There’s nothing more pleasing than using free services and getting free products, including free downloadable files. You don’t have to pay anything or mind monthly subscriptions. Whether you want to create presentations or just get the job done, these free productivity sources can save you money and time. Here we lay the non-exhaustive list of free sites.    PHOTOS/VIDEOS It’s tempting to use any high-quality photos or videos but using them without permission or giving at least a proper credit can land you into legal trouble. Fortunately, you can find free photos from photo sharing sites - also called stock images sites. Some of them don't require attribution while others do. Pixabay.com - This site was originally a German-owned site and now under the Australian design platform Canva. It offers free downloadable photos, vector graphics, illustrations, as well as videos for either personal or commercial projects. This site is very useful for adding images to your blogs and websites. Their stock video footage and clips are of very good quality as well. Attribution isn’t required but referring back to the author and Pixabay is a way of thanking them.   Unsplash.com - This site offers stock photos or free images for commercial and non-commercial purposes. The site categorizes and filters the images into animals, architecture, business & work, current events, experimental, fashion, film, food & drink, health & wellness, history, interiors, nature, people, and many more. You can create an account and submit your photos as well.   Pexels.com - This is another good source of free high-quality stock photos and videos which does not even require attribution.   AUDIO You can use audios for your videos as sound effects or background music. Getting audio clips or music is easy on the internet, although not all of them are safe to use because of their copyright. Luckily, there are royalty-free audio sites.  Freesound.org - This site is a collaborative database of free (creative commons), downloadable and shared sounds. On their landing page, you can find tabs for sounds, forums, people and help. Their blog occupies a big part of their body content. Clicking their search bar reveals a filter for the duration, relevance, downloads and rating.    Mixkit.co is geared toward providing music and sound effects. Their sound effects are categorized into animals, human, nature, technology and other miscellaneous types. Their free music can be filtered based on genre or mood. Attribution is appreciated but not required.   Viberary.com offers high-quality free music for commercial and personal use. It can be filtered by genre, mood, and tempo, as well other categories such as vlog/travel, corporate and wedding. Each track has a short and long version that can be downloaded. Attribution is not required but linking back is a nice gesture.   JOB POSTING SITES Paid job posting sites can cost you a hundred to thousands of pesos depending on the plan or subscription type. Good thing that many job boards still offer free job posting.  Ohjobs.ph offers companies to post unlimited job postings for free (at the moment) - no strings attached. The job board presents a green theme and an array of job categories from accounting to information technology to travel and tourism. Employers can even send messages to qualified applicants for free. The duration of job ads currently has no limit, that's why you can advertise your vacancy here for more than a month.   Jora is a free job search engine that sources job ads from different partners. You can also post up to 10 job vacancies here per month at no cost. Job posts can be active for up to 28 days.   TEMPLATES Writing is hard, that's why writing from scratch can be quite intimidating. Templates are a time saver when you write business documents without dealing with writer’s block. You can copy or modify templates appropriate for your purposes - job application, memos, request and policies.  Molly.com combines the powers of project management tools, intranet and HR software, including payroll. One of the free perks of using Molly is their free templates. From business letters to forms, you can just download the templates and use them as your guide for your business and personal documents.    JotForm reveals links to a myriad of free form templates. They can be filtered based on type, industry and category, and can be sorted by trend, popularity and date created. The type selection consists of order forms, registration forms, application forms, booking forms, request forms and many more.   EMAILS Aside from Gmail and Yahoo, free email sites abound. Some of them are free; others are paid.  GMX Mail is one of the top free email providers in terms of numbers. It supports both IMAP and POP. It offers 65 GB of email storage, 1 GB of file storage and 50 MB limit for attachment. It has drag-and-drop functionality to help you manage your schedule. It provides spam filtering and file sharing capabilities as well.    Zoho Mail a member of Zoho’s cloud-based office suite. The email features modules that let you organise your tasks, contacts, notes and calendar. Being a part of the Zoho suite, Zoho Mail lets you connect with other Zoho apps such as Docs, Zoho CRM Creator, projects and Zapier. You can start their ad-free email by choosing either business or personal email. You can enjoy 5 GB of email storage space for up to 5 mailboxes with their free plan.   CLOUD SERVICES Cloud services do the magic. You can access your files even without your hard drive or flash drive - just like a cloud that hovers above you wherever you go. With just an internet and your email and password, you can change, edit and update your files. Cloud-based apps automatically save your files as long as there is an internet connection. This way your work is saved without having to worry about forgetting to save the changes from time to time. Here are 2 of the best cloud services that are free. Google Drive - If you have a Gmail account, you’ve got access to a trove of Google Workspace apps, including Google Drive. Free users get 15 GB of storage and access to productivity tools such as Docs, Sheets, Slides and Forms. The cloud service lets you organise your files by creating, deleting and renaming folders. You can share your file through links and change its access privilege to participants. Microsoft OneDrive - OneDrive lets you access free 5 GB storage and use of iconic document apps such as Access, Excel, PowerPoint and Word. Like Google’s, Microsoft’s cloud storage provides folder creation, file deletion, file archive and file synchronization functions. The clients include computer (Windows, Mac), mobile (Android, iOS), and web.

Underemployment is a labour condition where an employee doesn’t use his or her full capacity and skills. If you’ve been working as a cook but an IT graduate, then you’re underemployed. Economists, sociologists, HR personnel, employers and job seekers use the term to describe job market trends or career development. Here we discuss underemployment effects and what to do with it. Two types of Underemployment The Organisation for Economic Cooperation and Development views underemployment in two types. Invisible underemployment  This refers to employees who work full-time jobs but not using their educational background or skills. For example,  Mr John Smith, who is an electrical engineering graduate, works  as a salesman Miss Jane, who is an agricultural science graduate, works as a medical representative. Mr. Niel is working as a fast food service crew despite being an accounting graduate. Visible underemployment This refers to employees who work part-time or only for a few hours to make ends meet. What makes underemployment undesirable It makes your resume look bad If you stumble upon meticulous hiring personnel or stringent hiring processes you might not pass the hiring process. They will look into your educational background and skills set and ask why you’re now flipping burgers instead of designing websites which should be your main job. The hiring manager might question your ability to excel should he/she decides to hire you. It can lead you to the misdirected path Doing jobs of various positions or consecutive job titles after a year or two can lead you to diverted careers. You’ll have difficulty deciding if you want to pursue plan A or plan B. At this point, you end up in a comfort zone or underemployed or face a difficulty of mastering a specific skill or skill set. You might not work at your full capacity It’s likely that you aren’t enthusiastic to work or excel because what you’re doing isn’t in your interest. The result...you perform at a fair or average performance. Some life stories show that people who are passionate or like what they are doing tend to succeed in their fields. Waste of time and resources Since you’re not using your full capacity, skills and education, you may end up not using your years of education - an investment of years of studying and training. In the end, after years of working then deciding to return to continue your original profession, you have difficulty applying to your intended career. You might not get your dream job Everyone goes through a life stage as a kid who dreams to be a pilot, teacher, accountant, doctor, nurse, etc. The very purpose of studying at college or university is to prepare you for fruitful employment and avoid ending up living for the rest of your life with diplomas that only function as a filler for your resume. While no one can predict 100% what lies ahead of time, planning to avoid underemployed is one way to avoid losing your dream job. When you can’t use your 4 or 5-year degree to earn a decent salary, you might take a detour. Causes of underemployment  Supply and demand The law of supply and demand functions in the labor market as well. When the supply of labor exceeds the employer demands, unemployment and underemployment are inevitable. When the volume of graduates of a certain course or degree is too high and graduates are vying for the same position, many will tend to accept any job just to pay the bills rather than endure months or a year of unemployment. The price you must pay for being underemployed is you risk forgetting your skills and years of education. Technological changes or trends Back to the 1990s, many occupations flourished in telecommunications, entertainment, energy and transportation. Science fiction writers predict that robots, tablets and holograms will be common in the early decades of the new millennium. Few people thought advancements in mobile communication will replace telephone operators in the early 2000s. Forums, websites, blogs and videos described that someday a robot could replace a human worker. You may have seen cash deposit ATMs already replacing the task of a human bank teller. Economic cycle Businesses experience economic cycles. Visualised in waves - sometimes at the crest and sometimes at a trough. A prolonged and continuing downward economy brought by pandemic, natural disasters and complex financial crisis can lead to recession. Hiring managers will settle for a part-time worker to save on rents, utilities and wages. How to survive an underemployment Seek a freelance or part-time work While working underemployed, capitalise on your side skills whether it’s designing social media posts, writing blogs and translating between languages. You can use video streaming sites (e.g. Youtube, Vimeo) to upload your video blogs about cooking tips and ghost hunting. You can make homemade products such as dioramas, desserts, snacks, and keychains. Apply to companies seeking part-time workers who are either needed to work from home or in-house. Boost your monthly savings Save every 15th or 30th of the month. Trim your expenses by reducing wants and keeping needs. If you can find cost-savings for your needs, that’s better. Here are the places you can save your money: Stable bank savings account Cooperative Stocks and bonds Volunteer in your free time Surely, you won’t be working 24/7. So you’ll have free time on weekends or within weekdays. You can use that to volunteer for part-time jobs related in your chosen profession. Let’s say, you’re a medical technologist, find a clinic or hospital with volunteer vacancies. Leverage social media, email and search engine for research. By volunteering, you’re gaining experience and skills which you can use to back up your resume when the time comes you apply for your dream job. Study and train in your free time Study on online schools (MOOCS or Massive Online Open Course Sites) which can be free or paid. On your day-off, you can retrain at schools related to your profession and course. Review through videos, ebooks, and physical books and pass certifications. In this way, even if you’re underemployed you keep your skills current.

Future-proofing is the way of making sure that your skills are still marketable in the upcoming decades. You’ll never know what exact type of in-demand skills, business processes, industry trends, gadgets will lay before your eyes in the next year, decade and century. Certain articles in the internet project some skills that could be rendered obsolete or partially replaced by artificial intelligence. Here we laid some tips on how to future proof your career and job. Go tech-savvy Being tech-savvy means learning the current tech tools used in your job or business. For example, if you’re a teacher, it can be beneficial for you to learn skype, power-point, spreadsheet and word-processing tools as they can help you produce lesson plans efficiently. Likewise, as an accountant, learn QuickBooks and the recent software used in accounting by firms so that in your next job application, you’ll be ready for interviews, tests and your first job. Numerous programs are available to give solutions to every industry such as in food & beverage, warehousing, logistics, healthcare, web development, and software development.  Commit to life-long learning Many people mistakenly believe that learning stops at graduation at college or university and therefore you should be content with your degree. But following that advice will only lead you to stagnant knowledge and skills. What you know yesterday could be irrelevant today. Some of the schools and colleges are using an outdated curriculum, teaching materials and textbooks and so if you graduated from those schools, you could graduate unprepared for the real world.  And if you stay in the company, having the same skills and being ignorant of the latest tools of your trade, you could end up with the same salary and position. When the time comes that you apply for your next job, you’re unable to get the job that requires more tech skills in your industry. For example, if you’re an office worker, study and train on cloud-based word processors such as Google docs and Office 365.   Build a professional network Connect and maintain communication to people within and outside of your job. A professional network could be your working colleagues, customers, relatives, former-classmates, alumni-members and teachers. You can rely on them as job leads, resource persons, advisors and trainers. To build a network you could:  Join industry associations Keep and update contacts Build integrity Invest in creative skills that lead to future-proof jobs Invest your time and money in creative skills that are irreplaceable by artificial intelligence and robots. The more skill requires human interaction and creativity, the more it’s near impossible to be replaced by automation. Here are examples: Skills and jobs irreplaceable by AI Skills Writing Planning Database administration Empathizing Negotiating Analysing computer systems Legal advising Counselling  Social advising Graphic designing Jobs Lawyer Writer Computer engineer Social worker HR generalist Jobs easy to be replaced by AI Fruit picker Assembly worker Burger flipper Janitorial worker Food preparation worker Learn two or more skills The saying “jack of all trades, master of none” is false according to some experts and internet resources. The correct saying is “jack of all trades master of some”. The derogatory cliche “jack of all trades, master of none” will go to the trash bin as learning isn’t a zero-sum game. When you learn at the maximum rate for just one skill, you’re losing an opportunity for a multi-disciplinary approach. What if “you” as an accountant, after 1 decade, a company suddenly replaced you for an AI? You can learn skills related to your present ones. For example, if you’re a graphic artist, learn web development coding and wireframing tools that can equip you when you apply for a position needing those know-hows. You can also learn an extra skill such as statistics if you’re working as a copywriter. To work things for you as a polymath, pick 2 to 3 of different skills. In other words, you can master at least one and be the jack of all trades. The pervasive idiom used as a quote is often used as an insult. The good news is it has been shattered as a fallacy. So go ahead and be a generalist rather than a specialist who can be in the danger of being relegated to back corner. In software development, a generalist has more fluid skills than specialists. Read, read, read Develop the habits of a good reader. Good reading refers to improved reading comprehension and fast reading. The internet is a great blessing and it offers you a vast resource that may take thousands of years to read. Reading improves your knowledge of trends, new technologies, economics, innovations and tools of the trade. Reading materials you can digest includes blogs, articles, graphs or statistics, and videos. Save money Padding your wallet and bank accounts can help you save money for productive activities such as learning online courses and enrolling on physical school. If you have enough savings, you’re safe from emergencies such as sudden unemployment and natural disasters. Having a financial fallback can help you adapt quickly through changing trends, economy and market. Another reason to build fat finance is you can start your own business. If you’re a successful business owner, you no longer have to work for someone and sell your time and effort. You’re the employer.

Unemployment is a serious situation and must be addressed with empathy. Most unemployed people are in their situation not because they choose to laze around but because of bankruptcy, changes in the economy, and career changes. It’s admirable that you’re there for your friend, relative or someone else but there are things (negativity and sarcasm) that aren’t OK. You got a lot of free time This implies that your friend is just loitering around and not doing anything. What if he/she’s actively looking for a job, revising resume and attending interviews? Unemployment isn't one big holiday when you’re waiting for blessings. It can be boring and unsettling.    Just take any offer Advising your friend to take any job is not only insensitive but ignores his/her experience and skills background. Saying to your friend to not be selective in his/her search for a job and just take any role or salary offer means a complete lack of understanding of the person’s situation and the living wage standards. What if that offer is below the minimum wage or a peanut salary that’s inadequate to cover daily living expenses, will you take it?  Not all offers are equal even in the same position because it depends on the company size, position, geographical location and skills. This advice would only apply if you’re in an emergency such as when you’re in other countries looking for immediate jobs just to get a visa, avoid deportation or visa penalties and if the applicant has few qualifications.   You’re lucky, you aren’t dealing with stress in our work Stress depends on the type of work but it can be equally or more stressful if you’re worrying where to get money to pay water, electricity and rental bills. It’s more worrying in an unemployed situation because you have to deal with the unemployment social stigma such as being weak-willed and lazy.   Maybe you’re not doing well because it takes you so long to find a job Everyone experienced unique circumstances in job hunting. Different situations involve applying in different company types, facing job competition, coping with costs of job hunting, and using current skills. Saying such in a diatribe form can demean a person. The main reason that can prolong a job search is when a person deliberately prolongs job hunting because of laziness and unwillingness. Factors that prolong job hunting include the following:  – Supply and demand for the skills needed for the specific job – The geographical location of the company and the job seeker – Mismatched skills and experiences to the requirements of the position – Readiness - polished resume, company research, and grooming   My friend is in this situation and he/she did this … maybe you should try this While it can be a good advice, your friend’s situation is likely different from his/hers. Saying this to a friend may backfire as it may discourage your unemployed friend. Your more successful friend’s situation is different because of the location, educational level, skills set and network.   How long have you been job searching? This question may imply a sarcastic meaning depending on the context and situation. If your friend is new in the job search, this question needs a simple answer. But if it’s sarcastic then it can mean judging the person’s ability to find a job.   The Bottomline A situation that warrants blaming an unemployed person is if he or she doesn’t help themselves or willingly refuse to find a job despite having the capacity, resources and skill to find a job. Helping your unemployed friend or someone looking for a job needs lending a serious helping hand with a touch of empathy. Understand that unemployment is temporary and life is like a wheel. Sooner or later, it always comes around to where you started again (a quote by Stephen King).

Knowing the difference between essential and non-essential services can help you cope with the ongoing pandemic lockdown. Since the imposition of ECQ, MECQ, GCQ, some businesses closed while others remained open. Why do you need to know essential vs non-essential? Understand community quarantine rules. Find more flexible jobs. What are Essential and Non-essential products and services Essential or critical goods and services refer to the end-products and activities required or necessary for the minimum normal functioning of society that revolve around basic human needs such as shelter, water, communication, food and clothing. They also pertain to the secondary essential support that makes society function efficiently such as banking, and money transfer services. Non-essential refers to the secondary end-products and services that aren’t necessary for the minimum and normal functioning of society and basic human needs. Basic essential products and services Bakeries Canned sardines canneries Energy suppliers Fish market Granaries Homeless shelters Livestock farm Rice planters Vegetable market Water filtration Water suppliers Supportive essential product and services Ambulatory Banking Child care services Factories of personal protective equipment (Face mask, facial shield) Funeral services, cemeteries and crematoriums Government offices and services Hospitals Law enforcement (Police, Security and Military) Logistics Medical wholesale and distribution Mental health counselling Money remittances Petrol stations Pharmaceutical research and development (vaccine) Pharmacies Port services Sanitary products (alcohol, hydrogen peroxide) Security Telcos (Smartphone loaders and internet business) Transportation (delivery of basic goods) Trash collectors Warehouse facilities (storage of basic goods, pharmacies) Non-essential products and services Arts and craft business Beauty supply stores Car washing services Concert venues Dance schools Gyms, yoga, spin and barre facilities Movie theatres Personal appearance and grooming businesses (barbershop, tattoo shop, hair salons, eyelash salons, body piercing) Pool resorts Recreation facilities (parks, bowling alleys) Shopping malls Skating rink Sporting event venues Vaping supply stores   The domino effect of pandemic lockdown on jobs:  No jobs are completely immune to the economic impact of COVID-19 since every company or industry depends on one another. Likewise, the economy is like an ecosystem where input and output (manufacturing - production) revolve or cycle. But there are jobs, due to their flexible working arrangements, that can be performed at the comfort of your home. On the other hand, some occupations require physical presence such as bank security guard, restaurant cook, and warehouseman. An IT company can still deliver its services remotely as long as its team members can work at home and remotely send the deliverables at the required pace and efficiency. An IT company can only be affected or have its income affected by forced lockdown and social distancing if it depends on clients directly affected by the pandemic. If an IT company depends on clients operating restaurants, events, tourism and airlines (or in non-essential products and services), its revenue might probably be slashed by the loss of income of its clients. In other words, it’s a domino effect. IT company clients (low probability of being affected by Pandemic) Energy Healthcare Banking Ecommerce food and beverage Security  Water supply Transportation (transport of medicine, food, fuel) Communication Public security Law enforcement IT company clients (high probability of being affected by Pandemic) Airlines Tourism Restaurants  Event organising Cosmetology Shipping Entertainment Transportation Hotel Entertainment (Boxing, Basketball and other sports)   What is a skeletal workforce? Skeletal workforce refers to the minimum number of staff or employees needed for the minimum and normal functioning of a business. During the normal working hours (before the start of Pandemic), companies require a minimum of staff to mitigate situations such as employees who are on sick leave, vacation, medical check-up, suspension and resignation