Useful web site for the newly unemployed

When I was doing research for a recent post on self-employed people who feel unemployed, I learned about a Web site called TheCanned.com.

I have to admit, if I were just laid-off from a job, I would be so there.

The site is all about being unemployed, or as Mike Trapenese, one of the founders, told me: "TheCanned explains in detail how the unemployment system works. It breaks down the Federal program and how each state handles it individually, in addition to providing commentary and seeking to separate myth from reality."

Trapenese has had some time to research it. He and founder Chris Merrit-Lish lost their jobs at a New York strategy consulting firm last August.

The site's tag line explains away its name, TheCanned, by saying, "This is the lighter side of unemployment." And while there is humor, most of which seems to come from their daily blog, which has entries such as "Grow Your Layoff Beard." But because the web site is very new (it launched in late January), there's not a whole on the site yet. But give it time.

Still, the reason I would come here is that this is a very serious endeavor. TheCanned.com has a lot of relevant information to the newly unemployed, like where and how to get unemployment benefits, and where and how to get health insurance.

They also have a job listing of job listings. For instance, have you ever heard of Startuply.com? I hadn't. It's a web site devoted to jobs for startup companies. Or you can find something as esoteric as the job board for the Foreign Policy Association. In fact, there are 17 pages of links to various job boards.

If you're unemployed, or employed but think you'll be out of a job soon, or just want to find a new position, it's definitely a site that's worth taking a look.