Sadly, the prospect of being unemployed or getting laid off these days is higher than it’s been in decades. If you are out of work, or know someone who is, the following tips can help.
If you are currently unemployed and wish to apply for unemployment benefits, the Federal Citizen Information Center recently blogged about some helpful resources. They include the website at “Career-one-stop” where you can apply for unemployment, search for job centers and training all on one website.
Update your basic computer skills. If you don’t know Microsoft Word, or need to brush up on Excel or PowerPoint, take a free class at your local library. Being skilled in a foreign language or having quick typing skills is worth the investment. Courses are also widely available online, occasionally free but more often with a charge (job searching sites often offer them for $50 or less). While you’re at it, it might not hurt to take classes on sales… it can help you market yourself!
Brush up on your interview skills. Practice your answers to questions you believe you will be asked by a potential employer (especially about a lay-off or lapse in employment). You need to prove to them that you are a good fit and that you are there for the long-term.
Heading back to school or taking certification tests to help yourself stand out is another option. It’s a big decision, so consider all the options.
Build a strong resume – List accomplishments and use specifics – say you grew sales by $200,000, brought on 50 new clients, etc. It’s a good habit to regularly update your resume whenever you are employed, when everything is fresh in your mind.
Do you have a professional email address? Cutesy handles like “greatpokerface1984” have no place in job searches. Create a new email address if you need to. Also, be aware that some employers may infer information about you by what kind of email account you have.
Make sure it’s perfect – Triple-check it for spelling errors and other weaknesses. Give it to a friend to check for you. Never send out a resume when you have just finished editing it – step away from it, take a break, and review it with fresh eyes later.
Get it online – Getting your resume online gives you a better chance of having an employer find you. Get your resume online by:
Creating your own website. Make your own site for free (Yahoo, Freewebs and other sites are everywhere. Even professional pay sites are inexpensive - get a website for as low as $10 a year from GoDaddy.com.
Post it online for free at the above places or sites like 100bestfreewebspace. It’s recommended that you post in a few different formats (Word, Adobe .pdf) so each resume appears as a different link when someone web searches your name.
Reinventing yourself
If you feel your current career path isn’t working out, sometimes it’s best to take another look at yourself and your direction. You can look for career counseling:
In Person - For free assistance, search online for “free career development centers,” “job development” or “career counseling” in your area. Look for websites with .org addresses – they may be more likely to help you for free. Local libraries often host job seminars, and professional outplacement firms occasionally offer their services for free as well.
Online – You can find some basic (and occasionally advanced) career diagnostic tools online, and they are often free. You simply answer some questions and they give you some possible new directions and ideas. Try Careerbuilder, Careerpath or Self-Directed-Search, for starters.
Think of yourself as a product: Am I a well-known brand, like Coke? Or am I unknown? If you’re like most of us, you fall into the second category. Increase your visibility among your peers by joining professional organizations or offering yourself as a resource to the media for interviews. Start an industry blog and link to other blogs in your geographic region or field of expertise.
Business networking online
Numerous networking tools exist online - There’s LinkedIn, Facebook, BrightFuse, Twitter, and many others. Here’s a strategy to making these tools work for you:
Get yourself on at least one social networking website – LinkedIn is a good start because it focuses specifically on business networking. You’ll need to become a member and create a profile so others can find you online.
Create your network. Search for friends and former co-workers, alumni groups, trade organizations and groups you’d like to be associated with. Be bold – it never hurts to ask. And once someone is in your network, check out their networks! An article that may help is “Ten Ways to use LinkedIn to Find a Job.”
Let your network know you’re “in-between jobs” and looking for work. You can use your “status update” to let people know that you’re looking. You can also ask your network for recommendations you can use for your next interview.
Visit the website of a company you’d like to work at. Find the names of people in desired positions and use company directories and search engines to find out what kinds of career paths they’ve had. Company profiles can also let you know the next career step people took after leaving the company.
LinkedIn has a job search engine. Try and find which person posted the job – that might be the hiring manager, a key person to know if you want to work there.
Research the places you’d like to work - Check their “About us” section and their media/press pages. Is your prospective company expanding/contracting? Many sites specialize in researching other companies – Hoover’s or Vault.com are a few. Be sure to Google and Facebook search your interviewer!
Search yourself – There’s a good chance your employer is going to search you before you even step in the door. Be on the lookout for anything that’s less than flattering – you might get asked about it.
Specialized job resources, like Mediabistro for media jobs, or MedHunters for medical professionals. Look for sites that tell you how many jobs are posted – that will help you ignore the phony ones and the little guys.
Tailor your resume to fit the skills specific employers are seeking, and follow all instructions. If they say no calls, don’t call!
Give yourself a break
Search hard, but not obsessively. Keep other things on your agenda besides just job searching – go for walks, do some cooking, or run some errands. Your mind will stay fresher if you give it some breaks.
“Work at home” offers should be closely scrutinized to make sure they are legitimate. The Federal Trade Commission lists “medical billing,” “envelope stuffing” and “assembly work” as jobs that are often fraudulent – they ask you for money for materials to “get you started,” and the promised work never materializes. Some questions to ask about work-at-home offers (get the answers in writing to protect yourself):
What tasks will I have to perform? Ask the program sponsor to list every step of the job.
Will I be paid a salary or on commission?
Who will pay me?
When will I get my first paycheck?
What is the total cost of the work-at-home program, including supplies, equipment and membership fees? What will I get for my money?
If you have to buy equipment or supplies, ask whether and under what circumstances you can return them for a refund.
Is there a market for the work you are doing? Ask for names of good leads so you can confirm their interest.
Ask for references for people who have worked there in the past.
Don’t bother with unsolicited emailed offers for work-at-home jobs – many are scams.
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Sadly, the prospect of being unemployed or getting laid off these days is higher than it’s been in decades. If you are out of work, or know someone who is, the following tips can help.
Unemployment Resources
Update your basic computer skills. If you don’t know Microsoft Word, or need to brush up on Excel or PowerPoint, take a free class at your 
Think of yourself as a product: Am I a well-known brand, like Coke? Or am I unknown? If you’re like most of us, you fall into the second category. Increase your visibility among your peers by joining professional organizations or offering yourself as a resource to the media for interviews. 
Look at industry data – Read job forecasts to see which careers are hot and which are looking grim. Start with the 
