Waiting to Be Hired: How to Cope Financially During Your Job Hunt
Anyone who’s ever changed jobs knows how stressful the transition can be, even if they’ve been in the workforce a long time. The excitement of a new opportunity also comes with worries. The experience can be even more daunting for those who are re-entering the workforce after a long period of unemployment, whether due to a layoff, termination, or the opportunity to raise a family.
If you’re having difficulty finding work, then you probably already feel an oppressive amount of stress. Fear not, though. There are things you can do to bring in some money while you wait to hear, “You’re hired.”
Do a personal skills inventory as you undergo a job search. Ask yourself what skills you can put to use right now as you look for a job. For example, are you good with a camera? If you don’t want to try to set up your own photography business, some professional photographers might need assistants when they shoot weddings or other social events. Do you have craft skills? Consider setting up a shop on Etsy to sell your products. Do you play a musical instrument or are you a trained singer? You can become a music teacher and offer lessons either at your home or at students’ homes. Plus, even when you start working full time, you can still perform many of these gigs as side jobs.
If you don’t have a specialized skill set, you could offer personal services. For instance, if you love animals, pet sitting is a growing field that needs reliable people. As a pet sitter, you would feed, walk, and spend time with your clients’ animals (mostly dogs, but some people also use sitters for cats and even large birds). If you have your own transportation, you might think about becoming an errand runner for senior citizens who can’t make it out of their houses every day to take care of tasks such as picking up dry cleaning or going to the grocery store. In addition to running errands, you can also offer yourself as a waiting service, where you would be hired to wait at a home for plumbing, cable, satellite TV, internet, or appliance repair technicians if the resident can’t be there.
What’s great about having these types of short-term gigs is that your schedule is a little more flexible so that you can be readily available for job interviews. While retail and restaurant jobs are definitely an option, your schedule might not be as flexible with them, and if you’re scheduled to work when you have an interview, you’ll probably need to find someone to cover for you or switch shifts. Plus, if you’re starting a new business of your own, it could even become a long-term, full-time gig.
If that happens to be a goal (or even a hope!), it’s in your best interest to start out properly. In other words, begin things professionally and officially, and you’ll frame things positively, right off the bat. That means creating a practical budget, writing a business plan that addresses your goals, choosing a business structure, and registering with your state.
Projections and marketing analyses will help with both your budget and business plan; the SBA has some terrific guides to help you along. As far as your structure, weigh your options carefully. Many new entrepreneurs prefer an LLC, thanks to the personal asset protection, scalability, and tax advantages it provides. Plus if you go that direction, it’s easy to form an LLC in NC and register with your state by going through an online service. You’ll be glad you went the extra mile with these steps — by treating your venture as a formal business, you set yourself up for success.
No matter which type of side gig you choose while you wait to become hired full time, keep in mind that these career and financial challenges can trigger all kinds of stress. If you need to develop a set of coping skills to get through this challenging part of your life, find support through Reach Counseling Solutions. 504-224-9959
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