How bad this experience will be is dependent upon both the individual and the cultural background. If you are from the UK or some other part of Europe it is likely that you are accustomed to a degree of job security; if you are from the US then job security has less meaning and the need to find another job is likely to be less stressful.

Firstly, you must recognise that when you are unemployed you do, in fact, still have a job to do, one of the most important jobs you will ever have - to find another job. Each and every weekday you must work from 9am to 5pm fulfilling this function. Retaining your routine will keep you focused and is guaranteed to minimise your time out of work as you maximise your applications, optimise your CV, resume and cover letters.

Ensure that your CV/resume really is the best you can do; it is unlikely that this will be attained after just a few hours, this is a major undertaking that will take you several days with constant revisiting thereafter. Getting your CV/resume sorted out is your first priority, all prospective employers will want to see it, so you need this in place prior to writing your first letter or picking up the phone.

One of the most stressful times is waiting for a response to an application, an interview or a telephone conversation. Each day will seem like a week, each week like a month. There really is not much you can do about this, just remember that the other person or firm has dozens of things on its plate whilst you are concentrating on one thing only. Just once in a while, give it a rest, do something else, go somewhere else, breath some different air. It is all too easy to tie yourself in knots for no gain at all.

It is very easy to concentrate on your job hunting to the exclusion of everything else, and then just collapse in front of the television in the evening. Don't! Do try to get out, see your friends, keep up with your contacts. Keep up not just with your contacts, but with your appearance. If necessary, invest in a decent suit, an attractive brief-case, a stylish hair-cut, remember that you have just one chance to make a first impression so these items are an investment in your own future.

I appreciate that this can be a pretty awful interlude, one that can sometimes seem simply hopeless. Please, if you do not know where to turn send me an e-mail through the address below and I will see if I can help.