Tag Archives: job search

MUCHO MONDAYS – Hot Tamale: 7 Priorities After Your Layoff

Getting Started, In Transition, , , , , , , ,
layoff, priorities, career, job loss, peace of mind, mucho Mondays, unemployment, recovery, job search
Photo by T.W. Collins

Just a reminder, if you have family, friends, or colleagues that are on the job hunt, please share this blog with them. Starting today, Memorial Day, I’m kicking off MUCHO MONDAYS, a 9-part weekly series derived from the content of my forthcoming book. Spice up your Mondays, and make the most of your job search for the week!

Chair throwing, keying someone’s car, blowing something up. If you’re laid off, these and many other emotions may run through your head in the first few days. And as satisfying as these may be, it’s always more practical to process through your feelings and get your priorities identified and covered. This can give you peace of mind and a place to start your journey into your next opportunity. Let’s look into some of the top things you can do to start cutting through the cloud of thoughts swirling through your head and begin taking your first steps.

1. Unemployment Benefits – Finances should be a hot priority. Severance pay or not, if you were separated for a qualifying reason (no misconduct, you didn’t quit, etc.) file immediately for your unemployment benefits.
2. Budget – Make a temporary budget based off your new income, factoring in income from any investments, rental properties, or side business in addition to your unemployment pay.
3. Insurance – There’s no “off-the-hook since you’re in transition” with an emergency room visit or expensive diagnosis. So I never recommend just winging it without insurance until your next job. You can try to get on your spouse’s policy, choose a policy on your own (a local broker like Dudley Carter 615-415-4328 or perusing a site like www.healthinsure.com/group_carriers/fortisassurant.aspx can help you with this at no extra cost), or if you’re not married, check healthcare.gov for many options (with the government paying part of your monthly premium in most cases based on your estimated income for the next 12 months). Another option is companies like Cowan Benefits that you can find through the COBRA coverage from your current employer. They can help you find a similar plan usually at a lower cost.
4. Mental Health – Right out of the gate, you probably feel shocked, unappreciated, angry, etc. It’s a good idea to talk to someone besides your spouse, partner, or best friend about these emotions and work through them in order to “get the chip off your shoulder.” Ask for time with your pastor or a Stephen Minister (Google “Stephen Ministers” + your city to find churches who can get you in touch with one.), and feel free to meet as regularly as you need. Further, you can Google for job search support groups in your area.
5. Physical Health – Staying fit is not only good for your body but your mind, mood, and attitude as well. Take this opportunity to start exercising regularly (even if it’s just walking for 30 minutes daily). And keep up the good work if you already have a fitness routine.
6. Career Coach – Establish a relationship with a Career Coach at your local Department of Labor or a recommended life coach. This person can give you valuable advice on your Action Plan, Resume’, and current insight into all things job search as you begin to have questions.
7. Elevator Speech – Very soon at a party, family function, mixer, etc., you’ll have to answer the question, “What do you do?” Craft this 30 second schpiel that will cover your background, key things at which you’re successful, and a few top job titles to represent what you’re seeking and help people begin to keep you in mind as they hear of job openings.

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Job posting aggregators and web sites

In Transition, , , , , , , , , , ,

Woman with Tablet image
I’ve read that most jobs posted online (up to 80%) are already filled. If you’ve ever wondered, “why!?,” a colleague in the job search realm said it’s not a law that a company must also post jobs online when they already have internal or personal candidates in mind, it’s just company policy. Although most people do NOT find their jobs this way, surfing the boards should be a small part of your job search efforts, just like counting on Social Security is a minor part of your retirement strategy.

Thank God for aggregators—what a time saver! The main two I’m aware of are indeed.com and simplyhired.com. From my perusal, both seem to draw upon most of the same sites, so I have set up alerts only from indeed.com. Lord knows we all get enough email. I also like indeed’s “Last 7 Days” link. That way I can simply click that and go through as many pages of jobs as I want on the day I want instead of opening alert emails every day to try to avoid recurrent listings for the same job posting.

You may also want to check monster.com separately. Indeed.com does not seem to include its results, and for some, monster may have some listings right up your alley. It also doesn’t hurt to post your resume at careerbuilder.com.

I also wanted to recommend beyond.com. I discovered it and have been using it for almost a year, and indeed does not seem to include its results either. It has some good solid leads, and you can post your resume as well. Have you found any other job posting sites or aggregators that have been valuable? If so, what are they?