Q TIPS:
Quick and Quintessential Career & Job Tips

Job-hunting tips from the July 7, 2003 issue of QuintZine.

If you're telecommuting and leave your job, be sure you know whether you're eligible for unemployment benefits. In a complex case reported by Barry Flynn and the Associated Press in the Orlando Sentinel, a woman who worked at a New York company later moved to Florida and telecommuted to her employer's computer in New York state. When her employer ended the arrangement, she wanted to collect unemployment compensation. But New York's highest court, the New York State Court of Appeals recently said, in effect, forget about it. The court ruled that she was not eligible for unemployment compensation from New York, either. The court ruled that for the purposes of unemployment compensation, the worker's location is what matters, not the employer's. The court also said no other U.S. court had yet ruled on where telecommuters would qualify for unemployment benefits, an issue that is likely to grow in significance as increasing numbers of Americans work from home. There are complexities of this case that wouldn't apply to every telecommuter, but before you start -- or end -- a telecommuting arrangement, it's wise to find out what you can expect in terms of unemployment if you leave that job.

With such a grim current job market, (see our feature, Trying to Make Sense of the Job Market and Employment Outlooks, it's not unexpected for job-seekers to be angry about job loss.

Writing on CareerJournal.com, Arlene S. Hirsch offers tips for dealing with the anger:

1. Grieve the loss. Give yourself time to feel sad about losing your job.
2. Write it down. Recalling and reliving difficult feelings about your job loss on paper can help you to deal with the trauma.
3. Stay connected. Don't isolate yourself.
4. Think through what happened.
5. Train yourself to think positively. Reconditioning yourself to think positively can help reduce your negative thoughts and emotions.

Finally, give yourself time to reflect on what you've done and reconnect with what's important to you. Perhaps this is a good time to make a career change, go back to school or start a business. Read the full article.

An article called "Writing Follow-Up Letters" on the about.com Web site suggests some uses for follow-up letters that you might not have thought of. The article suggests using letters for:

• Accepting an interview invitation.
• Asking if a position for which you applied is still open.
• Asking for feedback explaining the reasons you were passed over for a job (so you can try to improve your chances).
• Offering additional information about your qualifications that your resume and cover letter didn't or can't.
• Staying in touch by reaffirming your interest in the employer, after rejection of your original application.
• Staying in touch after a layoff. As are many, your employer might be negligent about matching your qualifications to open jobs after laying you off, despite what was promised in your separation package.
• Requesting an extension to accept or decline a job offer.
• Thanking an employer for a job opportunity after you've accepted it.
• Thanking an employer for a job opportunity even after you've declined it. You never know when you might need to count on a job offer from that employer again.
• Calling attention to yourself once more, after sending an interview thank-you letter. It might help you to stand out among other applicants. Read the full article.

  
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   

  
  

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