Starter Kit
Building a Resume
Building a Resume is great when you have job experience but people can get nervous when they don't. Not to worry, you got this. Use anything you’ve got, volunteer hours, extra curriculars, anything you’ve done in college if you’re there yet, and any community service. Hype yourself up. Talk about your skills, how you’re great working with people or you are bilingual or you have excellent organizational skills. You don’t have to mention your GPA. Another plus is if you put some references from previous employers (with their permission.) If you don’t have job experience that’s okay, just communicate to the interviewer that this is your first job and you’re pumped to start working. The formatting is a pain, so we’ve supplied a couple programs. Also googling templates can give you a general idea if you just want to work in a Word document
Resume Builder Programs
Resume Builder
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14-day full access—$2.70 (automatic subscription renewal to $24.70 a month) Annual access—$71.40 (automatic renewal after 12 months) click here
Resume Genius
For $1.95, you can create and download unlimited resumes and cover letters for 14 days. After that trial period, you'll automatically be charged $39.95 per month for a subscription. Alternatively, you can pay in full for a year-long subscription that works out to $7.95 per month. click here
Canva
Canva is free, but if you want premium features you’ll have to pay for it. However a full resume is free including download. click here
Finding A Job
Understandably, finding a job with everything you need is a hard task and being picky can make your life super hard. However, it’s smart to look at both sides of things and pick out the stuff that is non-negotiable based on what you need in life.
Example pros and cons list
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Hours vs pay
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Location and transportation
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Management
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Benefits: Insurance etc
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Work load
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Speed of the job
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Long term: Is this a dead in or can it be a stepping stone?
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Are employees respected and taken care of?
Interviews
Interviews can be terrifying but one of the biggest things is having confidence in yourself. While that may sound simple it is a lot harder in practice, and believe us, we get it.
A couple ways to boost your self confidence is to practice answering questions about yourself, your motivations, your skill sets, how you can contribute to the team, and how to subtly hype yourself up as a good employee, with a friend who can give you feedback. Practice being clear, concise and confident in what you’re saying. If you don’t believe it, neither will they.
Another is to dress semi-professional to professional (depending on what type of job you’re applying for) and wear a couple things that make you feel more confident.
It may sound weird, but stretch before, it’ll help you loosen up and keep your body relaxed when you walk in. depending on who you are, it might be good to clear your schedule the day before so you can relax, or do the exact opposite so you don’t overthink.
If you don’t get the job, take some time to help yourself let it go. It isn’t a reflection on who you are as a person, it’s simply one of those things where corporations decide to snag some people and ignore others. Give it another go with another company. There is a place in the workforce for you, and it might not be ideal, but it can be a stepping stone towards where you want to go.
When applying for a job, they might ask if you have any disabilities, mentally or physically. You are not required to answer these questions. There are pros and cons for answering. The pro is there may be accommodations, grace periods, and it can explain gaps in work history. The cons are that some organizations will not want to hire you, or may not give you what you need to work effectively. It is up to you. Just know you are worthy of accommodation and you shouldn’t have to bend over backwards to work for your company to the detriment of your body and mind.
Sometimes you can talk to your doctor beforehand and request a written and signed document saying what kind of accommodations you’ll need, like having a cane when working, or having a space to go when overstimulated. This makes the process of getting your accommodations from your employer go smoothly.
Sometimes your body refuses to work right at all, and that makes working difficult. If you’re at a point where you cannot work you can apply for disability through social security. For more information click or tap here
Apartments
If you’re coming out of an abusive household with no credit, low income or have only just now gotten a job, it can be hard for apartments to take you seriously because they don’t think you’ll be able to pay. One thing you can do is get a cosigner who will take on the responsibility of the debt, but you have to be careful because that person can kick you out of your apartment at any time.
There is also a thing called “Income Restricted Apartments.” These complexes are setup for people below a certain income to be able to start out. They’re not amazing but they aren’t terrible either. It depends on your state and legislation what it looks like.
Sometimes if it’s available you can live with a friends while you get a record of consistent payments from you job, pitching in for groceries or gas.
Once you’re set up roommates will make your life harder and easier. Check and see if renting a house is cheaper, or if a studio apartment alone will be a better setup.
If you do have a way to show you get regular paycheck, you can find some fantastic cheap apartments that will walk your through what forms they need. Typically they’ll want bank account info, bank statements, any previous apartment information and some identification.
Check and see where the apartment is in relation to grocery stores, work, school and other places you regularly frequent. this can help you if you are primarily pedestrian or using an E-bike. also check to see what the streets are like at night. If you go to bed early, it’s less of a concern but still worth looking into to keep yourself safe.
Some apartments will provide some type of insurance, and some won’t require it at all. Usually it’s a good idea to have some kind in case someone breaks in, the apartment gets damaged by natural disasters etc. Lemonade Insurance is a good resource for cheap coverage not only for apartments but also vehicles. Find it in the app store or tap/click the icon
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Accessible Therapy
Yeah, yeah, everyone says go to therapy. But actually doing it is terrifying, not to mention the price tag. But let’s be real. You’ve been in survival mode, constantly putting your emotions into a nice little pocket at the back of your brain, and while that’s very convenient, it’s not great for actually being present and being not miserable. Therapists aren’t there to fix you. They give you tools and help you start the process of building a life inside your mind and in the real world that you’ll actually enjoy and be proud of.
Note: We got this information directly from “good trade” with some backup websites to double check.
Here’s a list of some of the top online therapy organizations that are fairly inexpensive
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Making your own space on a budget
This is a hard one when money is tight. When you finally have your own space it can be really hard when the walls are bare and can make you feel isolated. Understandably, there’s not much you can do in the beginning but as you begin working and saving money, give yourself a small fund to treat yourself every once in a while. It can be as simple as setting three dollars aside every week and at the end of the month find something fun and impractical for it. You’re allowed to do frivolous things every once in a while
Ideas can be:
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Buying yourself a cheap poster of something you love
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Going to a thrift store and grabbing a couple items you think are cool
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Grabbing some furniture off the side of the road (be careful not to get things with fabric it carries a lot of nasty stuff)
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Getting materials from the dollar store to put together a little something
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Saving up for a plant to put in your window
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Going into a river or creek and picking out broken glass to put in a jar
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Getting cheap furniture and other supplies off craigslist, facebook marketplace, ebay or mercari. These are great to sell things as well.
Building a new community
Removing yourself from abusers can be extremely isolating and absolutely terrifying. Often a good chunk of your community support is lost. Many have friends who stand by them but if one moves to be further away from the manipulator it can feel like you will be alone forever. While you’re healing it’s even harder because of your trust being broken constantly.
Some ways to find new people can be:
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Finding a group of people who like similar things i.e. rock climbers, artist collectives, running groups, gaming chats, religious affiliations, writers, skate boarding groups, book clubs, casual sport meetups etc.
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Once you have found a job, often coworkers you begin to trust are happy after a few weeks-months of interaction to go out to coffee, join you in one of your group activities or come over for dinner.
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Sometimes just chilling in a coffee shop you might meet some people. Some places have social events like libraries, churches, and coffee shops. Creative groups do the same, like photographers, film buffs, painters etc.
Holidays are going to suck and you’re valid. Even when you go and hang with friends, it’s still lonely and hard to feel safe. Give yourself grace and time.