Most people recover from being fired. Many find better jobs and chances for advancement. Often a termination produces a more resourceful and stronger individual. When the pink slip comes, leave gracefully and quietly. Your ex-boss may be needed for a future recommendation. Find out exactly why you were terminated. This is critical information that you can use to strengthen your weaknesses. tell your spouse, relatives, and friends. Their help and understanding is needed.
Determine your position. What are your assets and liabilities? What do you want from work and life? What are your past accomplishments? Write your answers to these questions. Do not brood about the lost job, instead think constructively about the future. Be positive!
Job hunting is work - hard work requiring concentrated effort! But work smarter, not harder! Spend time in a library reading about potential employers and their industries. First, however, get your affairs in order. The length of unemployment depends upon the economy. The job-less time period could easily be two to four months, maybe longer. Review resources and obligations but decrease expenses.
Government benefits include unemployment, food stamps, and G I benefits. Forget your pride! Within HOURS of the pink slip visit the state unemployment office and complete the required forms. It may take several weeks of form processing before you start to collect any unemployment compensation benefits. Food stamps may be available for the needy. A veteran can go back to school on G I benefits but cannot collect unemployment pay.
Sufficient cash brings security. Determine your cash from severance pay, unused vacation, company pension refunds, savings, investments, and checking account. You can borrow, at a low interest rate, the cash value from any straight life insurance policies you own. Relatives may help.
Other work: Your spouse may have or obtain a job. Teenagers could work. Work part-time yourself if it doesn't distract from obtaining full time work. This will decrease government benefits.
Mortgage and loans: Fixed monthly obligations (house, car, boat) can be large. If payments can't be made, see your lender. Banks don't really want to own your home. Possibly you could make partial payments or just interest payments if they are certain you will eventually pay up. A boat or a second car could be sold. Move into a less expensive home or an apartment when things are really tough.
Retail creditors: Tell your creditors early and honestly about your current difficulties. Monthly payments may be extended. Don't wait until the bills are with collection agencies as this is too late for sympathy. During your unemployment buy needed things strictly on a cash basis.
Utilities: Payments may be converted to an even monthly billing based on estimated annual use. Try to conserve utilities - turn off lights, cut back on heat, don't water the yard, etc.
Recreation: Decrease social activity and entertainment. Find low cost recreation -see local sports, read library books, hike, visit museums, go on picnics. Eat free refreshments at store openings -just don't buy anything.
Schools: During unemployment a scholarship or loan based on need may be obtained for a child in college.
Alimony And Support: If you're an ex-spouse monthly payments may be reduced during lower income periods. State laws vary; see your lawyer.
Taxes: Record job hunting expenses. You may be able to deduct these expenses from taxes and save money on tax returns.
Maintain Your Insurance: Consult your agent about any possible conversion of straight life to term insurance. A group health plan could be converted to individual coverage or use a major medical policy. Medical care may be available for veterans in Government VA hospitals. If you don't use a car for an extended time, coverage could be lowered to receive a lower premium.
When everything fails, there is the option of bankruptcy. Read a few books from a library on bankruptcy before you decide to go down this road.
A career change or job loss can quickly affect income and living style. How will your family accept this change? If your spouse works, will he/she be willing to move? Positive attitudes, moral support, and a willingness to move can be critical to a successful job hunt. If these are lacking, relationships can be strained and a separation or divorce is a possibility. Before you reach this point, obtain counseling.
A Mature Person
Your age can work against you. Becoming successful in a job hunt can be a challenge if confidence weakens and job seeking skills are poor. Stress the variety of experience you have had. You acquire age at the same time you acquire experience. Hobbies may benefit a firm. Valuable experiences can be important to small firms if you have worked in large companies. Small firms need more people with multi-skills, fewer specialists.
Seek out firms who employ people in your age bracket or older. Usually these will be the more stable less innovative firms. Indicate your record of salary increases which offers excellent evidence of previous employer satisfaction.
The first few minutes of an interview are critical so there is need to make a good first impression. Update your appearance - modern glass frames, lose some weight, dye your hair, add a hairpiece. You are not trying to impress your friends; you are trying to get a job.
With industrial or maintenance experience you could teach in a vocational school. Office personnel could seek employment in the administrative departments of service organizations - stores, schools, banks, and hospitals.
Appraising and Planning
Regardless of your situation spend time to evaluate yourself and decide what you want in a job and life. Write down your answers. Are you satisfied with what you have? How can you improve to be better satisfied in several years?
A number of non-doers have one year of experience repeated ten or twenty times. A doer builds three, five, ten, or twenty years of experience bit-by-bit through the job, through formal and informal education, through community activities, etc. A successful person builds one experience on top of another; much like a house is built - brick by brick.
