Stay engaged with the job market

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NEW YORK (CNNMoney.com) -- With unemployment at its highest level in 15 years, you've got questions about what to do if you lose your job.

What do you tell a potential employer during an interview process about why you were unemployed for an extended period of time? - William

That's a hard place to be. If you've volunteered or done consulting projects make sure you highlight that in the interview says John Challenger of Challenger, Gray and Christmas.

Stay engaged in community organizations. You may even say that you've taken some time off to take care of the kids or a sick relative if that's true. Another tactic that could work: leave the months off your resume.

My daughter's place of employment may be going bankrupt. She is a three-year cancer survivor and will lose her insurance. Is there anything she can do to get insurance because of her pre-existing condition? - Shirley

If the company she works for goes bankrupt and isn't offering insurance, she can get coverage for a pre-existing condition if she is HIPPA-protected-meaning she had a year and a half of health insurance coverage. All states have a way of covering HIPPA-protected people who have pre-existing conditions. It may be a high-risk insurance pool or the state may designate a specific insurer to cover her.

But these policies will be expensive - more expensive than COBRA in some cases according to Cheryl Fish-Parcham of Families USA. Call your state Department of Insurance to find out about the laws in your state.

A better alternative: If your daughter is married, she may be able to get on her spouses' plan. That will be the cheapest option out there.

I was recently laid off, given a 60 day notice, severance and paid vacation. What date should I tell unemployment I last worked if I'm still receiving money from the company? - Cheryl

You should provide the date that you last worked. You will likely have to give the state more information about your severance and vacation pay.

If you get severance and/or vacation pay, it MAY affect your eligibility for unemployment according to the U.S. Department of Labor. But that varies from state to state.

In some states, your severance and/or vacation pay may delay when you start receiving benefits. But that's not true in other states.