Ok so I just lost my job. Now what?

When one is faced with unemployment, no matter how it happens, it is best to jump into the action of finding new employment.   It's ok to take a few days and let the shock of a sudden job loss to sink in.  But don't let it sit too long, otherwise it will make it more difficult to keep your spirits up and find the umph to keep the momentum going.  Make job searching be your full time job.  If you have a resume, update it.  Use the internet to get ideas on what to include, what not to include, and how to write it to give it that punch it needs to gain attention.  If you don't have a resume, get busy and write one up.  Pay for a professional service to create one for you if you must.  Or just do it yourself.  Go to the library and check out some books that give you resume and interviewing tips.  There are plenty of sources for resume writing and interview preparing.  


The biggest mistake people make once they are unemployed is to ignore the great resources for jobs that are available.  One of the biggest is networking.  Whether it is through lack of knowlege or pride, people sometime ignore the social networking that is free and available.  Relatives, friends, friends of friends, etc should be contacted in casual conversation and mention you are available in the job market.  Sign up for job boards such as Monster.com and social networks such as Facebook.  Build a profile for yourself that is completely professional and shows that you are intelligent, experienced and ready to work.  The internet is a fantastic modern source of available jobs.  But just remember only about 30% of jobs are advertised on the internet.  The rest are discovered through both pounding the pavement and networking.

Once you have gotten a nice resume ready, signed up for a few job boards and connected with a few business people, then it's time to sit down and write down what you truly want in your next job.  Ask yourself questions such as "Do I mind working weekends?"  "If I were to hire me, what would I be looking for in an employee?"  "Where do I want to be in five years?  Ten years?"  "Am I willing to relocate?"  What sort of benefits do I require?" "What salary am I requiring?"   Those sort of questions.  This will help you weed out jobs that may not be suitable to what you are looking for.

The job market today is very challenging.  So it is so important to present that special, professional image you want to portray to your potential employer.  You are basically selling yourself.  This means take a few days during the week, put on professional attire and go out to look for employment.  You never know what you will find, and first impressions are always important.  Even if it is to just walk in and ask if a company is hiring.

Make sure you register as soon as you can for any unemployment benefits you may be entitled to.  Most states require at sign up to register with their state's job board and periodic visits to their job development office.  This will be a great benefit because it will tap into yet another source of jobs not advertised on public job boards.  Also, if some time has passed and you are still unemployed, most states have a re-training program that will pay you to go to school for a new career.  It's out there, so take advantage of it.