By Randall Davidson
Being unemployed isn’t fun. We’ve all been there and unemployment is just a fact of life. The challenges of unemployment are multi-faceted, though. The two biggest challenges by far are (1) finding a suitable job and (2) maintaining your sanity and happiness in the process. To that end, here are 10 things you can do to improve your unemployment.
- File for unemployment benefits. Depending upon your state’s regulations, if you’ve recently been laid off, you could be eligible to collect unemployment benefits. It’s amazing how many people never file for unemployment.
- Keep networking. Now, more than ever, it’s important to get out there and network with people who might know of (or be hiring for) open positions. Meetup.com is a great place to find suitable networking events.
- Set well-defined goals. How many job applications are you going to send out next week? You should know the number and try to meet it — if not exceed it.
- Join a coworking space. A coworking space is basically inexpensive shared office space. You might ask, “I’m unemployed. Why would I need office space?” You can benefit from inexpensive ($200-300/month) coworking space in two ways. First, it helps you create a routine; you’ll get up, shower, dress and get out of the house » Read more: Staying Motivated: 10 Things You Can Do To Improve Your Unemployment
I love social media, don’t get me wrong, but the downfall of today’s social media is that it can give people a false sense of security that they are effectively networking. Spending time on LinkedIn or Twitter is a smart component to your job search plan, but in order to reap the full benefits of networking, you need to back away from the computer, pick up the phone, attend a business card exchange or other networking event, or meet up with a former colleague for coffee or drinks. In other words, network the old fashioned way, the way we networked before we became addicted to so many of these networking sites.
