If you haven't lost your job, but suspect it might
soon happen, plan for it now.
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Ascher says, "We should be thinking
about these things every single day, not just when we're on the
edge of a cliff."
Bankrate talked to six job hunters, from an IT guy
in Florida to a top-level executive living in Dubai, to see how
they're handling being out of work and looking for employment. They
shared their concerns and approaches to finding work.
When Christopher Moore was injured in an automobile accident, he didn't realize he'd end up out of work and scrambling to
pay the bills. Eventually he moved back home from Boston to Ohio, in the heart of Amish country, where the live sound
engineer says he's been unable to find even a hint of employment.
Search strategy:
Moore, who is still recovering from his accident, says he discovered that even though the accident wasn't his fault, he
couldn't collect anything for lost wages since his employment as a live sound engineer, musician and recording artist is
considered "speculative." Although he'd prefer to find work in the recording industry, Moore says he'll take whatever he
can get.
Moore can't do his old job until he recovers completely from his accident. He's mostly relying on his
Internet presence right now, also selling T-shirts and some of his recordings to bring in money.
Coping status:
Just north of desperate. With debt he describes as "crushing," the one-time Boston resident says his savings is a memory
and so is his apartment. Moving home was the only way he could stay afloat. "I'm out here among the cows, corn and Amish
because this is where my parents live and it was the only roof available to me," Moore says.
When he couldn't find a job in his parents' neck of the woods, Moore decided to go public. He bought a
domain and solicits quarters from Web surfers who find his site.
In return, he gives his biggest donor each month 10 percent of what he makes and draws at random for another award of 5
percent, which he gives to charity. He knows he must pay taxes on that money. Before he launched, he ran his plans by an
attorney, just to make sure he's not breaking any laws.
What's right:
Moore has blanketed blogs and bulletin boards with his resume. He's establishing a Net presence that will help him get his
name out. And, painful as it is to have to give up his independence and live with mom and dad, it was a good temporary move
on his part.
How to pump it up:
Job hunters can't concentrate their efforts solely on
the Internet and, although Moore has taken his job search to the streets,
he needs to shift emphasis from online job hunting to offline, in-person
job hunting. "Only 13 percent of job hunters get jobs through boards;
35 percent find them through person-to-person networking," Neece says.
Another idea: Going back to school with help from a student loan.
