Things You'll Need:
- A working knowledge of your current employee benefits.
- paper and pencil
- An absolutely spectacular job performance
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Step 1
Immediately replenish your emergency money supply. Plan to save one year's worth of living expenses. This is the time for frugality, so don't spend any unnecessary money until you have this savings replenished. Unnecessary spending would include dining out, movies, and vacations.
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Step 2
Look over your clothes to be sure they are not worn. Replace them with good quality, classic looking clothing that you would need to wear on the next job, but only if you can find these on sale or at a discount store. This especially includes the suit you wear for interviews. Don't forget your shoes. If they need attention, get them repaired. Replace only if necessary.
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Step 3
If you have benefits and any critical medical issues, this might be the time to deal use those benefits. This does not include cosmetic surgery. However, if you can spare a little bit of extra money to get your teeth cleaned and examined, then do it. Teeth are a great indicator of the health of your body in general, and a smile is one of the first things an interviewer notices.
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Step 4
Stock up your pantry. Write down all of the foods you need to stock for long term use in case of unemployment. This means canned vegetables, meats and fruit. Don't forget consumables such as toilet paper. Also see if you need paper for your computer printer. Watch for sales, coupons and good deals. Be sure to date the cans on top as to when you purchased them. These can be acquired a little at a time as you get your paychecks. It may be tempting to celebrate a new job by treating yourself. But get some money and supplies saved before you celebrate too much.
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Step 5
Call your former friends and colleagues. Be sure to keep in touch with both the current co-workers and the ones from your last job. Network to keep you on the top of their mind in case you do lose your job and they have heard of any openings.
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Step 6
Check with your boss and find out what you can do to make yourself more valuable as an employee. This is not an act of brown-nosing. This is time to stand out from your colleagues as being someone who is willing to serve the business and make it better. Also, a more valuable newcomer is more likely to be retained. Even if you are let go, you will have made a good impression and added new skills to your background. Keep track of those additional tasks and how you completed them. If you hear praise, be sure to mention it to friends. You can even keep a journal or special folder of emails documenting the good work you have done to protect you from unethical employers who later refute unemployment claims. These employers will lie about employees so their unemployment insurance premiums will not go up. document your good work thoroughly.
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Step 7
Finally, write out a strategy about dealing with job loss again. Try to look at it as though you were giving advice to a nephew or niece. Use what you learned during the last period of unemployment to help make a plan of attack for surviving another drought of income.
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Step 8
Keep physically fit to fight off depression. And keep your perspective on this issue. The country is in an economic downturn, so your unemployment should not be taken personally. Excellent employees everywhere are being laid off.
