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’Net Junkie Shawn "Speedy" Lopes |
Web site can help
if you’ve lost your jobIt ranks right up there with the worst experiences you will endure in your lifetime. You've been laid off. Let go. Dismissed. Fired. Got your walking papers, pink slip, your termination notice. You may have been the victim of downsizing, or perhaps you may even feel you deserved to get the boot for being a real slacker. A million things race through your mind, including directions to the unemployment office, coming up with next month's rent and making your car payments. Where can you turn for help?
A good place to start might be www.igotlaidoff.com, whose résumé distribution service will match you with recruiters at various employment agencies around the country. Good news is, the site is free to the unemployed.
It features a "job tips" section, with pointers on securing a new position elsewhere and information on job-hunting Web sites and even a "boot camp" for the unemployed. There are tips on writing a better résumé and what to do if you suspect your age may be more of a liability than an asset.
Sometimes being fired may actually be a blessing in disguise. Igotlaidoff.com reminds us that a kick to the curb allows the unemployed a precious opportunity to pursue an old dream. "It's time to reconsider past dreams," they say. "Have you wanted to start your own business, sky-dive, learn the guitar, become a volunteer or learn computers?" It makes the answer to your prospective employers' question "So, what have you been doing with your spare time?" much more weighty.
Igotlaidoff.com also advises that you take the time to learn new skills and perhaps enroll in a local college or at least take steps to prepare to improve your skills. Be sure to create a career portfolio containing examples of your work.
A popular feature of igotlaidoff.com is its Top 10 "signs that your company may go through a layoff," which, thanks to contributors, has recently surpassed the century mark. If "the office stops ordering Starbucks and Pop-Tarts" and "the toilet paper goes from silky smooth to coarse sandpaper," watch out: You could be logging on to igotlaidoff.com in the near future.
See the Columnists section for some past articles.
’Net Junkie drops every Monday.
Contact Shawn "Speedy" Lopes at slopes@starbulletin.com.
Note: Web sites mentioned in this column were active at time of publication. The Honolulu Star-Bulletin neither endorses nor is responsible for their contents.
