How to Answer: 'What Have You Been Doing Since You Were Laid Off?'

When you first lost your job, you spent your time wallowing in your sorrows -- eating ice cream in your pajamas and watching 'Judge Judy' all afternoon. Then your determination kicked in, and you decided to find a new job. You perused job boards, polished up your résumé, searched for old co-workers on LinkedIn -- and occasionally watched 'Judge Judy' all afternoon.

While this may be the truth about what you've been doing since your last job ended, telling this to a recruiter probably won't be all that impressive. Though looking for a job is an admirable and necessary task for those out of work, telling a recruiter about your job search won't set you apart from the pack.

So how do you answer the "What have you been doing" question in an interesting, unique and truthful manner?