Job Hunting Sucks... Here are some tips that may make you feel a bit better about unemployment!

I'm currently between jobs, and it is rough out here. The job hunting process often feels like shouting into the void. There are so many ghost jobs out there that it really does feel like the system is working against the individual. As much as the whole system wants to divide us all, we should at least try to be working together to make it somewhat fair. Here are my tips for anyone who thinks that they're going to lose their jobs, has already lost their job, or is currently looking for a job.

1. Unemployment

If you know you're going to be let go or your contract is going to end, sign up for unemployment ahead of time. You can always not follow through if you get a job, but having the system already set up for you is going to be very useful. Some states take two weeks to even process your information. Some employers are vindictive and stall on filling out their end of the process. That's right. Those people still have a role to play in this whole process, and it's not fun. Your unemployment application could be denied just because your former employer feels like your termination was due to your performance instead of layoffs.

If you didn't know ahead of time, I'm sorry. It's not easy for anyone to lose a job. It's even worse when you don't see it coming. If you're still reeling, take a deep breath, ignore that voice in your ahead asking what went wrong, and settle in for what's next. While the process may be rough, unemployment benefits help a tiny bit. A really tiny bit. Get in on them now. Apply immediately. You may still have your last check coming. Hold onto it tight.

Let's talk about the money. It's not as much as people think it is. If you're single, expect to get about $200 a week in Tennessee. If you're lucky, you can qualify for SNAP benefits. If you're married or have children, I'm assuming you're going to get more benefits. Personally, my unemployment couldn't pay my rent, but my work place gave me a lump sum that I used to cover two months of rent while I was searching for a job.

2. Check the rules for your retirement accounts.

I know that everyone is going to tell you not to touch those. However, a lot of those people aren't in your situation. If you've got a decent savings account, you should be okay, but most of America is one missed pay check from being homeless, so let's assume you don't have that.

Regular IRAs: You don't pay taxes till you withdraw stuff.

Roth IRAs: You pay taxes up front.

THERE ARE USUALLY PENALTIES WHEN YOU WITHDRAW. These penalties don't really mean as much when you need to pay bills and get groceries.

Ultimately, you have to do what's best for you. If you know you're going to struggle and unemployment isn't enough, consider tapping into your retirement account.

3. The Job Stuff

Alright! Update your resume. Make a couple different versions. My teaching resume is completely different from my everything else resume.

Figure out how to talk to people in that field. I know that sounds weird, but interviews to get a teaching job are completely different from interviews to get a marketing job. If you're able to speak the lingo, then you're more likely to get hired. For example, if you're going to get a job in teaching, it's important to talk about how much you like working with kids... and also data-driven education, knowing your why, and improve student test scores.

Waiting is rough. It just is. Make sure you ask the important questions when you're in your interviews.

How much does it pay? Do you work on commission?

Are there any health insurance benefits?

What is the scheduling like here?

The pay is obviously the most important part because you need to know what your new budget is going to be. Health insurance is a great second if you like the majority of Americans also have weird mental and physical health stuff. Scheduling lets you know if you're going to be running yourself ragged at this job. A lot of places ignore work-life balance for the bottom line. If they're already telling you that you need to figure out what to do with your kids or dogs before they've even dug deep into the interview, that's probably a red flag.

4. Organize Yourself

This one is gonna sound weird, but it is important. Being

unemployed means that you suddenly have a lot of time on your hands. Anxiety and old fashioned mindsets are going to tell you to apply to jobs for eight hours a day, but your judgement will start to cloud around the twentieth application. Next thing you know, you're applying for position harvesting caviar on a boat in the middle of an ocean because desperation made you forget that you're landlocked.

Take a deep breath. Clean out your car. Clean your home. Go through your stuff just in case you find something to sell. When your mind is clear, jump back into applying to places. A good indicator of deteriorating mental health is a messy space. Ironically, a messy space helps deteriorate mental health.

If nothing else, organizing gets you out of your head, which is what you need right now.

5. Job Hunting

This arguably should have been number one, but I got distracted with trying to help you and myself survive the initial loss of employment.

The hunt is hard, but the worst part is feeling like you don't know what you're doing or supposed to be doing... and the lack of money. The lack of money is a big part of it being hard.

Start with Indeed, but don't just stay there. The quick-apply jobs are great for when you desperately need to get your three job searching duties done for unemployment, but they don't usually lead to real jobs. They lead to schemes, scams, and sadness. You can quick-apply fifty times, and one will call you in for an interview, and I know what you're thinking. "Jenna, I'm great at interviews. That's all I need." No. It's not what you think.

Because here is what's gonna happen. Some guy named Cole or Jake or Dylan is gonna tell you about how he got in on the bottom rung of an insurance salesmen ladder. He's gonna be charming, and he's gonna make you and the twenty-five other people in the room think you have a shot. Then you're going to be pulled into a five minute interview where you'll learn that Cole Jake Dylan's opinion of you didn't really matter because this person who doesn't talk much is auditioning you without your consent.

I'm sorry. The point is you should try to do more than just quick-apply. ("That was the point?!") Save any job that sends you to their own site before you apply. Not only does this help you remember what you've applied to, but it also serves as a place holder for when you are trying to be fast. If you know you're going to have to go to an external site, then there's a good chance you'll want a computer instead of your phone (Yes, we're all filling out applications on our phone.) to fill out each of the blanks that your resume didn't autofill in. These external sites are more likely to hire you for something other than sales.

I've heard good things about Glassdoor. Eventbrite has job fair events at least once a month depending on where you live. If you went to college or live in a college town, check to see if they have any job fairs coming up. The hiring manager is usually the person at the job fair, and they're more likely to hire you because you left your house, dressed nicely, made small talk, and gave them your (UPDATED!) resume.

If you're really feeling burned by the world, you just want to begin again, or you want to return to the people who love you most, consider applying outside of where you live and moving. It'll be a painful transition, but it will be yours. Ultimately, your life is your own, and jobs exist to fund it. It's not fair or even what humans are made for, but it is where we're at right now.

Honestly, I would have been rich if we lived in a bartering society. With all my yarn and craft skills, I could have fed a village.

Good luck out there!

Jenna B. Edwards