So You’ve Just Lost Your Job. What Should You Do Now?

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Losing your job is never a good thing. You go to work because you need to earn a living. After all, how else will you pay your bills each month? There are many reasons why thousands of people end up without a job each year.

Some get fired for a plethora of reasons. Others lose their jobs because of redundancy. When you lose your job, it can feel like a major blow. It doesn’t just affect your income, of course. It also has an impact on your confidence and self-esteem.

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It’s likely you are reading this because you have recently lost your job. If that’s the case, today’s blog post is just for you. Keep reading to find out what you should be doing next and the best ways to proceed.

Don’t panic

I know it’s something that is easy is to say, but it’s true: don’t panic! Yes, you’ve just lost your job. But, you need to keep your cool and come up with a plan of action.

The stress of losing your job will no doubt make you feel anxious and stressed out. But, if you only focus on those emotional states, you’ll lose clarity on what to do next.

Make an unemployment insurance claim

If you’ve lost your job through no fault of your own, you can make an insurance claim. Each state can provide unemployment benefits to eligible workers. You must bear in mind that the process isn’t as easy as it might sound.

Most people hire a lawyer to help them submit a successful claim. Otherwise, they could risk having their claim rejected. Even if it’s down to a simple clerical error. Take a look at http://www.kcarplaw.com/nationwide-unemployment-attorney/ to learn how a lawyer could help you.

Workforce 2011 Job Fair  @ Blaisdell Center

Start looking for jobs

While your insurance claim is getting processed, you should start looking for jobs. The good news is there will be plenty of jobs you can apply for. You just need to motivate yourself to apply for them!

The trouble with losing your job is you also lose some of your self-confidence. As a result, you won’t feel motivated enough to find a new one. Partly because you think you’re not worthy of a new one!

A change of perspective is all that’s needed here. You should consider looking for employment as a job in itself. Structure your day so that you set an amount of time finding vacancies. Next, allocate some time to applying for each one.

Be sure to tailor your resume for each role applied for. Don’t just send out a standard copy and paste document to prospective employers. One thing you could do is create different versions of your resume to suit particular niches.

That way, your skills will be more relevant and attractive to companies in each industry.

Don’t give up

Last, but not least, it’s important not to despair. You WILL get a new job soon. You just need to keep going until you start getting interviews. Check out http://www.jobbankusa.com/interview_questions_answers/ for details of likely interview questions and how to answer them. Good luck!

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Jeremy Kaplan

A 50-something year old lifestyle, career, and education blogger based in Atlanta, Georgia. Years of experience in the office setting working with others and still loving it year-after-year.

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