Been laid off work for some time and still can’t find a new job? You are among millions of folks who find themselves unemployed. And almost all of those people are looking for jobs. Competition is fierce and the number of available jobs is very limited. You may be asking, “what should I do if I keep hitting roadblocks? Here are a few tips that might help:

#1: Don’t panic and don’t get stressed out. To be sure, job layoffs are a scary thing because an income you’ve grown to depend on is now gone. Even though you may have qualified for some form of unemployment benefits or received a severance package … that money will not last forever. After searching for months for a new job, panic is likely to set in. But panic will do more harm than good. If you haven’t already done so, become more proactive in reducing some of the stress and strain by reducing even more expenses at home. In other words, save money any way that you can: from temporarily turning off the cable TV to reducing your cell phone package (you get the idea).

#2: Be prepared to slightly lower your standards. Example: If you worked as a district manager in your industry, you were no doubt in charge of other managers, who were in charge of employees. Odds are, you won’t find a high-paying job as a district manager. For that reason, consider slightly lowering your standards. Consider applying for manager or assistant manager position. You are more than qualified. Yep, the pay is less, but at least it’s a job.

#3: Seek part-time work, too. Sure you’ve been focusing on securing a full-time job with great pay and benefits, but so are millions of other unemployed folks. Full-time positions have the most competition. So the tip is, keep applying for these jobs, but consider taking a part-time job to fill the void. A part-time position can at least help ease some financial pressures.

#4: Use your skills to offer odd jobs around your community. Example: Before getting laid off, maybe you were a construction worker. If so, you provided a service and these services are always in demand. While you may have experience building housing or schools, why not utilize your construction skills to help someone rebuild their garage or re-pave their driveway or lay new hardwood floors. True, odd jobs are not steady, but with tons of work from home ideas around, you’re bound to find something that will help you bring in much needed cash.

#5: Consider starting your own home business. With a shaky economy, you may think now is not the best time. But it is possible to make a living from home, if you do things right. As previously stated, odd jobs are a great way to put food on the table. Best of all, they are a great way to test the waters for starting a new business based on skills and expertise you already have.