You’ve been laid off and now find yourself as one of the 6.1% of the nation’s population classified as “unemployed.” Never dealing with a state’s unemployment office before, you find it all overwhelming. Do you physically find an office or go online to file a claim? Below are some tips to help with navigating your way to following and working with the unemployment office’s rules and regulations.

Just about everyone has had some type of negative experience in their work history. According to a study by Leadership IQ, 46% of newly hired employees will fail within the first 18 months. A Gallup study conducted in 2015 revealed that one in two adults left their job to get away from a manager at some point in their career. With these types of statistics, it’s no wonder you have some negative stories to tell but here are some tips to handle them.

Very few people genuinely enjoy or find networking an easy task. Most of us must push ourselves to do it. Often the last thing you want to do after working all day is to attend a networking event or send out emails or invites to your networking base, but networking can be the best way to find golden opportunities. Below are some basic tips in networking that can improve your career.

You find the job of your dreams but there’s a daunting online application you must complete with detailed information. It asks for your driver’s license number for whatever reason. By the time you find your wallet to retrieve the number and enter it, the company’s website has timed you out. You log back into the system to provide the needed number only to discover everything you wrote and entered before is gone. Three hours totally lost and now you must start over. Here’s a few tips to make it easier for you.

After hours of searching, you finally find a job that you believe is a good fit. Before you hit the submit button and apply, make sure you tailor your resume, cover letter and any other credentials you want to send. Remember your resume will possibly be one of hundreds so you want to stand out long enough to at least get an interview.

It’s so tempting while you are looking for a job, to apply to anything that looks like it might be a match. But your time is valuable. Start thinking of your hourly time in dollar amounts. If what you do for work is worth $45 an hour why would you think your hour is worth less while looking for a job? Make sure before you invest $135 to fill out an application, it’s worth it.

While you are your own best advocate, working with a recruiter makes you more competitive. This does not mean to rely solely upon the recruiter, but it will add to your ability to find a good fit and the job you want. Recruiters can evaluate your resume for you and offer valuable insight or advice. Below are some common tips to help you get the most out of working with a recruiter.

With the overwhelming number of online job boards and potential opportunities in the market, you want to spend your time wisely.