Atlanta 9to5

Practical advice

Practical advice if you have lost your job...

MONEY

· If you get severance pay, save it. Don't go on vacation. If you get fired on Friday, you ought to be out job hunting Monday.

· Saving money is a concern now--or will be later. Spend no more than is necessary on your job search.

· Use Libraries. All of them carry books about resumes, job hunting, and interviewing.

· Register with a temporary help agency.

JOB HUNTING

· On Sundays, read the want ads, not only jobs but names of placement agencies that serve your industry. Look in the big papers as well as smaller ones and weeklies.

· Find names of companies similar to your old one; then call their personnel departments and ask if they're hiring.

· If your former company offered to pay for outplacement help, use it. Outplacement help does not get you another job, but it can help you to organize yourself and can bolster your self-confidence.

· Investigate jobs in local, state, and federal government.

NETWORKING

· Have two other people proofread your resume. Then make a few, not hundreds, of copies.

· Join a free support group.

· Contact friends, business associates, and schoolmates.