The only foreseeable perk to unemployment is the fleeting moment of pure content I experience when I awake each morning and remember that I can close my eyes, disappear into an abyss of comforter, and sleep for as long as I damn well please.

But that’s about it.

I finished college in May and since then I’ve been “without work” as they say. But back in April, I had a job. I hadn’t started it yet, but I had an offer letter stating my August start date. Perfect. One last summer of freedom and then I would begin my career at Steve & Barry’s corporate headquarters on Long Island. Yeah, the same Steve & Barry’s that went bankrupt in July. My offer was reneged before I could even begin, but I wasn’t too bummed. I had incurred absolutely no losses. I just figured I’d get another job. No problem.

Okay, problem. Getting a job is hard — especially a first job. I have experience, good extracurriculars, great grades, and yet I spend my days perusing Monster, HotJobs, CareerBuilder and hell, even Craig’s List for something … anything. I’m hopeful for a couple of opportunities I have pending, but I’m not holding off on applying elsewhere. This brings me to my first rule of unemployment: Rule #1) Don’t assume anything until it’s a guarantee. I chased a job for all of August and September because I genuinely thought I had a great shot at it. I halted my search for two months and things never panned out. Huge mistake. Epic, in fact.

Not having a job has surprisingly taught me a lot of things I will use when the day comes that I do have a job. I’ve become a master of the process: the initial contact, the callback, the phone interview, the in-office visit. (Every aspect with the exception of hiring, that is.) I know where to look for jobs, which positions are worth my time, and which are out of reach. And believe it or not, there is a often bigger picture at work beyond the hundreds of posts I glance at each day. Learning about who is hiring where and for what position can tell a candidate a great deal about which industries are the hottest and which roles are the most in demand. As an example, many of the PR/marketing jobs I’ve seen involve social or online media in one way or another. Clearly, agencies and in-house communications teams are recognizing the power of these new venues and hiring talent based on their ability to utilize the web. Rule #2) Learn from the experiences you have without a job so you can be a better employee when you do.

Leisurely perusing online career boards in between OC reruns on SoapNet doesn’t constitute a legitimate job search. I’ve learned that there are many other ways to work at landing a job besides simply submitting a resume. My last piece of advice is the following: Rule #3) Getting a job is a full-time job. Treat it like one. Here are some simple ways to do just that:

• Update your RSS feed with blogs and sites that will make you more educated in your career of choice. Browse them daily and you will likely become an even better candidate when you do score that big interview.
• Create an online portfolio Web site. This is an especially useful tool for people who have a lot of writing samples or “clips.” A resume can only say so much, so I always link to my online portfolio in my cover letter. Several recruiters have complimented me for it, probably because it makes their lives a heck of a lot easier. This is also a very easy and effective way to build your personal brand.
• Use the downtime to network. I recently joined LinkedIn and it has been a great way to keep in touch with professional connections. I’ve found several mentors in PR and communications through Notre Dame’s network. I’ve also connected with colleagues from past work experiences.

The bottom line: Not having a job isn’t fun. It’s frustrating, taxing, and at times discouraging — but I’m better for it.