It is official.  Our unemployment rate has just risen to 7.2%.  524,000 jobs were cut in December alone.  The jobless rate is the highest it has been in sixteen years.  It seems as if everyone is getting laid off, and few are safe.  How can we overcome this and find a job?

Don’t panic.  I know this is easier said then done, but just sit on your hands for a minute and think through your actions rationally.  Don’t sell all of your belongings or organs just yet.  We normally have that “flinch” reaction when something bad happens.  Most of the time that reaction puts us in a worse position.

I have some free financial advice in the form of an ebook titled, Money for Tomorrow.  It was written to get us all back to the basics.  That must be step one.  We have to determine what we actually have and how much we need.  Once we figure that out, we know what we must look for in a job.

If we need $2,500 per month and as a gut reaction run out and start flipping burgers 50 hours a week, we still might not make it.  It would be smarter to work less hours and search for a better paying job.  My brother was just laid off and after sitting on his hands for a moment realized that he is in ok shape for a little while.

He saw that with unemployment, savings and not sending the kids to daycare they can hold down the fort.  Instead of wasting his time doing odds and ends for long hours, he is solely focused on finding a job.  I am very proud of how he is handling the whole situation.

In conjunction with that, a good friend of mine, JB Bryant, wrote a great article on job hunting.  He, too, has been a victim of the recession and has done extensive research on this topic and organized it for all to see.

Do any of you have great advice or tips to share with us?  Tough times are easier to get through as a unified team.

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