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10 Tips for When Your Unemployment Checks Stop
Joyce Lain Kennedy - Careers Now
DEAR JOYCE: After nearly six months of unemployment checks, my parents are still keeping my family afloat, but I don't know what to do next. I'm already working my network hard. No jobs out there. Ideas? -- T.D.
About half of the people receiving unemployment insurance are running out of benefits before they get new jobs -- and even more worrisome, their numbers are expected to swell between now and September.
You already know that it seems to take forever to find jobs today, an average of more than six months. When you're about to run dry on unemployment benefits, the first thing to do is find out if you've got a shot at getting them extended (see: job-hunt.org; scroll to State Employment Offices). Always ask for an extension!
Additionally, don't allow false pride to keep you from reaching for a helping hand from government or social service agencies. Need help putting food on the table? Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) is the new name for the federal food stamp program. Get information by state with a list of hotline numbers (usda.gov; search for snap hotlines). To identify resources in many communities, try calling the three-digit phone number 211, a referral service to supportive local organizations.
To land a bridge job that could morph into long-term employment, reflect on whether any of these 10 smart moves are right for you:
1. When you're facing the "overqualified" curse, substitute skills for status and redo your resume from a reverse chronological format to a functional format (Click Here for Google Search: "functional resume samples").
2. Use free public library resources, from newspaper help-wanted ads to computers to job search workshops and job clubs. Ask staff how to set
up free e-mail accounts (Gmail,
3. Check out the entire range of offerings at a government One-Stop Career Center near you (servicelocator.org). In addition to job search help, the center may recommend local organizations that can lend a hand with basic necessities.
4. Sign up with staffing agencies for temp assignments. Yes, the number of temp jobs is still headed downward, but the rate of decline has slowed in some locales.
5. Make a direct-application tour of your expanded neighborhood. Dress presentably, and apply to all appealing businesses within walking distance. Leave a super one-page generic resume, similar to one you would leave at a job fair. Say you'd like to stay in touch and ask politely about the best way to follow up.
6. Consider volunteering, if you can afford to, as a way of showcasing your skills and expanding your network ( Google Search: "volunteer organizations" followed by the name of your city).
7. If you're uncomfortable in a digital world, ask your kid, a relative or a neighborhood teenager to help you crack the barrier. Start with LinkedIn.com and Facebook.com. Don't stop trying if you don't master online job hunting overnight -- it takes practice.
8. Consider fresh education, starting at local colleges and schools. Do research to find a program with good hiring prospects, such as teaching childhood special education. Otherwise, you risk being left with more debt and no job to pay it off.
9. Look at quick training upgrades ( Google Search: "short-term training options"). If you've exhausted your benefits, you may be eligible for government retraining benefits to change careers (servicelocator.org), but remember that the programs don't cover most living expenses.
10. Guard against job-scam vampires. They're out in droves, targeting desperate job seekers. Look for details in one of my upcoming columns, but be especially alert right now to the new make-money-with-Twitter schemes, the resurgence of phony free government grants and the job come-ons by official-sounding firms that are really tying to sell you pricey packages of instruction materials. Always check ripoffreport.com, bbb.org/us and ftc.gov.
Cheap and Fun: New Breed of Career-Friendly Office
Joyce Lain Kennedy - Careers Now
Going out on your own when money's tighter than a tic and too many people are looking for jobs occasionally works out fine. More often, it doesn't, as illustrated by the majority of start-ups that croak before reaching their fifth birthdays. And sometimes they depart well before then.
Job Hunt - Revisiting the Hidden Job Market
Joyce Lain Kennedy - Careers Now
The hidden job market concept targets unpublished jobs, as opposed to jobs that are advertised in media or on company Web sites, or disclosed through recruiters. You dig up undisclosed jobs through diligent, relentless networking.
10 Tips for When Your Unemployment Checks Stop
Joyce Lain Kennedy - Careers Now
You already know that it seems to take forever to find jobs today, an average of more than six months. When you're about to run dry on unemployment benefits, the first thing to do is find out if you've got a shot at getting them extended. Always ask for an extension! Additionally, don't allow false pride to keep you from reaching for a helping hand from government or social service agencies.
Job Hunt - Trolling Job Fairs: Good Move or Waste of Time
Joyce Lain Kennedy - Careers Now
Job Fairs account for only a small percentage of employment hires -- 3 percent to 5 percent, according to most studies -- but, hey, every opportunity counts when you're standing in the rain at midnight looking for a welcoming doorway. Here's the positives and negatives of job fairs and some tips as to how to make them useful.
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