Help!! What Should I Do If I Lose My Job?

First of all, give yourself permission to "grieve."

You just lost your job, for crying out loud!

Get angry, cry, express your frustration to family and friends. It's important, however, that you don't allow yourself to stay in this mode too long. You need to motivate yourself to get busy and moving ahead with your life again.

Use your newly found free time updating that resume and start applying for jobs.

Don't get upset if you're turned down, instead focus on impressing the next potential employer who would be damn lucky to have you on their team.

You might also want to consider opting for temp work or applying for a job outside of your field. Be flexible and willing to try something new if it will get you working again.

Who knows? It could even open the door to a brand new career that you end up falling in love with.

Meanwhile, put yourself on a tight budget. Buy necessities at discount and cut out luxuries since you will most likely be living on savings for awhile. Clip coupons, shop at the dollar store and resist the urge to overspend. Modify your lifestyle to suit your conditions until you get a new job.

At first you may feel that being deprived of the finer things in life is driving you crazy, but being forced into living with less can often simplify your life. When the hard times have passed, you'll probably find that you turned out stronger and more resilient because of it.

Being unemployed isn't easy, but with support, a positive attitude and aggressive persistence, things will eventually get better.

With the news announcing more job losses on a daily basis, you may be wondering if the ax is going to fall on your place of employment next.

You're probably having nightmares about the depressed faces on the broken down ex-employees shown on the nightly news. If you're worried about the prospect of being sacked from your job, then the best measure to take is to prepare yourself in the event that it happens.

Take classes to learn new skills that are more in demand.

The more things you are able to do, the more employable you are. While you're at it, keep networking - you might meet someone who would be able to help you find a new job if you lose your current one. As the old adage says, "it's who you know" that can sometimes give you the advantage.

If you have a hobby you can turn into a business then joining a networking club like BNI or Toastmasters will really help get your new venture off the ground.

Get some cheap business cards printed up, get your name down as President of Your Name Company, and get out there learning new skills and meeting new people!

For example, there are customer service jobs, administrative work and freelance writing that you can do part-time from home. This can generate a second, even third income for you that will still be in place if your main means of income falls by the wayside.

You may even find that you're way happier working from home, and you can ditch your employers before they ditch you (take that boss)!

You should also put aside money each paycheck for an emergency fund. Stick in in an interest earning savings account so it's generating you at least a little something on the side. Speaking of savings accounts, make it your goal to have at least six months worth of expenses set aside, in case you become unemployed.

Pay off your credit card bills, so that they won't put you in a hole later.

The last thing you need is to be forced into choosing between paying an overdue credit card and paying for your internet connection. Can you imagine having to live without YouTube and Facebook? (Oh, the horrors!)

With these precautions in place, you will be well prepared if you should happen to lose your job. Don't let yourself become a victim - you're in charge of your destiny and you have the strength to make it a great one!