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Coping with Job Loss

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Coping with the loss of a job can be discouraging, frustrating and embarrassing. Your first reaction is “How am I going to provided for my family”? “ How am I going to find a job”? These are legitimate questions that need to answer. The first step is not to get down on yourself because it will not only affect you, but your entire family.

Here are some suggestions on what to do if you are being laid off:

Don’t take it personal - Lay offs are not the fault of the employee, but the fault of the employer for not raising enough money to support all of it’s workers.
Recognized the grief process - There is a common process people go through when being laid off. There are five steps in this order: denial, anger, sadness, bargaining and finally acceptance. The quicker to get to the last step the better.
Act Smart - Do not panic. If there was ever a time to act professional, this is the time.
Don’t threaten retaliation - Don’t think by threatening your employer he or she will stop you from being laid off. You will only being adding more fuel to the fire.
Contact a lawyer - If you feel you were laid off in an illegally, immediately contact a lawyer who has experience in employment law.
Review your separation announcement - Ask to review the announcement your employer is going to make to the employees or the public. Ask he or she to highlight your accomplished that is worded to your approval and it doesn’t harm you in the eyes of your colleagues or possible employers.
Put together a comprehensive job hunting campaign - Redirect your energy and time in finding your next job. Work with a professional resume writer to create or update your resume.
Determine your employee value - conduct a thorough self-assessment and identify what “value” you can offer employers. In short, what talent or skills do you possess? Answer these questions, “Why would an employer hire me?” or “What benefit will employers derive from hiring me?” Do not assume an employer can automatically hire after reviewing your resume.
Determine your market worth - conduct some research or work with several employment recruiters or career guide ness professional to determine what salary level you command, as well as what benefits could be offered to a person with your experience. The combination of your salary and benefits is your market worth.
Prepare a monthly budget - do this immediately. Even if you have money put away, you should prepare a monthly budget and get your finances in order. Cut all unnecessary monthly expenses and only make minimum payments and all of your debt until you receive a paycheck again.
Ask your employer if they can recommend you for placement elsewhere within the company or with a related company or company with whom your employer does business.
Ask you employer for reference material
Stay in touch with fellow employees that may find a new position and may be able to refer you.
Go to a local recruiter that can place you in a job that suits your skills and abilities

Where do I get help?
There are various services available to you when you involuntary lose your job. Support from your family, friends, various community and religious groups, help is available. The U.S. government supports many programs that may help you from retraining and unemployment benefits to food stamps and affordable housing programs.
It is discoursing to lose a job, but there are several ways to look for a new career.

What to do after losing a job

The first thing not to do is get down on yourself because if you do you are only hurting yourself and your family. Here are some steps to take after you lose your job:

Talk to your family - your family will offer the support and guide ness you will need to get back on your feet.
File for unemployment- http://www.doleta.gov/
Cultivate your investments- IRA rollover; evaluate your investment and the next steps for your 401k plan.Organize your finances- Create a monthly budget and eliminate those unnecessary spending habits. Create or update your resume- Distinguish yourself with individual talents, skills, background, accomplished and abilities. Separate yourself from other candidates and stand out from the crowd.. There are several companies that will create your resume and a cover letter for you. www.resume.com & www.e-resume.net

Here are 7 steps for creating a superior resume:

Write it yourself - This will allow you to organize your thoughts and background.
Make it error free - Spelling or grammar errors will create a negative impression. Have someone review your final draft for any errors. Remember to utilize your spell check on your computer.
Make it look good - cheap paper, poor copy quality, creates a poor appearance will turn off employer even to the best resume.
Be brief and relevant: good resumes fit onto one page. Use short sentences and include only the most important points.
Be honest - If you end up with a job you can’t handle, what’s the point. Eventually your employer will notice and it may result in your termination.
Be positive - stress your accomplishments and results.
Be specific - use numbers when ever possible, such as the number of people served, dollars saved or the percentage by which sales increased. Instead of saying “ I am good with people,” you can say, “I have management 20 people in my group and increased our monthly goal by 35%.

New Job Search

Here are several websites to look on for a new career:
By posting your resume on one of these websites you allow an employer to review your resume and see if you are a candidate for one of their position. Here are several websites you can post your resume on:

www.careerbuilder.com

www.monster.com

www.getajobservices.com

www.jobweb.com

www.bridgewaycareer.com

www.hotjobs.com

What employers are looking for in a potential employee?
Here are some ways you can look more attractive for an employer:

The ability to do the job - Make sure you are qualified for a job before a company brings you in for an interview.
Initiative - decision makers are looking for people who can “it the ground running”. They do not want a long learning curve because that would cost the company additional cost in training where the new employee is not producing quickly.
Job growth - Decision makers look for people who go above and beyond their normal job duties. Show they are willing to adaptive and take on additional responsibility.
Self confidence - Decision wants to put their trust in you to perform your job duties.
Leadership - companies are looking for strong leaders to help their organization grow and expand.
Compatibility - Always demonstrate your mental positive attitude
Attitude - Companies are looking for people with high energy level and tons of enthusiasm.
Social Skills, Interested and Involvement - Always act in a professional manner, be willing to help out when ever needed and give praise and credit to others.
Integrity - Display your professional ethics and personal morals.
Communications skills - How to effectively use your written and oral skills.

How to conduct your self in an interview!
First impressions are everything. You need to build a strong case for yourself too show this company why you are the best candidate for this position. Here are some ways too achieve this:

Shake hands with the interviewer
Sit up straight in your seat.
Look the interviewer in the eye.
Speak clearly and professional.
Dress in a professional manner.
Do researches on the company too let the interviewer know you have some knowledge of their company.
Send a follow up letter to the company 24 hours after your interview thanking them for their time.
Be early

Many job seekers make a mistake of saying (and thinking) something along the following:

“I don’t have a job right now.”
“I’m looking for work.”
“Somebody needs to hire me as a..”
“I’m unemployed.”
“I don’t really like my job. What I want to be is a.”
“I’m looking for a job as a.”

These innocent sounding sentiments, whenever spoken or repeated silently, may put your job search effort on fatally flawed foundation. The fact is, you do have a job, right now. Whether it feels like it or not, you are in marketing and sales. Your product is you.

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