Yours truly, the UberEmployable crew, was certainly guilty of this when the paychecks went bye-bye. As gainfully employed individuals, we routinely swiped our plastic with ninja-like speed and accuracy, procuring many a ware that was less than life-changing… automatic pancake machine, we’re looking in your direction.

Nothing like a good ol’ recession to shake you out of that consumptive mindset – all of a sudden the everyday necessities don’t seem so necessary: $4 cups of coffee, cable TV that you barely watch, a new pair of shoes (simply because you got that email from Piperlime with a 20% off coupon)… yeah, turns out that stuff actually does add up to a pretty hefty tab at the end of each month, and as a jobless wino who has no money and plenty of time, you owe it to yourself to sit down and really start tracking your finances to see where you can slim things down.

Let’s break it down into 4 easy steps:

Step 1. Bust out your Microsoft Excel, your pad and paper, your abacus, whatever. Get ready to do some brainstorming and number-crunching.

Step 2. List all your expenses – and stop lying to yourself. People do this all the time… it’s hilarious. Just because you think you need something doesn’t mean it’s not an expense. Have enough self-respect to admit that your $4 latte does indeed exist in the physical and financial realms, and add it to the list. Add everything.

Step 3. Put on your lawyer hat, and make a case both for and against every item on that list. The coffee’s a good example so let’s stick with that: a $4 latte every weekday is about $90/month. What kind of return do you see from that expense? A few hours of energy? A temporary fix for your caffeine addiction? Maybe you can do without it. Or, maybe you can’t, but you can handle waking up a little earlier in the morning to make your own coffee, or going somewhere cheaper, possibly saving $30 or $40 a month. Debate every expense honestly, and there’s no doubt you’ll start seeing areas where you could cut some financial fat.

Step 4. Get addicted to tracking your expenses. It’s so easy to do nowadays, what with the Internet and all. Use an Excel spreadsheet, or pay for everything with your debit or credit card so you can track it there… and don’t forget about some of the awesome web 2.0 tools out there for personal finance: sites like Mint.com are great ways to keep abreast of your spending habits. Unlike your coffee, this is actually something that is good to be hooked on.

So, how low can you go? Try living on as little as possible for a while, and see how you like it. You may surprise yourself. And, if you become accustomed to not paying for TV, or going out to eat less, remember that as you search for a new job, the expenses you’ve cut actually represent a larger figure in salary terms because you get your spending money after taxes. A lower-paying gig might not be as bad as it sounds when you realize that you previously needed about $1,400 in salary to cover your annual $1,000 latte expense, and if you’ve cut that expense out, you can take a $1,400 pay cut and be in the same financial position you were at in 2009 B.C. (before cost-cutting).

At any rate, we asked our small focus group six questions, and have now charted out their answers for your consumption. We could qualify the responses, or provide some analysis of our own… but admittedly, we like to throw numbers out there and see what kind of chaos ensues. Seems to be a popular trend nowadays.

Enjoy!

1. We’ve been compiling some interesting data on some of our unemployed readers and friends… you’ll be able to romp around in these sweet charts and graphs later on today.

2. The UberEmployable team is now 100% employed! We had to focus on getting job-related crap done over the past few days, but fear not: we will continue our quest as the Robin Hood of the jobless. Whatever that means.

And in other news, UberEmployable was recently accepted into the ranks of Alltop.com – an online aggregator of the best blogs and news feeds on the web. Our stomping ground on Alltop is the Jobs (Not Steve) section, so do us a solid and stop on over there!

We’ve been gathering some stats from our unemployed friends (we’ll roll those out in a new post soon), and so far, the ratio of interviews to job offers is simply astounding… in a bad way. We’ve got a ton of talented people running around in their interview suits and getting nothing but sweaty. If business is good anywhere in America right now, it’s in a psychiatrist’s office.

It begs the question: what do you do when you get denied for the job? Can you salvage any part of the opportunity? Should you bang your head against a wall, and if so, does COBRA cover the hospital bill? We’d love to get some input from our readers, but here are 4 tips to get your noggins cooking, because we at UberEmployable believe it ain’t over ’til you get hauled away in cuffs:

1. Re-submit your resume with different keywords. As you probably know, many companies utilize HR software to narrow down their resume piles. As these software tools often implement keyword searches in order to figure out which resumes to keep and which to chuck, it’s possible that your first application didn’t even make it to a pair of human eyeballs. If you’ve gone several weeks without getting any action on the first submission, try tweaking your resume using different keywords that apply to the job, and perhaps even removing ones that may identify you as over or underqualified.
2. Request an interview anyway. If you get a call or email stating that your resume was considered and denied, why not ask for an interview anyway? You’re already being told you have zero chance, so your chances won’t get any worse by requesting a short interview or phone call in lieu of a 45-minute sit-down. Granted, you’ll need to spin a pretty marvelous pitch to rekindle a company’s interest in you, but a little self-promotion sometimes goes a long way.
3. Come back with a lower salary. In any other job market, we would scoff at this notion. But, sad as it is, any job will do for a lot of folks right now. That said, we’re not suggesting you get on your knees and start crossing zeroes off your salary demands. Instead, ask employers to consider a lower base salary paired with an end-of-year bonus, an agreement to a salary review after 90 days, a week extra of vacation, etc. Don’t lay down for them, but get creative enough where you stand out as a candidate who is willing to compromise for the right position at the right company.
4. Offer to work one day for free. This is a favorite of the UberEmployable crew, as there’s nothing more indicative of employees’ competence than having them actually grind out eight hours with their prospective co-workers. Unfortunately, it’s rare for a company to allow for this scenario. Even though you’re only there for a day (and working pro bono, at that), most businesses would still need to ensure that you’ve signed all the disclaimers, gone through the HR training, passed the requisite employment tests… in other words, several days of work for current employees just to let you work there for one. But… you never know. And perhaps the mere mention of that offer could prove to an interviewer that you’ve got cojones, and you’re not afraid to use them.

Got any other bright ideas? And no, crying into a bag of Cheetos is not a bright idea.

What do you do, and what job title are you looking for?

I am a quality professional who is comfortable in any kind of manufacturing environment or situation where quality, good manufacturing Practices and where needed HACCP or Social Accountability experience is needed.

Any other certifications or training?

KT, HACCP, GMP, SPC, Social Accountability, problem solving, etc etc

Would you be willing to relocate?

yes for right position

What general salary range are you looking for?

80K+ but lets discuss

How did you end up losing your job?

Laid off December 31 2008.

What’s been the most frustrating aspect of your job search?

No responses from resume submissions.

Why would a company want to hire you?

I am dynamic and experienced, fearless, professional and friendly.

What’s the most fun you’ve had during unemployment?

Studying processes of any kind and using the data to resolve issues. Travel to offsite plants to work with them on common and uncommon problems.

Got any advice for your fellow UberEmployables?

Never give up.

» Employers, Contact Us (reference UE144) to get in touch with this professional. – UE

What do you do, and what job title are you looking for?

I am an International banker who at present is unemployed due to downsizing. A major part of my career in the financial sector has involved the developing and launching of products, re-engineering of business systems, project management, branch management, SME financing and business development. I will be a good fit for any of these disciplines.

What degrees do you have and where are they from?

MBA – Eastern Washington University, Cheney, WA

Any other certifications or training?

Financial planning certificates from U.K, NY life/Accident/Health license and Notary certification.

Various other Banking, Marketing & Management certifications from Middle East, South Asia and USA

Would you be willing to relocate?

Anywhere in the US or abroad.

What general salary range are you looking for?

Flexible

How did you end up losing your job?

Due to restructuring.

What’s been the most frustrating aspect of your job search?

Lack of suitable job openings.

Why would a company want to hire you?

I will bring to the job diversified banking skills, a good understanding of the socio-economic systems of various parts of the world , strong people skills and work ethics.

What’s the most fun you’ve had during unemployment?

Various chores that I was unable to attend earlier due to time constarint, like renovating some parts of my house, getting a professional license, playing tennis and spending time with the family.

Got any advice for your fellow UberEmployables?

Utilize the break in your career as an opportunity by acquiring more skills through education like a professional license or completing your education if you left it incomplete. Also improving present skills from the comfort of home like computer skills etc.

» Employers, Contact Us (reference UE143) to get in touch with this professional. – UE

“Hello, this is Mitch.”

“Hi Mitch, this is _____. I heard through a mutual friend that you have expertise in social media marketing and were available to consult. Is this a good time for you?”

“I have to apologize actually – my battery’s dying so I’ll have to take down your contact info and get back to you.”

“Your daughter?!?!”

“Pardon?”

“What?”

“My daughter?”

“You said your daughter is dying??”

“Wait, what? Oh no no no… battery. My battery is dying.”

“Oh. Wow.”

Think your first impression beats this one? Leave your story in the comments!