I'm Out of Work, I Need a Job
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Yikes! I'm Unemployed! What Do I Do!
Let's face it, being unemployed is no fun. Whether you've just been laid off from the job you've held for the last ten years or you're about to finish school and need to get a job, the feeling of being at loose ends is scary. You've got bills to pay, and whatever money you may have saved up won't last forever Who wants to be dependent upon the generosity of others for the basics of life?
With our nation in the worst recession since the Great Depression of the 1930's, the prospect of having to look for a job is even more frightening than ever. There are so many people out of work that even a relatively low-paying job can regularly get hundreds of applications. And there are even accusations that the federal government is manipulating unemployment statistics in order to conceal the actual severity of the problem, a situation which only adds to the sense of fear and despair which hovers around anyone facing the prospect of being without a job.
However, that does not need to mean that the job hunting process is a hopeless battle. There are jobs out there, and people are being hired. However, in a soft economy it is no longer possible to skate through the process, doing just enough to snag a job that pays enough to live comfortably and leave you time to actually enjoy the things you're buying with that paycheck.
Instead, it is absolutely essential to make a concerted effort to present yourself as an outstanding prospect, one that the employer cannot afford to pass over. You must make the search for a job your number-one priority and approach it with the same energy and tenacity that you would an actual job. You have to look at it strategically and plan your efforts so that you do not waste time on unproductive avenues of effort, or worse, actually worsen your chances by making major mistakes that will lead prospective employers to think less of you.
Take a look at some ways to polish your interviewing skills or find some books on job-hunting to help you in your quest.