Are you in a bind during the holidays after losing your job? Many companies let thousands of employees go during different seasons, and although many retail jobs hire workers for their holiday season, they are also quick to let temporary employees go when they are no longer needed. When presented with a pink slip, one thing to remember is that every closed door is an opportunity to find another path. If you have run out of ideas, this guide can put you on the right path to a full and happy bank account.
Don’t Wait to Put in Applications
Experts say the worst thing you can do is wait for jobs to contact you. Instead, you need to update your resume, get your references organized, and update your LinkedIn. Over the next week after you are let go, you can do research on jobs that meet these criteria:
- Easy to get to from home
- Pays your bills
- Offers great benefits
- Excites your interests
Well, we know that your new job may not meet all of these, and you may have some conditions of your own. However, if you do not know where to start, and you will take any job, then start thinking about your skills and what you need to meet your spending budget every month. You may find a new opportunity that matches your education and skills when you are researching different jobs.
Exercise Every Day to Relieve Stress
Being let go is a demoralizing experience, but besides outlining things to motivate you for a new job, you should not think about how to get the job back or what you could have done differently for too long. Instead, put on your headphones and go to work on being the best you. Down time, boredom, and anxiety can lead to longer bouts of depression, so combat it head-on with an exercise routine.
You do not even have to do that much to get in shape. You can do as little as 20 minutes of cardio or lifting to start seeing results.
Find a Mentor, Recruiter, or Other Support
Who is guiding you through this difficult time? For those who want to know what the best jobs are for your field, it’s about time you talked to a mentor. Is there someone in the business you can talk to? What about looking for online forums and chat groups? You could even use an app like Mogul or Envelop to find an experienced coach in your field. These individuals can help you learn the best tricks of the trade and apply for your next job with new insights.
Recruiters can also be helpful because they may be able to advise on how to fix up your resume and offer job opportunities that match what you are looking for as well as your skills. While you are likely to meet recruiters naturally on LinkedIn, there are specialist companies like Robert Half who find better opportunities for their recruits.
Know There are Options
Losing your job is one of the worst things that can happen before the holidays. You can’t afford to visit friends and family, and gifts are hard to purchase when you are staring at a draining bank account. However, if finances get really tight, make sure you know your options. There are government programs for the unemployed and community-funded programs that can help too. During times of unexpected financial strain, some people turn to short-term solutions like installment loans online to get them through the rough patch. While these loans are usually easy to apply for on your computer, know in advance that they will likely require proof of income. Lining up a short-term source of supplementation income like a rideshare driver or freelancer can help you qualify for a loan in between jobs, if faced with an unexpected financial crisis.
Start Networking
In addition to finding a mentor, you should hit up events that relate to your field. If you want to work in the same industry, then it’s important to go to conferences, meetups, webinars, and talks that pertain to your interest. You never know who you might meet at an industry event.
Job fairs can also be promising, but they are quite competitive. Around the holidays, there are a ton of retail job fairs. If you want some extra hours from these employers, then you should pick jobs that pay a decent hourly wage and offer overtime for extended hours worked.
Develop Your Skills
Next, have you brushed up on your skills lately? From YouTube videos to online courses, to onsite college classes and certifications, you may need to get a leg up on the competition by proving you know the latest technologies and industry trends. Most video courses online can be found on YouTube or you can simply research by looking up experienced technicians or other professionals in your field on LinkedIn. What experience do they have? What technologies are they talking about? Do they have something in their work experience that makes them a better candidate? To stay ahead of the game, you need to show that you have more expertise.
In addition, you may just want to improve yourself by learning a different subject, checking out a coding language, or reading a self-improvement book for when it comes to leading a team. It may even be simply reading novels written by an author like J.D. Barker, such as the new adaption of the movie ‘Flatliners’ to brush up on your creative thinking and storytelling skills. They say you choose your own destiny, so picking a path and motivating yourself should be your next goal if you want to get ahead in your field.
Jump into the Job Market by Making a Bucket List
Need to get really motivated? The best way to organize your thoughts around job opportunities is to create a list of the companies you dream of working for. Perhaps you have always wanted to work for a particular brand or a type of office. Maybe it’s that you want to do something entirely different because it uses your left brain’s creative skills. Whatever the case, you should take a moment to go through this exercise if you are having trouble getting started.
