When faced with job loss, many people are so overcome with shame and embarrassment that they hide beneath a rock and avoid talking about their situation with others. This can be problematic for many reasons, says Jean Baur, author of the recently released book Eliminated! Now What?: Finding Your Way from Job-Loss Crisis to Career Resilience.

“Sustaining a ruse that you’re still employed, so that your family, friends and neighbors don’t know the truth, takes a lot of energy—energy you need for your job search. Secondly, you are virtually guaranteeing that you will have almost no help from your network because no one knows you’re looking for work. And lastly, this ties you to the past—to your past job, past schedule, and so on, and therefore makes it much harder to move forward,” Baur explains.

Read more http://www.examiner.com/college-to-career-in-denver/how-to-talk-about-being-unemployed

These workshops are for job-seekers who want to find a job 4x faster than networking and do it themselves. The workshops are available by telephone and in person.

They are open to the public, free, and appropriate for job seekers at all salary levels ... whether you're a CEO or Janitor or homeless. You can participate in person and/or by telephone as shown in the schedule below.

Read more http://www.examiner.com/unemployment-in-seattle/do-it-yourself-workshops-free-by-job-bait

Are You Ready to Be a Freelancer?

The thought of being your own boss is pretty enticing, isn't it? But do you have what it takes to be independent? Here are a few tips for getting out on your own to earn a living:

1) What have you got to offer? - All freelancers typically have a specific competency or skill-set that is established and in-demand.  Step back and assess the market for your service. Can you identify potential clients? Do you have a portfolio, track record of previous projects, or "clients" that you can use as reference points? If the answer to any of these is no, then you are probably not ready to freelance. Alternatively, you might want to take small steps towards freelancing by researching and building a potential client base (and perhaps even do some part-time consulting for them), or building your portfolio while you are still employed full-time.

Another question to ask about your "product" or "service" is how diversifiable it is. Will it survive and endure potential market shifts and changing client needs?. For example, if a client contracts with you for graphic design services to support their print design needs but they find over time they need someone with Web design skills, could you diversify or re-train to meet their needs?

2) Can your finances support you choice? Few freelancers hit the ground running with a healthy pipeline of clients, and while the costs of starting up a freelancing business can be low, you will need a financial cushion to cover your cost-of-living and start-up expenses. If you are able to fall back on savings, or have a partner (or spouse) that can support you during the first few weeks and months - then freelancing might work for you. If not, then once again, you might consider doing it on a part-time basis in order to establish a steady set of clients and a base of savings to work from.

3) What are you looking to get out of freelancing? - Becoming a freelancer requires a great deal of self-assessment. Understanding what you want to gain from going freelance is one of the most important steps to take, simply because the waters are so utterly new and uncharted. This requires being honest about your needs, motivations and expectations, and how much you are willing to endure to make freelancing work for you. A useful way to do this is to look at the pros and cons of freelancing versus those of a salaried, full time position.

This resource was paid for by your tax dollars at business.gov.