Unemployment Help: Tips, Strategies, and Resources for Surviving Job Loss

Losing a job is a stressful, uncertain experience. Even planned unemployment or a “gap year” after college can be difficult to navigate financially. The following resources have been assembled to help you make sense of your situation, avoid costly mistakes, and make the most of your time between jobs (whether it was deliberate or unexpected). From managing expenses without reliable income, to finding the right job or next stage for your career, to financial assistance and debt relief, we’ve got you covered.

Unexpected Job Loss: Recovering and Moving On

When the loss of a job comes as surprise, it carries a lot of uncertainty. Losing your main source of income doesn’t mean all your bills and expenses go on hold; fortunately, there are ways to cope both in the short term and over longer periods of unemployment. These resources will help you deal with the initial impact of losing your job, and navigate budgeting and managing expenses while you move on to the next job or source of income.

• First Steps: Dealing With Job Loss and Moving On
• Wrongful Termination: What You Need to Know
• Unemployment Benefits and Financial Assistance Resources
• Get Help Paying Your Mortgage While Unemployed
• Affordable Healthcare: Free and Sliding Scale Clinics
• Get Help With Medical Debt
• Avoid Debt While Unemployed: Tips for Budgeting and Credit Cards
• Emergency Funds and Preserving Your Savings
• Getting Back to Work: Managing Interviews and Applications With a Gap in Employment

Making the Most of Your Time Between Jobs

“Unemployment” isn’t always a dirty word or a negative experience. With a little forethought and planning, you can prepare for life without a steady job and use the time to your advantage. The following resources can help guide through your sabbatical and into the next phase of your career.

• Preparing for Unemployment: Emergency Funds and Important Considerations
• Onward and Upward: Leaving Your Job to Find Something Better
• Work History Narratives and Being Smart About Job Hopping
• Don’t Settle: Managing Income and Finding the Right Job While Unemployed
• Supplemental Income and Resume-Building Opportunities
• Keeping an Eye on Debts and Credit While Unemployed

Ready to Quit: Planned Unemployment Resources

Unemployment may be a choice you make, rather than something that happens to you. Whether it is an elective break from working, or you are ready to change careers, return to school, or explore entrepreneurship opportunities, there are lots of good reasons to leave your job and try something else. These resources will help you decide when the time is right and what professional and financial considerations are important for a planned period of unemployment.

• When to Quit Your Job
• How to Quit Your Job Without Burning Bridges
• Can You Really Afford to Quit?
• Escaping the 9-5: How to Ditch the Office and Travel the World
• Moving On vs Moving Out: Starting a Side-Hustle Without Quitting Your Day Job
• Back to Civilian Life: Transition From the Military to a New Job