Tip 1: Don't be ashamed: tell people you are now unemployed

The US economy is in dire straits, as evidenced by the high rate of unemployment. That number is likely to rise again as we deal with the credit crunch and all the hassles that come with it. If you, like so many other people, find yourself out of a job- don't be ashamed. There are a lot of people in the same situation as you. Here are some tips on how to cope with the loss of your job, and how to make yourself more marketable to potential employers.

Tell everyone that you know that you're looking for work. There's absolutely no shame in telling people you're looking for a job- the more people know, the more likely you are to get a recommendation. Tell acquaintances what kind of job you're looking for, and what your skill set is- and that may just land you your next job.

Apply for unemployment compensation. As long as your termination wasn't your fault, you should be eligible for unemployment. Sure, it's not as much as you made at your job, but it will at least pay for gas and food. Most states allow people to file online for unemployment, making the process easy. If you get another job, you can simply cancel your unemployment claim.

Make sacrifices. When you lose your job, you will need to adjust your spending and make your severance package last. You may have to cook more meals at home and give up some little luxuries, but at least you'll be able to pay your mortgage and bills. If you don't have an emergency fund in place, then frugality is absolutely essential.

Keep an open mind. Some people that are laid off find that they aren't able to find a job that's comparable in pay to their old job, so they have to decide whether to take a lower-paying job or to keep on looking. You shouldn't have to take the first offfer you get, but if it offers benefits you should consider it. Having a reduced income is better than having nothing at all.

When you lose your job, you'll likely lose your health coverage- so staying healthy is really important when you're unemployed. Sometimes health issues arise for reasons that we can't control, but we can minimize those by eating well and exercising.

Make finding a new job a priority if you need the money in order to survive. Keep a log of all your resume submissions, interview dates and company contact information. Being organized is essential when you have a lot of interview dates to remember.

Above all, you shouldn't let the loss of your job get you down. Being unemployed is hard, but there's no point in moping about it. When you're looking for work, you need to show people that you can do the job- and the sooner you get over the disappointment of losing your job, the sooner you can move on to bigger and better things.