Friday is tip day on The Lean Times.
It has happened to all of us at one time or another; we lose a job. This has just happened to me so here are a few tips on what I did as soon as the lightning bolt hit.
1. See what you can cut back on – cut back on the pay tv, get rid of any channels you don’t need or eliminate the television entirely.
2. Check out the status of your mobile contract, I found out that I could switch to a SIM only contract which halved my bill.
3. Take stock of your cupboards, eat what you have so you won’t need to shop as much. Literally eat yourself out of home.
4. Reach out to your friends and contacts, this is vital as you have built up relationships, now is the time to use them.
5. Try to stay positive. I know that this is most likely the most difficult tip on the list but the powers that be don’t want to hire miserable, angry people so try to put a genuine smile on your gob.
Good luck to all of us that have had the axe recently.
Urgh! Sorry to hear this Viviana! I hope that you can find another job very soon 🙂
Thanks so much Laura! I am hoping it is an onwards and upwards situation.
I would also suggest that if you have any creditors, inform them of your situation. Ask them all for a payment holiday, or at least a reduced monthly payment plan.
If you have a mortgage ask for a payment holiday. They are very reluctant to do this – but they can and will if you push hard enough!!
I remember years ago when I was unemployed, I treated it as a 9-5 job.
I would do the usual stuff of looking for work, writing letters and all the other things one must do to get back to work.
I also used the time to learn new skills that would be useful for the future!!
I am quite lucky in the respect that I am a freelancer so I know the importance of sticking to a routine. I also have a decent network of contacts to put the word out that I am available. In a funny way with all the jobs listed on sites like Gumtree it is not as difficult to find gap work.
What type of skills would you suggest to make someone more marketable in the economic climate?