Oh no, you have handed that dreaded pink slip. In other words, you’ve been let go, fired, canned, terminated. Whatever you call it, it is the worst thing imaginable, especially in this kind of economy. The pain that comes with those words, and that pink slip is the very reason why bosses and owners have creatively crafted so many ways to basically say ”I’m sorry, your services here are no longer needed.” So, what are you supposed to do now?

Unfortunately, there is no easy slave for you unemployment period. However, there are many different tips that will hurry along your job search, and can even improve your prospects of getting hired. These three tips can help guide you through this financially, and emotionally, difficult time.

Tip 1: Avoid any resume red flags

Here are a few things to avoid when writing out your resume:

• Poor writing. Make sure that you use your punctuation and correct grammar. Have some knowledgeable people that you trust to look over and proofread your writing before you submit it to anyone.
• Experience listed has no relevance to the job being offered. Be sure that you understand the responsibilities and the requirements that are explained in the job description and align your experiences accordingly.
• There are large gaps in employment history. Considering the difficult times we are in, many people have extended periods of unemployment on their records. Explain your reasons for the gaps, include any activities you have engaged yourself in that are related to the field of work that you are interested in.

Tip 2: Finding a job is your new full-time job

Throughout your employment you showed up at the office, Monday through Friday for usually around eight hours a day. Now that you have been fired, you must commit to the same amount of time looking for a new job as you did when you worked at your previous job. You may be thinking how you will ever fill the time of working 40 hours a week. Well, here is some things that you shouldn’t be doing:

• Watching TV
• Browsing the Internet for fun
• Playing video games
• Socializing with friends (This is fake networking, don’t fool yourself.)

Tip 3: Be visible; do not isolate yourself.

The first thing that you may thing about doing once you get laid off is crawling under your covers and not surfacing for a week or so. Unemployment definitely leads to a certain sense of depression, which makes searching for jobs even harder. For these reasons, unemployment is the worst time to be in hiding. Instead of hiding yourself away, get out there and engage with your network, even if it’s the very last thing that you want to do. Try these tips to staying active:

• Pick up the phone and call your colleagues and business associates.
• Ask around about organizations that can help to provide support and guidance.
• Take advantage of social media.