I recall the time when my field, which is human resources was slow, and as a consultant, I was out of work for six months. It was not too long after September 11th/the World Trade Center tragedy. It just so happened that I was out for the summer months. I remember friends telling me "why don't you just enjoy the summer with the kids??" And I remember thinking, I'm broke, running low on motivation, and I just took more than a $20k paycut now that I'm on unemployment, how in the world can they tell me to "enjoy the summer?"

This posting to my blog is dedicated to those of you who are currently unemployed. I am providing a few tips to support you and to help you keep or re-gain your momentum as you work through this challenging time. Here are some suggestions, I pray that you find them helpful and that they would motivate you even to the smallest degree:

1. Stop watching the news. If you are like me, I watch CNN pretty much around the clock. All day I get to hear how bad the economy is, how there is no hope, and how we are all doomed. Not saying that what's being reported about the economy is not true, but we are what we feed ourselves, and right now you need to be feeding yourself food for your soul that will keep you motivated and optomistic!! Turn it off!! Or at least limit it to evening news, in the morning, don't watch the news..start your day by writing in a journal and reflecting on what you have to be grateful for. GRATITUDE CULTIVATES ABUNDANCE.
2. Re-vamp your resume. Part of what I do in my business is career coaching, I have helped countless people at no cost by making some minor changes to their resumes. I have also helped a ton of people transition into new careers after they had been working in a particular field for several years. I'm willing to review resumes at no cost and provide my input, many people have no idea what's in their resumes that turn recruiters away. It doesn't matter where you're located, I am donating my services!! Email resumes to my human resources firm at consultants@innovativehrconceptscorp.com
3. Join a support group, career group or professional group. It makes a world of difference to be a part of a group that supports your efforts, and to be around people facing the same challenges...you all will be great support for each other. I don't know if other states have this but in New Jersey, the department of labor actually has an organization called PSG (professional services group). Its a great organization of members, seeking employment. The organizers of the group meet weekly and work with members on career coaching, interview skills, writing resumes, and tons of other helpful topics and tools to support their job searches. Also, I run a career group that meets in my county once a month where I help people in their job search, I re-write people's resumes and cover letters, coach them for interviews and even connect them with people I know who might be able to add value for them as they network and search for opportunities. I run my group through the website, meetup.com. Check out the site, you might find a career group near you!
4. Network, network, network: Tell everyone you know and everyone you come in contact with what you do and that you are on the job market. You'd be surprised how effective the power of networking is. Always have resumes handy, and if you can afford it, have some business cards made up. A good site thats really inexpensive for having business cards made is vistaprint.com. The cards are actually free, but the slow shipping is like $5. You can't beat that.
5. Create your own stimulus. Go through your house, apartment, garage attic and anywhere else you can think of (you can even get family members to donate their stuff too!), and gather the items you no longer want or use. Have a yard sale or sell them on eBay to generate some extra cash.
6. Volunteer! Since you are home, consider being generous enough to donate a few hours per week at a hospital, a church office or somewhere that needs your help. The person willing to give will always receive more than they give in some capacity. That's only one of the reasons I love volunteering and donating my services to people who need them. This could also lead to an employment opportunity.
7. Open your mind. If you are searching for work in your field, and your field happens to be one of those fields that is slowly vanishing, consider transitioning to another career. For example: one of the members of the career group I run worked in product development but specifically for clothing manufacturers. She did this for over 20 years. In the work I've done with her in my group, we realized that those jobs are now located in China for most retail companies. Take a long hard look at the skills you possess, it may be alot easier than you think to apply those skills to another function/field, making it far more feasible for you to transition.
8. If you are on unemployment benefits, consider taking up a trade, such as Graphic Design or Massage Therapy, or going back to school. Many times these programs are not very long (6 - 12 months?). This could become your main source of income after you complete school, or it could be a way for you to earn money on the side.
9. Do some side work, start a little side business using your skills. For example: a friend of mine who had a degree in IT actually fixed computers for people while he was job hunting. It didn't bring in the money that a full time job brought in, but it paid for gas and groceries while he was out of work. What skills can you put to work for you? Are you really good at something? Are you an artist? Can you type really fast? Do you know medical terminology? Think about your skills and what you can do to earn some extra money, and put some flyers out so people know that you are for hire!!
10. Become a consultant for a company like Avon! Avon is a great company to sell for that requires little or no investment to get started (my sister sells it and I think the investment was literally like 10 bucks and she made $150 with the first order she submitted!!)
11. Lastly, TRY THIS WEBSITE FOR YOUR JOB SEARCH:  http://www.indeed.com/

Well, I hope this post was helpful guys...I am living proof that you will survive!! The last company I worked for was doing cutbacks a whole year ago, and rather than stand by and watch what was happening, I branched out on my own full time. I had already had my organizing business on the side for a year at that point, but last May I launched my HR consulting firm and never looked back. I am very grateful to God that I haven't had to. All the best to you, thank you for being a reader, and I hope my posting adds value for you and gets you excited!