What to do when you're unemployed

So you've been hit by the layoff bug, huh? Not to worry. Here's a handy checklist of things to do:

1) Don't panic. Most people (understandably) go through a complete mental meltdown when they get their pink slip. It's not the end of the world. It's just a sucky situation.

2) Gather your finances. Hopefully, you have passive income from investments in stocks, bonds and money market funds. If not, take a look at your debt situation. If you have debt that you can easily pay off with money to spare, do it. If you have lots of debt and still no cash in sight, you may want to swap over credit card debt for line of credit debt. The interest is lower so you'll have a little more time to spare. Check out your books. Is there anywhere you can trim back on expenses?
Try:
- switching car/home/renter's insurance
- moving to a smaller apartment or renting out a room in your home
- using more public transit or biking
- shopping at a cheaper grocery store (e.g. Winco, if you live in Washington state)
- downgrading your internet to a slower speed
- downgrading your cell phone to pay as you go
- using your local library for books instead of buying books
- giving up certain social liberties (e.g. cutting back of drinking, smoking and eating out)
- switching to movie rentals instead of going out to a movie theatre
- turning off lights and water when you aren't using them
- only doing full loads of laundry and dishes when a machine is involved
- air drying your laundry instead of putting it in a dryer
- donating old items to charity for a tax write-off with receipt
- selling old stuff online through a free posting system like craigslist or to your local thrift store
- switch to energy efficient bulbs
- use a timer switch to turn off lights in your home based on the time of day
- cutting back on junk food purchases and bottled water
- turning off water while soaping up in the shower and only turning water back on once you're ready to rinse

Doing all of the above can save a 2-person family about $670+ per month alone!

3) Start fixing up your resume. It may have been a long time since you last poked at the resume of yours and writing styles may have changed significantly. In such a case, you should probably consult a technical writer, HR professional or recruiter in your industry so determine what the latest trends are in hiring. These individuals have far more insight into the process than you and can probably give you a few good hints to help you on your way. A great service is ResumeGuru (http://resumeguru.us) that offers a money-back guarantee. Any service that doesn't provide such a safety net is probably not worth your time.

4) Call up your friends. Let your friends know you're actively looking for a position. You may even want to throw in a monetary incentive in the case that there is a referral finder's fee for new hires.