Six Strategies For Dealing With Unexpected Job Termination

With over 15 million people unemployed in the USA in late 2009, many people have been faced with unexpected job termination. It is a very rare situation when it is welcome news to learn you are unemployed, but in some circumstances the situation may result in opening a new door of opportunity.

Opportunities for new careers, training, retraining, and career counseling are likely available within the resources of your state or county, local colleges or workforce centers. Sometimes we just need to be reminded to look for new options. This article provides six strategies that people can consider to help cope with unexpected job termination.

1. File and Freshen. In the face of sudden employment, of course the first step of self-preservation is to register for unemployment. However we must remember not to stop there. Instead, individuals with initiative will want to immediately begin looking for opportunities to refresh their skills, update their resume and interview skills even while beginning their job hunt.
2. Upgrade or New Direction. If you have been searching for jobs for a few weeks and are not having luck finding a new position, it may be an opportunity to consider a career upgrade or new career direction. The state or county Workforce Centers, or One Stops, as they are often called, will have career advising services which may assist in such valuable roles as career aptitude testing, and career preferences evaluations. You might also consider whether your career aspirations and goals have shifted since you were last hired. Maybe this is a chance for significant change of direction. If career change seems promising, there are many resources for retraining.
3. Outlooks on Occupations. Occupational profiles, demands and salaries are listed in an easily searchable database at Occupational Outlook Handbook (see link in resource list below). Using this online resource you can explore the occupations which have surfaced as you moved through….
   CLICK the article title to read the entire article.

Five Myth Busters of Changing Careers – Breaking Free to Reach Your Dreams

Aside from the statistics about the sheer number of careers across our lifetimes in 2009, there are a multitude of new perspectives on career planning, and career options. Was it an option to be a network engineer in a small office when you were a youngster?

NPR Unemployment Discussion- WI-Style

At Issue with Ben Merens- Dr. King Talks Unemployment and ReTraining

Dr. Kathleen King was the guest expert on Wisconsin Public radio (WPR) with Ben Merens November 10, 2009 for a special 1 hour segment discussion and call-in show on unemployment and retraining. Dr. King answered questions and provided critical information about how adults can handle the unemployment trends, consider new career opportunities and weigh retraining options.

Kathy provides detailed guidance on not only using The Occupational Outlook Handbook online, but also accessing state and county based information for career needs and projections. Topics extend from trends in up and coming jobs and careers, options for certification choices, unemployment benefits, to OneStop Centers, Wisconsin specific benefits, new veterans’ scholarships and many online resources. The variety of needs revealed among the callers is enlightening and helpful in fleshing out how different situations can be handled and add……

(Click the title above to read the entire post!)