Things To Do While Your Unemployed - That Might Help You Get A New Job

Using your time out of work strategically

Being out of work is one of the toughest things anyone can go through. After the inital shock of losing a job wears off, it's important to take some time to evaluate your situation and create a clear strategy for how to use your time most effectively. For most people, the first step is to try to find a new job. However, depending on the area you live, the amount of job openings in your career field and your experience and education, there might not be many jobs available. If you are in this situation, your choices are to keep trying to land one of the few available jobs, or use this time to make yourself more attractive to potential employers.

Don't end up wasting months of your time and risking becoming seriously depressed because of your employment situation. Here are some things you can do while you're out of work that can make you more hireable:

• Get a degree - Even an associate's degree can put you in a position to get a well paying job that also offers job security. If you already have a degree, maybe it's time to get a certification or take some classes that will give you skills you need to be more attractive to employers. Although this can take longer than you might like, it can be a smart move for your career in the long run. Be sure to check into scholarships and other assistance to help you pay for your education.

• Volunteer - Pick a cause that you are passionate about and find out how you can volunteer your time and talents to help. Helping others gives you a feeling of self-worth and also gives you something you can do to keep you from staying at home and getting more discouraged about your job search. Volunteering is a great way to give back to the community, it looks good on a resume and it can provide you with a unique opportunity to network with people you might not have otherwise had access to.

• Learn a new skill - If you aren't interested in changing your career, perhaps there is a skill that might make you more valuable to an employer. Maybe you could learn a new language, take some accounting courses or anything that might help you stand out in your career field.

• Think about re-locating - Depending on your industry and your city, there may be other cities that offer more opportunities and better job options. Do some research to find out how you can move to a new area and start over. If you have ever dreamed about living in another part of the country, this might be the time to make that change. In fact, there are many companies across the globe that are looking for english speaking employees, so if you don't find what you are looking for here, why not explore working in other countries?

Don't let unemployment get you stuck in a rut. If you aren't having much luck in your job search, it might be time to do something drastic and make some changes in order to make yourself more appealing to employers and build a career that you love.
 

By Melissa Kennedy- Melissa is a 9 year blog veteran and a freelance writer for LogisticsJobsiteBlog, along with helping others find the job of their dreams, she enjoys computer geekery, raising a teenager, supporting her local library, writing about herself in the third person and working on her next novel.