Six things you must do if you lose your job

Losing your job can be traumatic. So here are some top tips to help you get back on your feet.

Last week I wrote about the ten best ways to recession-proof your job. This week I'm going to tackle the issue of what you can do if you do lose your job.

Finding out that you've been made redundant can leave you feeling confused, helpless, angry and scared. And once the news has sunk in, there's bound to be a million questions running through your head, such as how long will it be before you find work again, how will you keep up with your mortgage payments and other bills, and what's going to happen to your career?

But as depressing as redundancy can be, I'm going to focus on the things that you can do to get through it, stay positive, and fight back against unemployment.

1) Look at your finances

First things first. If you've lost your job, the first thing you need to do is take a good look at your finances. Make sure you know exactly how much redundancy pay you're entitled to and find out how much you have in your savings accounts so that you know exactly what you've got to fall back on.

Work out which are your priority bills - these include your mortgage/rent, council tax, electricity and gas, and TV licence - and make sure you budget for them. Cancel any non-essential items such as your gym or film rental membership as you'll need this extra cash.

You should also ensure you're not paying more than you need to on essentials such as food or gas and electricity - for tips on how to reduce these bills, read Twelve ways we can all fight the recession as well as How to budget in five simple steps.

2) Claim benefits

While you're out of work, you should be entitled to contributions-based Jobseeker's Allowance (JSA). If you're over 25 years old, you'll receive £64.30 a week - if you're younger, you'll receive £50.95 a week. If you don't qualify for contributions-based JSA, however, you may be eligible for income-based JSA. You can find out more about this on the Directgov website.

Depending on your circumstances, you may also be able to claim other benefits such as Council Tax Benefit or Housing Benefit.

Find out more about what you're entitled to in 7 things you should do if you're made redundant.

3) Sort out your CV

If your CV hasn't been kept up to date, now's the time to give it a good make-over. The trick is to sell yourself without going over the top. You still need to be truthful and you need to ensure your CV is clear and concise.

Use bullet points and keep sentences fairly short - try not to make the whole thing too long. That said, don't cram it all onto one page if it's going to look untidy - two pages are usually acceptable.

For further CV tips, read How to write the perfect CV.  

4) Polish up your skills

With the rate of unemployment on the up, there's even more competition for each job. And that means you need to focus on the skills that will make you stand out from everyone else.

It's worth doing some research into what skills you need for the types of jobs you want to apply for. If certain skills have got a bit rusty it's well worth applying for a course to brush up.

If you're not entirely sure which skills you need, take a look at the Windmills Interactive website which will help you to establish which skills you need to work on and find out what sort of work might make you happy!

Redundancy doesn't have to be the end of the world - in fact, you could see it as an opportunity to follow a new career path. Perhaps you've always fancied becoming a horse riding instructor, or a web designer - now's your chance to learn these new skills.

And if you're worried about money, courses don't have to be expensive. They also don't have to take up a lot of time. Learndirect, for example, offers a range of online courses, with some only taking a few hours. Learndirect's courses start from just £19.99 while Vision2Learn (funded by the Learning and Skills Council) offers free online courses on a variety of subjects including computer literacy, customer service skills and business technique.

And if you've got an iPod or iPhone, you can now download lectures with iTunes and you won't have to pay a penny!

5) Get applying!

Start applying for as many jobs as possible. It's a good idea to get into a routine - perhaps sit down every morning and have a good browse through job websites to see whether there's anything worth applying for.

It can also be a good idea to sign on with recruitment agencies. If you do decide to do this, give your agency a ring once a week to check in and find out what's going on - if you keep in regular contact, you'll be one of the first people your agency thinks of if a suitable job does come up.

Finally, try to stay positive. It can be incredibly disheartening to have your job application rejected, or even worse, to not even receive a response. But try to stay upbeat and stick at it. After all, you're not going to get a job if you simply give up and decide to spend every day on the sofa in front of the TV.

6) The interview

If you find yourself at the interview stage, this is your chance to dazzle and shine and impress your potential new employer.

Firstly, ensure you do some research on the company before you go. It's okay not to know everything about the company, but if it's obvious you've done no research whatsoever, your potential employer is unlikely to be impressed.

If you're a little nervous about what type of questions you might be asked, take a look at this leaflet from the Jobcentre Plus which lists 20 potential questions, as well as suggested answers. Just try not to sound too 'wooden' when answering questions - you'll still need to inject some personality into your responses, and you don't want to sound like you're simply quoting them from a piece of paper.

Make sure you leave plenty of time to get to your interview so that you don't arrive late, and don't forget to take into account that there may be travel delays - particularly if you're travelling by public transport. It's a good idea to plan an alternative route in case you're unable to take your original route for some reason.

Ensure you know the exact location of your interview so that you don't get lost, and keep the company's phone number to hand in case of emergencies. 

You should also try not to arrive too early - if you do, kill a bit of time in a coffee shop first. Whatever you do, don't arrive sweating. No one wants to sit in a room for an hour with someone who smells of bad body odour, after all.

Finally, don't forget to note down some questions of your own to ask your potential employer. For further tips, read How to succeed at interview.

So if you do find yourself out of a job, try to stay as positive as you can and stay focused. Polish up those skills, get your CV sparkling, and get ready to fight back against unemployment! And don't forget, this could be your opportunity to try something new and head in a different direction. Good luck!

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