1. Sign up for your EI benefits
You've been paying into the program for years, so file a claim for the Employment Insurance (EI) benefits you're entitled to.
Although payments are subject to a two-week waiting period, you can – and should – file your claim immediately. (You don't need your Record of Employment at this stage, although you'll have to mail it in or drop them off at a Service Canada Centre soon afterwards.) Waiting more than four weeks after your last day of work to file can result in a loss of benefits.
2. Assess the job market – and your place in it
One of the first things to consider if you got laid off or downsized is if you have a future in your current industry. If not, you may need to consider taking your transferrable skills (possibly adding to them during your period of unemployment) and moving your career in a new direction.
What industries are growing? The service sector (retail especially), IT, the healthcare field (nurses, medical record assistants, physiotherapists, technicians, dental hygienists), as well as the relatively new "green sector," with careers that run the gamut from engineers to geologists to biologists and communications officers.
Switching career gears often requires getting more education or training – or both. For this you may have to dip into your savings, get a bank loan or line or credit, or combine school with part-time employment.
Page 1 of 2 – Discover two more effective tips to cope with unexpected job loss on page 2.
