway. You have to be on your best behavior, you only get one chance to get it right, and it’s like taking your driving test all over again. Over the years I’ve been to countless interviews. Here I present 23 questions you’re likely to be asked, and how I have learned to answer them. Why 23? Because I had more than 20 and less than 25. Remember, being interviewed is a skill, and if you do the preparation you should ace it every time. By Paul Michael
Laid Off? What To Do Before Plunging Into The Job Search
Your company has announced a soon-to-come layoff or you’ve been escorted out of the door. What’s next? What should you do…before updating your résumé, tapping into your professional network, and looking for a job? (Those of you who are considering career changes may also find this guide useful). By Julie Rains
Resume Dos and Don'ts
Now isn’t the time to slack in this area if you’re looking for a job, you’re competing with literally hundreds to maybe thousands for one position. If you’re looking for work, take a second look at your resume and make sure your resume and cover letter at least falls within the following guidelines. By Ginger (at Consumerism Commentary)
Job hunting: What is your dutch wife?
When I was in college, I worked in the computer center. When my boss wanted to hire a new operator, he asked a couple of us to go over resumes. That experience, which gave me some insight into the way hiring managers look at things, turned out to be more useful in my career than just about anything I learned in actual classes. It also gave me a story I tell anyone who's applying for a job: The story of the dutch wife. By Philip Brewer
Five J.O.B.'s That Aren't That B.A.D.
There will be times when the reason to work is to simply get paid. Regardless of where you got your degree or how many years you’ve worked in that specialized industry, it may simply be necessary to grab an entry-level position with a decent wage. By Linsey Knerl
6 Warning Signs That It's Not the Job for You
You’re scouting around for a decent job. While you realize that great jobs are hard to find, you’re avoiding getting into a position that really stinks. Here are 6 tell-tale characteristics of generally lousy jobs, and why it may be best to cut-and-run. By Linsey Knerl
Use Holiday Hiring to Get Your Next Job – And Keep it!
Looking for some work? Maybe a part time gig or a fresh start in a new industry? We speak with an expert who tells us what businesses are looking for in their next round of holiday hires – and how to make it a permanent affair. By Linsey Knerl
How to get a job -- learn the secret from a bad movie
I've read a bunch of books on how to do a job search. They all talk about networking. They all talk about researching the company -- knowing what they do and what they need done. They all talk about "creating" a job -- presenting yourself as a solution to a problem. I read the books, but I didn't understand what they meant, until I saw this really bad movie. By Philip Brewer
Job-Search Romance
How is a job search like a romantic adventure or misadventure? Let me count the ways: nine. If you’ve ever wondered how to tell if a company is truly interested or just isn’t into you, here are clues on interpreting the signals. By Julie Rains
Deciding when to follow instructions
Anytime someone announces that they're looking to hire, there'll be instructions on how to apply -- even if nothing more than a sign that says, "Inquire within." Often, they'll want quite a bit more -- resume, cover letter, samples, references, etc. There's a delicate dance involved in deciding just how completely to follow those instructions. Here are a few of the important steps. By Philip Brewer
So what’s better - a great job with average pay or a sucky job with fantastic pay?
Comparing the benefits of each type of job. Wise Bread readers weigh in the choice. By Paul Michael
Effective Networking in a One-Horse Town
Whether you freelance, run a small business, or just need some good, solid contacts for future career opportunities, networking can be the difference between being successful and barely making it. So what do you do when you’re living and working from Small Town, USA (population 1800)? By Linsey Knerl
Find work worth doing
I worked at a non-profit -- a local nature center -- over the summer of 1979. After we wrapped up our main task, those of us who wanted to were allowed stay on for the few weeks before we went back to college, doing things like trimming branches on the hiking trails, repainting the lines in the parking lot, and working around a very old house that was to be turned into an exhibit on settlement-era homesteads. It was work that was worth doing. By Philip Brewer
In the Meantime - Get Some Extra Income
Extra Income Opportunity: Online Tutoring
Do you have an area of expertise and a desire for some extra income? Are you good with concepts and do you like to work with students from elementary school to post-graduate levels? If so, you might have an opportunity to make some money on the side (or even full-time) from the comfort of your home. Online tutoring is a fast-growing industry, enabled by the age of convenience and high-speed internet connections. By Nora Dunn
8 Fun Ways to Make Money
None of these will make you independently wealthy or even allow you to quit your day job (unless you get a serious dose of luck along with your ingenuity), but they just might let you get enough cash to fund something special. By Sarah Winfrey
5 More Fun Money-Making Ideas
These are more "turn your hobbies into a job" type posts, and I don't suppose that they are all viable for everyone, but with a little creativity, they can be parlayed into part-time gigs. By Troy Hadley
8 Good Reasons to Become a Freelance Contractor
If you enjoy moving around and gaining new experience, and hate office politics, contracting might be the way to go. By Andrea Dickson
5 Tips for Finding Legitimate Work at Home Opportunities
When you search for work at home opportunities on the internet, oftentimes you will find sites pitching programs that could make you thousands of dollars a week. Usually these programs are scams designed to take your money. So how do you go about finding legitimate work at home jobs that pay you for your time? Read on for some ideas and resources. By Xin Lu
The Key to Making Money Online? Diversification, Baby!
Just as diversification can help balance your investments, it can also help balance your income. And for those of you hoping to make a living online, balance is definitely key. By Kate Luther
Still Have Your Job? Avoid Getting Laid Off
How to Survive (and Thrive!) In a Job You Hate
Whether the hours are terrible, the pay is awful, the coworkers are wretched, or the boss is horrid, hated jobs are very much a thing of the present. We work them for different reasons, for different lengths of time, and with different levels of satisfaction, but almost all of us work them at some point. Here are a few secrets for making that hated job easier. By Sarah Winfrey
You're Fired! 20 Signs That a Pink Slip is Coming
This article was written as a warning to employees who are on the brink of being fired. It is also useful as a guide for warning signs that you are on the layoff list. If you can answer yes to THREE or more of these questions, you may want to think about sprucing up your resume and dry-cleaning your best interview attire. By Paul Michael
10 Essential Steps to Take Before You're Laid Off
Some have asked me to review their resumes and offer suggestions. Unfortunately these folks are now in job recovery mode and aren’t able to optimally position themselves for landing on their feet. Instead, I'm going to suggest ten things you can do now to be prepared for a layoff a year from now. By Kevin Merritt (at Get Rich Slowly)
What's an employee to do? Part 1
During the recession of 1990-1991, and the period of very slow growth that followed, it became conventional wisdom that it was wrong to try to retain key employees through a slowdown. If there was no work for an employee to do -- even just for fifteen minutes -- that employee should be let go. By Philip Brewer
What's an employee to do? Part 2
The trend toward replacing traditional employees with varying combinations of temps, contractors, outsourcing, and off-shoring is old news now. That gives us a bit of perspective to look at the situation and come up with some strategies for employees (and, increasingly, ex-employees) to deal with the situation. By Philip Brewer
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