Seasonal

Tips for Surviving the Holiday Season When You are Unemployed

Madison Schacht

Manager of Talent Acquisition

November 30, 2023

It feels like everyone around you is in celebration mode, but your world has stopped, thanks to a dreaded pink slip. Being unemployed is never easy, and facing the holiday season without a steady paycheck can leave you with a heavy heart. But That’s Good HR has some suggestions for celebrating on a budget – and finding a job that will help you start the new year right.

Holiday traditions don’t have to cost a lot of money

Some holiday traditions come with a hefty price tag. Consider changing your plans a bit this year, so you can keep the holiday spirit without emptying your wallet.

Check out your local amateur productions. Central Indiana’s high school student bodies are full of talent and goodwill. Many of our local schools have spectacular performances over the holidays, from vocal to instrumental. They also offer lower price points than their professional counterparts. Want to see the Nutcracker? Check out what the local dance schools are doing.

Keep an eye out for free. Do a quick web search of “free holiday events near me” to find out what’s happening nearby. For instance, Westfield in Lights on December 2 offers photos with Santa, live reindeer, and a tree lighting ceremony. The Athenaeum’s Christkindlmarkt has live music throughout the season. It’s time to introduce your kids to holiday polka music!

Pare down the gift giving budget. It may be tempting to put all your purchases on a credit card, but we recommend you show some restraint. Did you know that the average holiday credit card debt was $1,549 last year? If you’re struggling with unemployment, you’ll want to minimize your debt. Instead, have a frank talk with your friends and family, letting them know that you may be sitting out the gift exchange this year. Or, put your talents to work with homemade goodies. Your friends may be thrilled to receive a container of homemade soup to stash in their freezer and thaw in January when they just don’t feel like cooking dinner.

Be ready to accept generosity from others. We know this is tough, especially for people who pride themselves on being independent and self-reliant. If your parents say they still plan on buying gifts for everyone even though you told them you don’t have a budget to reciprocate, accept their gifts in the spirit they’re offered. Next year, maybe you’ll be in a place where you can be the big spender.

Hiring doesn’t take a holiday

At That’s Good HR, the hiring doesn’t necessarily slow down just because it’s the busy holiday season. Companies are still looking for talented individuals to fill open positions. Check out the That’s Good HR job board! It may be tempting to take a winter break with the kids over the holiday, but we recommend setting aside time each day for a job search:

Update your resume
Work on you cover letter
Reach out to friends and colleagues for networking leads

Consider temporary employment

Temporary positions are some of our favorite positions to fill at That’s Good HR. Temp jobs offer people a chance to learn about a company or industry without making a long-term commitment. These positions are a great opportunity when you are unemployed. You can still interview for permanent positions, and you can talk about the current job when you are interviewing. A temporary job helps you meet new people – and that can lead to a richer network, new skills, new opportunities and maybe even a permanent job within the company or in a new space.

Remember, in the words of the esteemed Dr. Seuss, the holidays don’t have to “come from a store.” Celebrate the spirit of the season this year and let That’s Good HR help you find a position that matches your skillset. Send us a copy of your resume now, and one of our recruiters will review it and reach out if we have any open positions matching your credentials. At That’s Good HR, we don’t take a holiday break from staffing. Reach out now to start a conversation.

About TGHR

Top Blogs of 2019

January 20, 2020

We pride ourselves on generating original content on our blog. There is a treasure trove of information on there covering topics from resume writing, job hunting, managing tips and more! These were our most popular posts of 2019 according to our Google Analytics. Want to read them all? Click here.

Can You Ever Recover from an NCNS situation

Ghosting was a big topic in 2019 – both for employers and employees. The term “no call, no show” (NCNS) is attributed to a person that doesn’t show up to an assigned place or time. It is deemed as highly unprofessional and often can have repercussions beyond just that one day. We cover what to do it you make this colossal mistake in this blog.

Out of Office Messages for any Occasion

From time to time on the blog we also like to share resources, like our thank you note example. This blog included a link to an out of office message generator that we had way too much fun playing with. We are already dreaming of warmer weather, so we have a chance to use it again.

How to Make sure your Social Media is Job Search Ready

Did you know that 70 percent of employers use social media to research potential employees? In addition, 57 percent of employers found content that caused them not to hire a candidate. That is why it’s so important to have your social media channels in tip top shape during your job search. This is key for recent college grads (really any age!). We shared some tips and tricks on how to freshen up your online presence.

Top Holiday Gifts

This blog was published way back in January and was a round-up of our favorite gifts we received for the holidays. It was fun to be Oprah for a minute and reveal our favorite things! It’s funny how many of our staff got some of the items for the most recent holiday season (the air fryer is still a popular gift)!

TGHR Souper Bowl

This blog is based on one of our most delicious days in the office – our own “Souper” Bowl! In honor of the Super Bowl we had an office pitch-in of different soups. This is our compilation of the soups we shared that day – yummy!

TGHR News

How to Look 20 Years Younger

January 20, 2020

As part of our in-office holiday celebration, we celebrated with a lunch and our own anniversary spin on a white elephant gift exchange. Since we knew our 20^th anniversary was approaching, we themed our exchange as time-tested drug store beauty finds. The catch was they could not be more than $10 and had to be something you personally used. Some of the products our staff has been using for almost 20 years! Here are our picks if you want to freshen your routine up in the new year – here’s hoping they make us look 20 years younger!

Some staffers shared items that have been using for years as part of their daily skin care routine. Owner/CFO Greta uses Almay Gentle Oil Free Makeup Remover Pads. She loves them so much, all three of her daughters use these too. Payroll Manager Kirstia Cropper uses Dickinson’s Witch Hazel morning and night after she washes her face and has been doing so since high school! VP Partnerships Tiffany swears by Cetaphil Moisturizing Lotion. She uses it year-round, not just in the winter months!

Everyone wants to look well-rested and Staffing Specialist Ashley uses Maybelline Instant Age Rewind Eraser Dark Circles Treatment Concealer to accomplish that on a daily basis. Staffing Specialist Kate likes to pop on a pair of Hydrogel Eye Masks if she did not get enough rest. To save time in the morning, Marketing Director Susie uses Not Your Mothers Clean Freak Refreshing Dry Shampoo to freshen up and get out the door! Front Office Admin Emma always looks bright and fresh thanks to her highlighter, which is Maybelline Face Studio Master Chrome Metallic Highlighter and her preferred shade is molten gold.

To enhance her eyes, Owner Mary swears by L’Oreal Voluminous Mascara. Staffing Specialist Madison uses Ardell Pro Brow Razors to shape her perfectly coifed eyebrows, which helps her eyes pop. Account Executive Amber keeps a pair of Tweezerman Mini Tweezers in her purse to shape her brows on the go! In Senior Staff Accountant Meaghan’s purse you’ll find Blistex DCT (daily conditioning treatment) for lips.

Every day, Staffing Specialist Lana uses Aveeno Daily Moisturizing Lotion and Staffing Specialist Lindsey uses Palmer’s Cocoa Butter Formula Skin Therapy Oil on her face before makeup. Staffing Specialist Staci reminded us all that we need to clean our makeup brushes and she does so with e.l.f. Brush Shampoo.

Feel free to share your best beauty finds with us or tell us we look 20 years younger!

Seasonal

Top Holiday Gifts

January 7, 2019

The new year is in full swing and the holidays are behind us (December 25 is only 362 days away!), so it’s the perfect time for the TGHR team to reflect on what gifts they recently received. Just like Oprah, here’s our list of TGHR’s favorite things!

Home Sweet Home: Many of the gifts our staffing specialists received were home related. Rockstar recruiter Ashley wins this category since she closed on a new home just a few days before Christmas. As a housewarming present Ashley got a shiny new Dyson vacuum. A whole house is tough to beat, but staffing superstar Maddie is in love with her new Ring doorbell.

What’s for Dinner?: Payroll guru Kirstia, and accounting extraordinaire Meaghan, both found air fryers under their tree. We are already excited for the next TGHR pitch-in!

Hi-tech Holiday: Maddie also found Beats Wireless Headphones from Santa and marketing ninja Susie is obsessed with her new Apple watch. TGHR veteran VP Tiffany’s phone is going to be squeaky clean thanks to the new phone soap she received (and yes, her mom purchased it on QVC).

Fashion Finds: Staffing star Staci is toting around a new plum suede purse, while our staffing wizard Lana is sporting leather earrings that the whole office is loving.

Four-legged Friends: In the running for the BEST gift received is award-winning CFO Greta’s newest toy – the Furbo. Named the #1 gift for dogs by Ellen Degeneres and J.Lo, this ingenious invention lets you see, talk and dispense treats to your dog when you are not home! Riggs, Greta’s dog, might have been watched by the whole TGHR team and given a few to many treats after our weekly staff meeting! (To see all our pets, head over to Facebook!)

So, what was the best gift received by the TGHR team? Our awesome co-owner Mary noted that she was thrilled to find cash in her stocking, but the best gift for us is working with our candidates and clients. And the best part? We receive that gift every day, we don’t even need to wait until next Christmas!