I need to find a job!

Whether you’ve been let go, downsized, you’re moving far away or the company you work for is moving….. you find yourself in the position of looking for a job.

Whether the choice to terminate was yours or your company’s decision, it’s understandable if you’re feeling a little anxious about your future.  It’s entirely possible that you may even go through a “period of mourning” over the loss of your job.  I know.  I’ve lived through layoffs, downsizing and corporate moves 4 times already.  In the first part of my career I was with a large company for more than 18 years and survived 5 rounds of layoffs.  During the 6th round of layoffs the company was cutting deep.  I lost my job along with 4,000 other employees.

I found myself in a somewhat fortunate situation because of my 18 years with the company.  I received a severance package of 10 months salary and I began collecting unemployment immediately.  I had plenty of time to look for another job……..or so I thought.  I’ve since learned from my mistakes.  Don’t wait before looking for another job!

From the time I got serious about my job search (6 months later), until the time I actually found another job, 8 more months flew by.  A word of advice…… when the folks at unemployment tell you that you should treat your job search like a full time job, they know what they’re talking about!

It won’t actually take you 8 hours a day to look for another job but it will require that you take it seriously and begin looking as soon as possible.  You need to get organized and search methodically and efficiently.  If you heed the advice found here on this website you’ll be able to look for another job and still have some time to enjoy  your day while you’re looking for you next job.  Since you’re unemployed right now, you might as well enjoy your time off a little.  A little!!  Don’t stress over something you can’t change.  Just do what you can on a daily basis.  I once heard a saying that I’ve held close to my heart.  “Do your best and then rest”!  Go enjoy a nice walk in the park after you’ve completed you job search tasks for the day.  But don’t forget to take your cell phone with you!  Remember to list your cell phone on your resume too.  That all important phone call just might come when you’re out of the house.

The fact about job hunting is that there can be upwards of 100-200 people applying for every job that’s posted.  I kept hearing that statement from the recruiters I interviewed with.   You really need to understand that it will take some time to find another job.  That’s why you should begin your search as soon as you find yourself emotionally able to wrap your arms around what’s just occurred in your life.  I’ve known some wonderful talented people who sunk into deep depression over their job loss and weren’t able to begin their job search for quite some time.  I hope that’s not you.  I hope you understand that bad things sometimes do happen to good people and when one door closes there WILL be another door that will open.  Hold onto that hope.  It’s true.

Here is an overview of what your step by step plan will look like: