Being unemployed is never a particularly fun time, let’s be honest. It’s a challenge financially and emotionally. It is, however, important for you to know that we have all been there. You will survive, and this will pass.

For now, although we can’t give you a job, we do have some great tips to help you survive this slump.

Keep Your Finances In Check

Unfortunately, your utility bills, food bills, and mortgage don’t recognize that you are unemployed, so you still need to keep some cash flow going. Measure your savings against your outgoings, and be honest about your situation. You can then apply for unemployment benefits, look at small money loans with no interest, and speak to your lenders about a potential payment break. Once this is done, you can make an unemployment budget, giving you full control over your financial situation.

Recognize How Awesome You Are

An under-confident person does not have the best CV, the best interview persona, or the best outlook on their own potential. If you can afford to, take some time to assess your skill-set and put some work into developing it. Recognize your natural talents and truly start to love who you are. This will boost your chance of employment success and career happiness.

Even if you’re already confident, it makes sense to assess your skills to see if there’s any development you could do right now to enhance your chances of gaining employment. Who knows, after reassessing, it might be time for a career change after all.

Search, Apply, Network

It is important to be tenacious, creative, bold, and persistent when it comes to applying for jobs. Statistics show us that up to 70% of jobs are never even posted, which means that the only way to get some roles is through a connection. This shows that networking has to be part of your job search. However, it must always be accompanied by a polished CV. While you’re at it, make sure you update your professional social media profiles. It may also be worth making your personal ones totally private, particularly if you (or your friends) are prone to inappropriate posts.

Stick To A Routine

It is so easy to wake up late, eat junk food, and escape reality through games and TV when you’re unemployed. They don’t call it an unemployment ‘slump’ for nothing. For better mental and physical health, do try to stick to a basic routine that includes:

• Getting up at the same time every day
• Eating well as much as you can
• Taking a walk locally at least once a day
• Taking regular breaks from job searching
• Reaching a goal of at least a certain amount of job applications a day
• Boosting your skills in some way, every day
• Staying social so you don’t become isolated

Start A Blog, Vlog, Or Social Media Account

If you have expertise in any area (not necessarily related to your previous work), start talking about it. Using your preferred mix of YouTube, TikTok, Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, LinkedIn, Quora, and your own blog, you can create a name for yourself. This tactic gives you a personal project to work on, a method for developing your social media skills, and it can be placed on your CV as a way to show your ability to self-manage and self-market.

“We must accept finite disappointment, but we must never lose infinite hope.” – Martin Luther King

With the tips above and your strength combined, this slump will pass. Soon enough, you’ll be absolutely flying in the next stage of your career.