12 tips to keep you afloat and employable when the cheques stop coming but the bills don’t
By

Well, here we are, after years of being part of the working class you find yourself unemployed with bills to pay. Here is what you should consider doing.

  1. Claim that UIF – Many people who have been retrenched or dismissed do not go to claim their unemployment. Treasury reports that the UIF reserves are sitting at 16 billion rands and climbing. Do not be embarrassed UIF is money that is reserved for situations like yours.
  2. Put your House on the Market – You can always buy a new house but it will take you longer to recover from bad debt. When you lose your job, the first thing you should do is notify your bank (if your house is bonded), of your intention to sell the house. This should be done 90 days prior to you listing the house. Putting your house on the market can prevent the bank from repossessing your house should you fall short on installments. You can also use the income from the sale of the house to get back on your feet and close off pressing debts.
  3. Advertise your house for rental – If selling your house is not an option consider renting out a portion of it or leasing out the entire house to cover your bond.
  4. List your car for rental – There are many car rental platforms that can help bring income into the household while you are unemployed Uber/Taxify/rentmyride are the top 3 in deriving income from your car at flexible time periods. If you are not going to be utilizing the car daily why not make money out of it?
  5. Enroll for a free online course. – In an ever-changing technological era, one needs to always keep abreast of what is new in the market, enrolling in an online course keeps you busy but also helps you gain a skill while at home. Potential employers are more likely to be impressed that you used your time wisely while still job searching.
  6. Teach English online – This may sound like an easier said than done. but if you have a degree, you can earn up to R18000 teaching English online all you need is a TEFL certificate. a TEFL course with take you 10 to 30 days to get certified.
  7. Contact ALL your creditors – contact all your creditors and inform them you have fallen on hard times and make arrangements for every single debt, keep a diary with dates and times as well as copies of letters or emails sent. please note that this does not mean you are now free from paying any bills.
  8. Place your CV on Employment Portals – Many people do not like doing this and roll their eyes when you tell them. Thousands of recruiters use job portals to find candidates. It is the fastest way to connect candidates to employers. When you are unemployed your new job is to find a Job. Set a target to apply to at least 3 vacancies that meet your skills criteria every single day.
  9. Cut unnecessary expenses – This may seem arbitrary but that gym membership where you hardly go, that cellphone contract with free minutes you never use. any and every expense that you can live without must go….bye, Felicia!
  10. An Opportunity to de-clutter – Take a look at your closet, the kids rooms, the garage …what is in there that you really do not need? Well, I’ll be damned ….box collection of Friends? Sell it!
  11. Save money for interviews – Its the hardest thing to do when you are unemployed however, many people get that call for an interview and do not have the means to get to it. Your potential employer as compassionate as they may be, may not have the patience to wait till you have money to interview you. If your interview is with a recruiter ask if it is not possible to Skype you to limit the number of interviews.
  12. Be job ready – It is the most frustrating thing as a recruiter when a candidate who has listed themselves as unemployed tells you they cannot make an interview because they have made other plans. You are asking a potential employer who knows that you are unemployed to hang ten while you sort out your diary? Think about it.

Lastly email me your CV, [email protected]