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Being unemployed is certainly a setback to your career but it isnt something you cant handle successfully.

I've been laid off twice in my career so I know the feeling of getting the rug pulled out from underneath you when you become unemployed.

Being unemployed becomes a problem when you start lying about why you became unemployed and start inventing stories that you hope will cover up the truth.

Here are some tips to handle the issue of being unemployed.

1. Dont lie about why you left your last job.

When you lie about why you left your last job, it inevitably gets discovered and can lead to big problems down the line. If you were fired from your last job but tell a potential employer that you resigned and they find out about it, it could either ruin your chances to get the job or if you have already been hired, could result in you getting fired for lying.

2. Dont forget that you no longer work for the company.

Ive lost count of how many people have sent me resumes that appear to show that they are still working at a company only to admit during further questioning that they actually left the company several months earlier. If you no longer work for a company, do not make it look like you are still with them by conveniently forgetting to include the end date of your employment with that company in your resume. Why would you lie about something that can (and will be) easily confirmed?

3. Ensure you know how you will discuss the issue of why you are unemployed.

When you are in an interview, most interviewers will ask why you are unemployed. In most cases they simply want an explanation to ensure that there is a legitimate reason but you can make a mountain out of a molehill if you dont have a reasonable answer to the question. The best way to answer the question of why you are unemployed is to keep your answer factual and brief. Dont ramble on and make it sound like you are feeding them a line.

4. Ensure your references know why you are unemployed.

Ive had situations where I was doing a reference check for a person I was helping find a new job and when I asked the reference to confirm why the person had left their last job (a fairly standard reference question, by the way) they contradicted the reason Id been given. If the job searcher had told me they left their last job because they were downsized but then the reference tells me they think its because the job searcher didnt get along with their boss, something is not right. Whatever the reason you left your last job, ensure your references know the reason so they dont put their foot in your mouth and ruin your chances for a job when discussing why you are unemployed.

Dont look at being unemployed as being a time to sit at home feeling sorry for yourself, either!

If you are unemployed, use the time to not only look for a new job but to evaluate what youd really to do next in your career.

Do things that you didnt have time to do while you were working:

• spend time with your family and kids
• take a short vacation
• take a training course.

Being unemployed is certainly not the end of the world but you just need to remain positive and keep busy to get yourself back in the working world again as quickly as youd like.

Carl Mueller

My name is Carl Mueller and I'd like to thank you for learning a bit more about me!

I feel that I have numerous relevant experiences during my career that come in useful when helping people with their careers:

I know what it?s like to work internationally, having worked overseas (in New Zealand, from 1994-1998).

I've survived several corporate downsizings while many of my colleagues were being laid off.

I have also experienced being laid off twice myself during corporate downsizings.

I know what it?s like to be self-employed.

I've helped many people find better jobs. I started to work as a professional recruiter in 2000 first as an Information Technology (IT) recruiter and then in general recruitment across many industries including IT, manufacturing and marketing. Since this time, I have helped many people find their dream career and it?s a great feeling.

I experienced one of the slowest hiring periods in recent memory especially during the general hiring slowdown that followed the Y2K frenzy in 1999, the bursting of the dot com bubble in early 2000, and then the employment market bottoming out following September 11, 2001.

These were certainly not great times to be a job searcher in most industries nor was it a particularly good time to be a recruiter.

Following this, I began running the day to day operations of an Internet-based company in early 2003 that focused on developing online software and subscription-based websites for consumers. It was then that I fully realized the power, usefulness and potential of the Internet which really spurred me to set up my own website which you can view in my Personal URL section below this bio.

I?m also a Platinum Ezine Articles Expert as recognized by EzineArticles.com, one of the most visited websites on the Internet. This special designation is earned by having consistently high-quality articles published and viewed on their website. All of my submissions are related to helping you find your dream career and many of my articles get reproduced on other websites by their webmasters.

Good luck with your career and I hope I have been of assistance to you!