Posts Tagged ‘job hunting’

Budget Crunching & Job Hunting

Wednesday, November 12th, 2008

The single-most critical area for a person who is busy looking for a new job is the subject of finances.  The first thing that the person has to adjust to is the lesser amount of income that they will be receiving while unemployed.  In some case, the individual may have savings or credit cards that they can rely upon during this time of lesser income, and sometimes they are necessary to dip into, but the wise individual learns to work within the confines of their weekly unemployment or their severance pay if at all possible.

One of the reasons the financial area becomes so critical is because for most people tight or unfriendly finances can add an exceptional amount of undue and unwanted stress to an already frustrating and difficult time.

The ideal scene for anyone who is job hunting is to maintain their current position while locating a new position.  However if this is not the case for an individual, then they must take actions to maintain strict discipline on their financial spending habits until they are once again gainfully employed.

Here are a few suggestions:

  1. Immediately apply for unemployment.
  2. Immediately begin searching for a new position, and if at all possible, sign up with a temporary staffing agency while looking for full time work. They can often get you a position for a week or two at a time, and grant you the time off to continue your job search.
  3. List out your monthly expenses and then review all the areas on those expenses that you can cut back on, some common areas are utilities services: keep lights off, unplug appliances and electronics that can consume massive amounts of power.  Get energy saving plugs.  Keep computers off when not in use.  Cut back on your cable bill by eliminating all extras – you can get them back when you have found a position again.  Review your cell phone plan for a close look at your habits, are you being charged for information calls, texting, monthly internet, etc.?  Eliminate your expensive habits with your cell phone, make sure you stay within your minutes and drop all extras on your plan.
  4. Review your entertainment and eating habits:  Are you spending more than you should going out to movies, restaurants, clubs, etc.?  Cut it back, eat at home, rent movies and stay in, and limit your club excursions.
  5. Utilize that time to prepare quality presentations of your resume and cover letter and get yourself out job hunting.
  6. Make a personal commitment to yourself not to dip into your savings, or use your credit cards during your time of being unemployed.
  7. consider taking in a roommate if at all possible to help share expenses.

Why is it important to maintain and manage your finances during your time of a job search?  Mostly because you want to present the most positive and confident attitude that you can to any interviewer you meet with.  If you are feeling stress and pressure because your finances are getting more and more difficult to manage, then this possibly could bring you down, or even make you appear desperate – these are definitely not the attitudes and traits you want to present and still get the job!


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Are Your Job Hunting Frustrations Fuming?

Tuesday, November 11th, 2008

You’ve been hunting for a job for three weeks now. You are still miserable over the loss of your old job. You never thought the company would fold. You were set for life. Although you have looked and looked, you simply cannot find a job that would even come close to what you had been making, and you don’t see many jobs out there which hold much interest to you. You’re feeling deflated and frustrated.

Does it show? Are you sitting in the interview chair projecting all of the above? Do you know? Are you aware of how and what you look like to the interviewer?

Sometimes we think we look and sound good, but we are so internalized, we don’t realize that we in fact look, sound, and emanate our frustrations, losses, and confusions over the whole thing.

Here are a few things you can do to help prevent that incorrect and all too deadly fuming frustration phenomena:

  • Walk tall and stand straight – your walk and your stance have much to do with your attitude – make sure you are showing confidence and certainty just by this simple tip.
  • Sit comfortably, but erect in the interview chair. Don’t look like a prom queen, or a chiropractors dream, just sit up and be alert and aware, while being comfortable.
  • Make direct eye contact and comfortable hold it: Yes indeed – eye contact says certainty, confidence, and pride. It also says honesty and sincerity.
  • Smile. Don’t over due on the smiles – it is not effusiveness and gushing that we want here. We want those easy smiles at the appropriate times by the confident person who has the world in the palm of their hand.
  • Speak happily about your past employment experiences when appropriate to the interview questions. Show that you loved your position and that you were sorry to leave it, but do not mourn for it.
  • Look to the future as you answer the interview questions. Where are you headed, where is the company headed? How can you help the company achieve its goals from the position they are offering you.
  • Project and portray that you see this company as a whole new beginning for you and for them and that this is an exciting adventure. One you most certainly would like to embark upon.

Make each interview a thrilling adventure. Treat each one like a brand new activity, not one you keep doing over and over and over and over. Assess after each interview what you feel you did well, what you feel you could have done poorly. Practice in the mirror and in your home positive facial expressions and positive body language.

Mostly remember that there is great joy in creating anything. Each interview that you land is an opportunity to create a truly positive experience in your life and mold your future the way that you want!

Just remember that you do not want your frustrations to fume, but you do want your creativity and certainty to captivate and you will do very well.


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