A step-by-step guide to dealing with job loss and finding success in becoming employed again. Written by industry expert and professional resume writer Krista Mitchell. Includes details about financial planning, creating a resume, portfolio, and cover letter, networking, interviewing, finding jobs, and following up with employers.

1. Surviving Unemployment
YOUR STEP-BY-STEP GUIDE TO GETTING BACK TO
WORK
BY KRISTA MITCHELL
www.composureresumes.com

2. First Things First: WHAT TO DO:
Get Over It  Think about the positive
possibilities: a career
Losing your job for any reason change, return to school,
can be a traumatic experience, start your own business,
Before you can prepare find a job with better
yourself emotionally to put benefits or coworkers than
your old job.
yourself out there in an
 Talk to, rant, or cry it over
interview setting, it is important
with a close friend or
to deal with those feelings of therapist.
loss and resentment. Some
 Journal it. Write down your
people actually experience the feelings in detail. Then
5 stages of grief after a job loss. write down things for
A negative attitude or which you are grateful and
depressed mood is going to positive things about
show in an interview, and that yourself.
won’t get you a new job.

3. Financial Panic: WHAT TO DO:
 Downgrade all “luxury” services
Make a Plan to basic service or eliminate
Along with the negative emotions completely. (cable, internet,
that come with job loss, you may be phone service, dog grooming,
etc.)
panicking about the toll it will take
 Contact credit card companies to
on your finances. Don’t assume you
discuss temporarily lowering
will find a job right away; plan for minimum payments.
the worst case scenario.
 Think about talents you have to
Gather your bills or information make side money. (Cut hair, mow
about your expenses and make some lawns, make and sell quilts, paint
decisions. houses, babysit, etc.)
You will feel better about your  If you have valuables you don’t
finances if you have a plan for how care to keep or good clothing you
you will deal with your expenses never wear, consider having a
yard sale or selling on online.
before problems begin to arise.
 If things get really tight, plan to
Also, find information about use 401K or other retirement
programs available to assist you. money you may have been
(Unemployment insurance, food saving. Think about your stocks
stamps, mortgage protection and bonds as well.
programs, energy assistance, etc.)

4. Gather Important Career
Documents
 Any current or old  College transcripts
résumé (if you have  Certifications
one)
 Job performance  List of trainings or
reviews seminars completed
 Letters of  Former job
recommendation descriptions
 Samples of your work,
 Awards and special
if applicable
recognitions
 Publications
 Client testimonials

5. Make a List of Your Strengths
 Computer/technical  Professional industry
skills and software, association
typing speed memberships and
 Languages known positions held
 Skills (accounts  Important contacts or
payable, inventory client base or client
control, sales following in your
techniques, etc.) industry

6. Combine the Documents and
Strengths to Create a Resume
 Develop a concise introductory paragraph describing your professional
experience and expertise/skills instead of using a traditional objective
statement. This makes the introduction about your potential value to the
company rather than about what you want.
 Include sections for any of these that apply: experience, education and
trainings, professional associations, certifications, awards, publications,
languages, computer/technical proficiencies, and endorsements (quotes from
job performance reviews, letters of recommendation, and client testimonials).
 When stating job duties, begin with strong action verbs rather than stating
“Responsible for”.
 Limit yourself to one or two pages. Try not to crowd space; plenty of white
space makes it easier and more inviting to read.
 I do free comprehensive résumé reviews and offer résumé, cover letter,
and follow-up letter writing. www.composureresumes.com

7. Create a Portfolio
 Use your documents to develop a portfolio to
accompany you to interviews to show interviewers the
evidence behind your claims.
 You can use anything from a 3-ring binder to having a
book published at the local print shop. Those in the art
field might consider having samples of work put on a
CD to send with resumes.
 Include awards, certificates, publications, letters of
recommendation, performance reviews, educational
transcripts, samples of your work, and anything else
you’ve got that makes you look stellar.

8. Develop a Cover Letter
 Use the same heading as at the top of your résumé where your
name, address, contact information is.
 Leave blank sections for the date and the name, title, and
company address for the person who will receive the letter.
 Develop a few paragraphs that will include the position you apply
for, your strongest attributes that apply directly to the job you
apply for, and what special quality makes you a better choice than
other candidates.
 Always alter the letter to tailor it specifically to each job/company
to which you apply. Include keywords from the job advertisement
or job description in your cover letter.
 End the letter by thanking the person for their time or
consideration and state that you look forward to meeting with
them to discuss the position further.
 I offer cover letter writing. www.composureresumes.com

9. Get Involved In Social Media
 More and more recruiters and companies are using social
media to locate potential candidates. Social media also is an
avenue for networking, which is a highly effective method
for finding a job, uncovering jobs that are never advertised.
Networking involves ongoing communication with others in
your field, former coworkers, acquaintances, family, and
friends.
 LinkedIn has become a strong choice among the business
community.
 If you are already involved in social media such as
Facebook, clean it up. Anything viewable by the public
should be professionally acceptable.
 Join industry or career-search “groups” on social media
websites to stay connected with others.
 Comment in industry “discussions” or “forums” to get
noticed.

10. Find Jobs
 Use your network to find unadvertised jobs. Use social
media and job clubs to expand your network.
 Research companies you would like to work for and
apply even if there are currently no openings.
 Join industry associations or find industry-specific
websites which may list jobs and may have forums
where you can get involved to get your name out there.
 Use job search websites such as indeed.com and
simplyhired.com to access jobs listed in newspapers,
company websites, and other job websites.
 Attend job fairs dressed and prepared to interview.

11. Stay Organized
 Have a notebook or spreadsheet just for
keeping track of where you’ve applied,
who the contact person is, date applied, and
the date followed up.
 Also include contact information for people
you’ve had contact with in your network,
what the discussed information was, the
date, and the result.

12. Train Yourself in Interviewing Skills
 You need to learn about behavioral interviews. Behavioral
questions often begin with “Tell me about a time when…”
In your answer, the interviewer is looking for you to: 1. Set
up the situation, 2. Tell about the action you took, and 3.
Tell the results of your actions.
 Know your skills! Employers say the biggest mistake
interviewees make is not being able to tell how their skills
relate to their ability to do the job.
 Practice answering interview questions in front of a mirror
or a friend to alert you to any distracting behaviors you
have and to begin to raise your comfort level with
interviewing.
 No one ever becomes comfortable interviewing, but the
better prepared you are, the more confident you will be.

13. Follow-Up and Persevere
 Always send a simple thank-you note or follow-up letter restating
your value after an interview. Send this to each person who
interviewed you. An easy way to remember names is to ask for a
business card from each person at the interview.
 Follow-up with a phone call a few days after the interview
asking how the search for a candidate is going or if a decision has
been made yet.
 Follow-up again with a phone call a week later.
 You will have rejection, and people often become discouraged
after several months, but the only way to employment is to
persevere and continue to do the things discussed here. You must
keep the faith that you will not be unemployed forever.
 I offer follow-up letter writing. www.composureresumes.com

14. Surviving Unemployment
Krista Mitchell
www.composureresumes.com