There are some simple, practical things you can do if you find yourself out of work, but the most important thing is to go easy on yourself. Don’t try to do everything in one go, set yourself simple targets and make lists. Then give yourself some time to relax.
Remember, lots of people are in similar situations right now, so seek help. You don’t have to become an expert in CV drafting or Universal Credit overnight. From friends to free organisations, there’s help out there.
There are three key aspects that you need to pay attention to most. Here’s Resolver’s guide to giving yourself the best chance.
1. Finances
Facing down your finances is the first challenge to address. Most people don’t see managing money as fun, and the current climate of – in almost all cases – having to spend using cards rather than cash, or shopping online, means it can be harder to stay on top of your finances.
Take a deep breath and set aside 30 minutes to get started. Make a simple “money in/money out list”.
Cancel any subscriptions, services and other things you don’t need. If you spot anything you don’t recognise then ask your bank to claim back the cash or contact the firm that’s debiting you to complain.
There are a range of facilities either with your current bank or independent providers that can help you budget for free and can bring all your cash ‘under one roof’.
If you got a redundancy payment, then don’t be lulled into a false sense of security by the cash. Treat it as an advance on wages and set yourself a monthly payment to live off.
If you can put the cash in to a separate account, then it’s even easier to be less tempted to spend it.
If you have a holiday booked and you don’t want to risk any more spending abroad or in the UK because you’re out of work, then speak to your travel insurance provider if you have a policy. Regardless of Covid-19, you may find you are covered for cancelling your holiday if you’ve been made redundant or let go and won’t have an income by the time you are due to go.
If you’ve got a mortgage then chances are you’ll have an insurance policy to cover you for the payments for precisely this situation, so dig it out and claim and speak to the mortgage company too.
If your finances are dire then don’t delay, seek help. StepChange is a free debt charity that can deal with your creditors for you and negotiate reduced payments.
2. Job planning
If there’s one thing even less popular than budgeting it’s job hunting – working on CVs and covering letters can try the patience of even the most relaxed jobseeker. This is something even seasoned writers and experts hate doing, but if you grit your teeth it doesn’t have to be overwhelming.
Don’t get distracted by the zillions of guides and templates online. You’ll find you can while away many hours fiddling with design only to find you’ve not tackled the important bits.
Remember there’s no definitive template for a CV that works every time. As a general rule, stick to two pages maximum. You no longer have to have your entire employment history laid out though you might find it easier to chart everything out on paper first. Doing this can remind you of some of the key skills you’ve picked up over the years that might get left out in the final cut.
Write your CV starting with your most recent job.Bullet points help you to lay out the important details and focus on key skills and responsibilities. You might want to look at some job descriptions for roles you’d like and see if you can mirror them in your CV.
Here’s the most important rule. Get the friends involved. Everyone of working age has a CV somewhere and many will have just been through all of this recently too. Look at the things that jump out at you and channel your inner magpie by borrowing the best bits.
Cut and paste the CV on to LinkedIn too – lots of recruiters use this website. It’s much easier than it looks and you need to keep things brief too, so it’s good practice in making your CV succinct.
Don’t be disheartened. Yes, it’s likely there will be much competition for jobs that match your specific skills, but don’t be afraid to branch out and try something different, or buy yourself some time to think by speaking to recruitment agencies about temping work.
Temping may seem like a nightmare, but it actually allows you to keep working while building up skills you may have lost if you’ve been working in the same job for years. Even working short-term in a few places will give you a confidence boost while you decide on the type of longer-term role you’d like to apply for.
3. Benefits
For many people there’s a real stigma around benefits. Put that to one side. If you’ve spent years working you’ve paid into the system and you’re entitled to fall back on it when you need it the most.
Claiming benefits has changed dramatically in recent years. You may have heard some horror stories about universal credit, the new ‘all in one’ benefit that replaced the previous range of benefits.
While the system isn’t perfect by any means, the lockdown has actually resulted some of the more frustrating parts of the process being streamlined or jettisoned. So no more 50-minute interview in person. That’s been cut to 30 minutes on the phone.
If you’re really struggling, speak to your local council to find out what support they have for people in your situation, from health care to grants and things like food or furniture. They can also let you know what official sources of support there are from the Government.
It’s been really challenging just keeping on top of the schemes and support measures introduced over the lockdown and it’s possible other things may be announced in the coming months that you might miss. So keep watching the news and stay informed by checking your council website.
