Tips to find a job, stay sane and make the best of your 'holiday' from work! (Personal Experiences of Unemployment)

Member Name: nessyboo

Product:	Personal Experiences of Unemployment
Date:	15/04/09 (182 review reads)
Rating:

Advantages: More 'me' time, motivation and time to find a better job, finding new hobbies

Disadvantages: Short of money, confidence denting, boring

Having been in temporary work for the last few months I am now unemployed again for the third time in the last year. At first I went into my usual panic about having no money and my parents thinking I'm a 'loser' (which they don't!) before realising I can turn this 'crisis' into an 'opportunity' to improve myself, my future job prospects and actually enjoy myself! Here are some tips for those of you unlucky enough to be unemployed during this so-called "recession":

1) Get out of bed at a reasonable hour, the same time each day. Sure, you don't need to get out of bed at the crack of dawn if you don't want to, but getting up at a good hour (for me it's 8.30) will give you more time to look for jobs and enjoy your day, and won't upset your body clock, so if you do get a job that requires an early start it won't feel like such an ordeal!

2) Get into a job-seeking routine. Start by finding out about all the jobseeking tools available to you and the ways you'd try to find a job, such as websites, newspapers that advertise jobs, the jobcentre etc, and make a list of these. Every day go through the list and treat each one as a task (or less frequently depending on the 'task') ticking them off as you complete them. This is mine for example:

*I check these websites daily, and send off CVs/fill in applications for appropriate jobs:

Jobcentre Plus website (search jobs in last 24 hours)
Gumtree jobs page
Jobstoday.com website
Council website
NHS website etc...

*Twice weekly I ring round all the agency's I've previously registered with to let them know I'm still available and see if they have any new work in.

*On Thursdays I get the Evening post which is very good for job vacancies.

*Once a week I get into smart clothes and go round my agencies again to see if they have work, and look around town for signs in shop windows etc with job vacancies.

*Once a week I check websites of organisations I'd like to work for to see if they have any vacancies, and also search the internet for any job fairs or events coming up.

If you get into a good routine you will be able to do your job searching more quickly and effectively. I spend about 2-3 hours a day on this now and have the rest of the day to enjoy.

3) Apply for Jobseekers Allowance and Housing benefit if you're entitled. I've done this for the first time recently (in the past I've been too proud or thought I wouldn't be unemployed for very long). It's much easier than I thought and the advisors at the Jobcentre are friendly and can offer extra support and tools to help you find a job. It can take a while for the money to come through but it is backdated to when you first made your claim (which you can do easily on the internet and they phone you back for more information). Apply as soon as you become unemployed, even if you get a job the following day it's still worth it just in case you're out of work for a while. Apparently JSA is going up to £64.50 a week for those who've paid NI in the past.

4) Look at training and grant opportunities. You can search these on the internet or find a local careers centre that can advise you. The Princes Trust is good for those under 25 (or sometimes 30).

5) Hone your interview skills and update your CV. I-resign.com has some good tools, or get a friend to help you bring your CV up to date and attractive to employers. Write up some possible interview questions and get your friend to practice them on you. There is sometimes a certain art to being interviewed, or even getting one, so the more you're prepared the better your chances of success. Also, apply for as many jobs as you can and get some interview practice this way. You may get interviewed 10 times before you find your ideal job, but by then you should be much more skilled at interview and more likely to get it.

6) Enjoy yourself and find a cheap hobby. Once you've done your job searching for the day don't need to feel guilty about enjoying yourself! Spend some time doing something (free or cheap) that you love, such as art, gardening, cooking, or just dancing around to music. Being active is important so go for a walk if the weather's nice and get some sun! Or borrow a fitness video from a friend (or buy from a charity shop) and get releasing those endorphins! It's easy to get depressed and demotivated when you're unemployed but keep active and try to stay positive and it'll make the whole experience a lot less traumatic and soul destroying! I've downloaded a free belly dancing workout video and am walking everywhere (as I now have time to), and am actually getting much fitter! I'm also cooking everything from scratch which saves me money as well as giving me a healthier diet. Just remember to keep your day varied - don't spend all day every day in front of the TV or looking at websites if you can help it.

7) Find freebies and be frugal! Set yourself a challenge to live on a certain amount (or nothing) a day, or find free things to enjoy. Most local libraries offer internet access for an hour or 2 a day for free if you don't have it at home. Art galleries and museums are often free and make an interesting change. Look on money saving websites such as Money Saving Expert for freebies and cheap deals. Offer to babysit for a friend in return for a meal. Join the Freecycle network and clear out your unwanted clutter, whilst getting something you need. Get a free trial for online DVDs and become a movie buff. Borrow books from your library. There are loads of free ways of enjoying life, you just need to find out about them!

8) Think positive. You didn't like your old job anyway? Needed a kick up the arse to leave it and find something better? You're catching up on much needed sleep? There are lots of positives to being unemployed if you have the right frame of mind.

9) Don't give up. You don't need to collapse into a mushy unemployable useless blob. Try and keep motivated (though its natural to have off days, just deal with them as best you can and move on). Don't let rejection or the fact you're not getting interviews get your confidence down. You're not the only person in this situation and with so many unemployed and so few jobs it may take a while but you will get a job in the end, and hopefully one you will love even more. Good luck, you can do it!

Summary: Turn 'crisis' into 'opportunity' wherever possible, what doesn't kill you makes you stronger!