unemployment

When everything's going well at your job, you'll feel secure, and you'll most likely become complacent. Even though getting laid off seems like a highly unlikely scenario to you right now, you can't predict the future. Anything can happen, and that's why it's always good to be prepared so you won't be caught unawares. Think of it this way: would you wait for an accident to happen before you buy a first aid kit? Here are some things you can do when you pretend you're being laid off.

• Update your LinkedIn: When you see a flurry of activity from a LinkedIn contact, it's usually indicative of their employment status. Don't wait until you're without a job to start amping up your LinkedIn. Do it now when you're secure, so people won't assume you're trying to connect with them on LinkedIn just because you're looking for a job.
• Reach out to five people: I read somewhere that it's good to picture the five people you would reach out to if you were laid off. Then, start working on your relationships with those five people. Drop them an email or give them a call just to catch up and to see how they are doing. It's good to cultivate ongoing relationships with people who you might reach out to for job help in the future.
• Go to networking events: Don't try to build up your network only when you're jobless. Make an effort to get out there and meet people in your industry through mixers and other networking events. Otherwise, people might think that you're only there to find contacts who can get you a job.

So you were fired from your last job, and you're fretting about how to address it in your interview — don't worry, all is not lost. In fact, given the job market slump and companies tightening their money belts, it's quite understandable to be unemployed. If you have the right attitude and approach, being fired from your previous job won't hinder you too much. Here are some tips to get you through this possibly awkward encounter:

• Don't burn your bridges: Even if you're leaving your job, be sure to leave gracefully. There may be a time when future employers or schools might call back for a reference, so you definitely want to make sure they'll have good things to say about you.
• Be honest: Your boss can easily find out the reason for your departure, so make sure you're truthful in your explanation. This doesn't mean you have to go into details, because it's best to keep your answer short.
• Don't be bitter: Don't be negative and bitter about your firing, because it will just be a red flag to your potential employer. Your interviewer might start worrying about your ability to get along with others.
• Say what you learned from the experience: Focus on the positives of that experience and say what you've learned from it. For example, if you were unemployed for a time, make sure you explain how you've been productive with your time. Perhaps you've been taking classes, volunteering, or doing freelance projects.
• Prepare your answer: Write down your answer and try to practice it so you won't be trying to figure out what to say during the interview. Here are some sample answers recommended by career expert Joyce Lain Kennedy that are all really succinct and appropriate ways to address your firing: "Although circumstances caused me to leave my first job, I was very successful in school and got along well with both students and faculty. Perhaps I didn't fully understand my boss's expectations or why he released me so quickly before I had a chance to prove myself," "The job wasn't working out so my boss and I agreed that it was time for me to move on to a position that would show a better return for both of us. So here I am, ready to work," and "I wanted my career to move in a different direction, and I guess my mental separation set up the conditions that led to my departure. But by contrast, the opportunity we're discussing seems to be made for me and I hope to eventually grow into a position of responsibility."

In today's economy we are constantly seeing once prosperous people down on their luck; however, it is especially during hard times that it's most important to remember that there is light at the end of the tunnel. This interesting article from LearnVest shows just that by delving into the life of a once homeless woman and her struggles to eventually end up on top.

I was born in Nigeria, and contrary to the prevalent view of Africa, I had a good life. My father was a high-ranking politician and my mother earned so much running a chicken farm that she out-earned my father.

But, during my childhood, my mother wanted me and my brothers to have better opportunities and a better education. First she sent my oldest brother to America. Then, when I was 10, she moved me and my other brother to England to attend a posh boarding school (non-citizens are not technically allowed to benefit from the free, public education system in England).

Related Link: I Can't Afford My Friends' Weddings

My father stayed behind in Nigeria at his job, but paid for the boarding school. My mother joined the two of us a year later, with plans to start her own business, a bed and breakfast. My father sent her money to help with the down payment and mortgage on a nice house in London. She studied for a master’s degree in tourism and hospitality to make her dream business a reality.

I settled in, made friends and was happy. Continue reading for the full story

One of the reasons you're having a tough time looking for a job could be that there simply is a lack of jobs where you live. Money magazine recently compiled a list of counties that have seen the biggest job growth in 2010 to 2011. This growth is attributed to factors like good location or tax structures conducive to companies, which make it more attractive for firms to either set up shop or further expand their operations in the area. Here are 15 counties that have seen the largest amount of jobs created last year.

1. Loudoun County, VA: 83.6 percent job growth
2. Fort Bend County, TX: 78.1 percent job growth
3. Williamson County, TX: 73.8 percent job growth
4. Montgomery County, TX: 63.5 percent job growth
5. Douglas County, CO: 58.6 percent job growth
6. Collin County, TX: 55.9 percent job growth
7. Denton County, TX: 53.4 percent job growth
8. Prince William County, VA: 48.6 percent job growth
9. Suffolk County, VA: 43 percent job growth
10. Williamson County, TN: 40.3 percent job growth
11. Sarpy County, NE: 39.4 percent job growth
12. Wake County, NC: 36.5 percent job growth
13. Faulkner County, AR: 35 percent job growth
14. Houston County, GA: 29.9 percent job growth
15. Bonneville County, ID: 28.1 percent job growth

Would you ever pack up and move to an area with more jobs? If you're considering it, here are some of our tips on finding a job in another city.

Before you agree to help your friends with their job search and applications, it's important to know your boundaries. You don't want to set yourself up for a huge commitment (you are not a professional career counselor), but you do want to be a supportive and helpful friend. Too much dependence on you could make you resentful, and too much criticism could upset your jobless friend. Avoid nasty situations from arising by following these tips.

• Give advice based on your skills – Perhaps you are a great communicator and networker but terrible at grammar. Only help your friend in areas where you feel strong and confident. Otherwise, you may make a glaring oversight that could compromise their application process.
• Respond promptly – You have a busy schedule too, but it's important that if you agree to help them, respond to their emails or phone calls in a timely manner. Otherwise, you are wasting their time by your flakiness, which could cause them to lose the opportunity.
• Make small edits to cover letters and resumés – Do check for grammatical errors and clarity, but don't tear apart their work and make elaborate changes. After all, their work must showcase and maintain their voice.
• Offer a list of informative websites – If you don't want to spend a lot of time going over all the gritty formalities of the job application process, recommend a few websites that cover the basics of how to build a resumé and prepare for the interview.

Read on for more.

If something feels off at the office, you may want to brace yourself for the worst. Wise Bread shares signs to look for when a pink slip is coming.

There are two types of employees. One has a good idea of what they do, who they are, and what position they play in the company. They are savvy. They know the score. They are under no delusions, and will no doubt leave for another job long before they are ever considered as cannon-fodder.

RELATED: Laid Off? You May Have to Fight For Unemployment Benefits

And then there's the other kind. The guy who could get Gandhi to hate him. The woman who spends most of her day chatting on the phone to friends or doing online shopping. Or the nice chap in sales who is completely oblivious that the recent merger means his job is now obsolete. They all have Ostrich Syndrome. They couldn't see a pink slip coming if it was 8ft tall and glowing in the dark, screaming "you're fired!"

You want to avoid being in that second category at all costs. So I've compiled a handy list. If you can answer yes to THREE or more of these questions, you may want to think about sprucing up your résumé and dry-cleaning your best interview attire.

1. Are you no longer in the loop about, well, anything?

This is a huge telltale sign. Suddenly you're finding out about company news from the cleaning lady or the new girl in accounting. If you were formally in the know about all things business related, but now suffer from "the company's doing what??!" disease, the writing is probably on the wall.

2. Did you recently screw up big-time?

We're not talking a minor faux pas here. Did you lose money on an account that was previously bulletproof? Oh dear. Were you caught having sex on the boss's desk with the boss's spouse? That's probably not a career-enhancing move. Unless you're a real dope, you know if you have screwed up. And if you know, HR knows. It may not be the final nail in your coffin, but it's a nail in the coffin nonetheless.

3. Are people avoiding you at all costs?

Eye contact is difficult to make with someone if you know his or her head's on the chopping block. Small talk is just as tough. It's best just to avoid that person altogether. So if people are no longer doing that fun "stop 'n' chat" in the hall, or the coffee room empties when you arrive, then guess what . . . you may be a marked man or woman.

Read on for more.

Employers generally tend to want to hire people who currently have jobs, making it harder for the long-term unemployed. That's why when you've been unemployed for a long time, you may feel insecure about your résumé. It's obviously natural to want to hide the fact that you haven't had a job in a while, but there are better ways to deal with this predicament. The New York Times offers some solid advice:

No matter how you organize it, prospective employers will see the gap in your employment. You can put the emphasis elsewhere, however. Mr. Margolin suggests customizing résumés for specific positions by writing four or five sentences at the top summing up your skills and experience related to that opportunity.

Change the "work experience" section to "experience" and write about volunteer and paid work, making clear which work was unpaid but using the same language for both, says Elena Bajic, founder and C.E.O. of Ivy Exec, a recruitment service in New York. For volunteer as well as paid work, she says, "quantify your results, talk about the strategies used to get there and about how you contributed to the growth and success of the organization."

This is just another reminder for job hunters to stay active and to invest time and energy into filling up the gaps in your résumé with volunteer activities, education, and freelance gigs. Employers like to hire people who take initiative, and you'll be a more attractive candidate if they notice your proactiveness.