If you heard it once more then likely, you have heard it too many times already. When unemployed and looking for work too many times you hear “Sorry, we are not hiring right now” or “We will get back to you in a week or two” so many times you lose count. These words do not pay the bills that continue to pile up and sometimes one has to resort to measures they never thought they ever would. We see these people on the streets holding up signs asking for money or food in exchange for work. Some call this panhandling where others call it survival. I call it bartering. Bartering is simply exchanging one commodity for another, in this case, work for food, or work for money; much like day labor but without the middleman.
Many who choose this avenue will promote themselves by holding up a sign at busy intersections near businesses or factories where people are gainfully employed. The difference in survival in this type of situation is in how you present yourself. If you present yourself like a bum, dressed shabby and in disarray, people will take you for a beggar and pass you by. Present yourself as capable and put together. Clean clothes and polite and orderly will get you further then trying to look desperate. One word of caution is, check with your local laws enforcement regarding this type of activity. If it is look at as panhandling (begging for money), local laws may prohibit this activity and wind you up in jail. To keep things on the legal side, contact your local law enforcement and tell them what you wish to do first and where. This will save you unnecessary legal bills if laws are set against public bartering.
Another way of advertising your labor for money is through advertising. Advertising does not need to cost money. Many grocery stores and business such as gas stations allow people to post wanted ads in their establishment. You can simply use a plain piece of paper with your contact information and what you are willing to do in exchange for some fast cash for you advertisement. To draw more attention to your ad use colored paper and make it stand out amongst the rest. In addition, online you can advertise your services on sites like Craigslist and local help wanted/employment sites. If you are handy with a computer, you could make your own website as well offering your services advertising your specialties, prices, and contact information.
With online advertising, you want to be careful not to come across as a cyber beggar. Although laws vary across countries on cyber begging and no one to date has ever been prosecuted for cyber begging, you still stand a risk of possibly breaking a law. On the other side of it though, it is less invading then standing on a street corner begging for money and people have actually made money from this practice. There are actually sites online that one can put in a request for monetary donations from strangers to help pay bills. Sometimes one has to swallow their pride to make money to make ends meet. If done with style, one can easily maintain their self respect and might even end up getting a fulltime position from their work bartering ways.