Adriel Lubarsky is the CEO of Riveter, which negotiates free and discounted access to wellness, education, financial, and career resources on behalf of the unemployed.
What resources exist to help me?
Every year in America, over 20 million people lose their jobs. This happens even in the best economic conditions.
The COVID Pandemic and adjacent unemployment crisis has shed a new light on the challenges of being unemployed, especially at a time when hiring is down and reemployment can take twice as long as usual.
While losing your job may feel debilitating at first, you should know that you’re not alone. You, and the millions of others who find themselves in your position every year, can rely on dozens of private, public, and non-profit organizations, all built to support the unemployed.
Here are a few you can start relying on now.
How do I access emergency resources?
OnwardCA started in California to connect unemployed Americans to essential resources (money, food, and shelter), retraining opportunities, and jobs.
Their platform is free to use, and especially helpful if you’re struggling to make ends meet, or want to better understand the resources available to you in your community. The organization was started by Bitwise Industries, a tech ecosystem supporting ‘underdog cities.’ They’ve been building tools to support cities for years, and Onward is the latest extension of their work.
--
Reddit, the social news and discussion forum, has two subreddits that could be especially useful.
r/unemployment has over 38,000 members helping each other navigate unemployment, get in touch with state unemployment offices, and get benefits as quickly as possible.
r/mutualaid has over 1,000 members helping each other pay the bills for basic needs. Previous requests have ranged from $5 to pay for gas to $75/week to feed kids. It’s a good place to access a lifeline.
How can I save money on things I need?
Riveter is a membership community for the unemployed. They negotiate discounts for tons of resources on behalf of their members.
Today, you’ll find things like free therapy and meditation apps, 50% off fitness apps, free networking events, and up to 85% off of online courses from Udemy and other top providers. Riveter is free to join, and shares dozens of helpful, free resources. If you want to upgrade to the Premium Membership and access even more deals, you can use code FAQCAUI and get 50% off.
One of Riveter’s best features is that they’ll work to negotiate any deal on your behalf. Whether you want to take a class, join a gym, or get a deal at your local cafe or restaurant, Riveter believes it’s good for people, businesses, and the community if companies support their unemployed customers.
How can I be more successful in my job search?
Help One Billion was founded by a global HR technology company to help those let go during COVID. They started with over 500,000 jobs listed from 800 of the largest companies in the world.
They’ve quickly evolved to connect people to unique work like contact tracing and gig work like essential jobs at Amazon and Walmart.
--
One of a city’s most important public services is it’s office of workforce development. Cal Workforce is the organizing body of all the workforce development groups in the state. You can use their search tool to find the workforce development group in your community.
Workforce development offices provided services that are 100% free to constituents. They can provide help writing resumes, preparing for interviews, and finding open jobs. They work closely with businesses in the community, many of which let the workforce development office know of jobs before they become listed on other sites. This means you can get notified of new opportunities faster than by applying through standard avenues.
--
We Rally has a list of dozens of free resources to build your resume, improve your interview skills, and negotiate your next salary.
They also have an interview series with people sharing their unemployment experience, successful tactics to get a new job, and best ways to build a network.
--
Whatever you’re looking to accomplish in unemployment, there are resources to help you get there. Make sure to take care of the basics, work on living a positive and enjoyable life, and put yourself in the best position to get your next job.
Tools & Resources:
NEW: direct Unemployment Guru Help
We are now servicing people who have claims that have been stuck for months or those who need assistance with appeals. If you have other questions you can ask in our forum which we check periodically.
Tools & Calculators
Unemployment Gurus has tools and calculators to figure out those really confusing questions:
How much can I earn and still qualify for the FPUC $300 from the new stimulus?
Do I qualify for FED-ED?
How much will I get if I work?
What is my standard base period?
Do I qualify for LWA?
Am I eligible for UI?
Preview tools here
FAQcaui partnered up with Riveter. Join for free and access dozens of discounts to services, all custom negotiated to support unemployed Americans or use code FAQCAUI for additional offers.
