What if you walked into your place of employment tomorrow and you were informed that you no longer have a job.  Are you prepared?  We save to buy a house, we save for retirement, we plan for special occasions, but do we plan for our next job?  More than ever, people are losing their jobs.  When this happens, people find that they are unprepared.  Here are some tips for preparing for the unexpected, unemployment:

1.      Make sure your resume is updated.  Your resume should be updated with your latest position.  If you are laid off or fired from your employer tomorrow, you want your resume to be ready for submittal.

2.      Continue to educate yourself.  Many people put off going back to school, taking refresher courses, and staying current with technology.  Maybe the next employer wants a Bachelor’s degree and not an Associate’s or a Master’s and not a Bachelor’s.

3.      Keep a suit and a great pair of shoes in your closet.  You should have a clean wrinkle free suit hanging in your closet.  Make sure you try on your suit occasionally to make sure it fits.  Your shoes should match your suit, be polished, and be in good condition.  The last thing you want is to be unemployed, low on cash and in need of a new suit and shoes.

4.      Network.  Just because you are working doesn’t mean you should not make new connections.  Always keep a business card on hand whether it is your current position or personal contact information.  You never know when you will need it.  Stay current with professional social media websites.

5.      Keep in touch and don’t burn bridges.  Once you have created and added people to your network keep in touch.  Whether it’s a simple “hello, how are you?”, “happy holidays”, “happy birthday”, “congratulations on your promotion”, people will remember you.  Keep it professional; mixing business with pleasure can sometimes burn bridges.

6.      Sign up for a free email account.  Being out of work does not mean you will be able to maintain your bills.  Stay away from Verizon, Optonline, AT&T, email accounts on your resume.  If you are unable to pay your bill, then you will not be able to receive emails from employers.  Some free email accounts include Gmail, Yahoo, and Hotmail.

"By failing to prepare you are preparing to fail."

— Benjamin Franklin

"The time to repair the roof is when the sun is shining."

— John F. Kennedy



Juanita Rogers

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