LaidOff - Now What

Anger, panic and disorganization are some of the reactions after being laidoff include for most of us. It's a stressful time for lots of reasons. I don't think it matters if it's the first time you've been laidoff, or if you've been through it before. One's first response may be to send out lots of resumes. The job hunt is going to take a long time in this economic climate. There are some obvious steps one needs to take and  some  not so initially obvious. I have distilled the advice from a number of experts and flavored it with my own experience  of multiple layoffs.

Anger, deal with it.

You need to get over it quickly and channel the angst and anger into  positive  activities. Vent here, thats one of the purposes of this site. But move on quickly with the these tips:

Engage your friends and family.

Don't be embarrassed about your situation. Over 10% of the  eligible  working  population is in your situation and many more are  the  underemployed. Ok I am guessing about the 10%. But anyone really believe that  the  unemployment rate in  the  US is only 7.2%. More on that subject later. Reconnect with those former colleagues and friends you haven't seen for a while.  The primary purpose is for support but this will be a primary source of  introductions  for  the  next gig.

Change your physical environment.

Get out of the house: This was a hard one for me to learn because I had everything I needed at home: coffee, food, wireless Internet and my laptop. The one thing I didn't have? Actual people. It's easy to feel isolated when you don't have coworkers around you and your friends are too busy at work to IM. Take your laptop to bookstore or a coffee shop with wireless access and buy a $4 latte (yes, despite your tight budget),   and read books and magazines relevant to your job search talk to  your  fellow coffee imbibers.

File for unemployment.

You probably qualify for unemployment. All you have to do is call up your state's unemployment office and give them your information. It only takes a few minutes. Well correction, many state's system have been inundated with UI Claim Applications. But persist. You are entitled and you will need it.

Do everything you possibly can to find a new job:

Revamping your resume, finding new ways to market your skills, scouring the Internet, talking to people, following every lead, working with a recruiter, sending out resumes, going on job interviews and researching opportunities you may not have thought about before. Ask your fellow latte drinker to proof your resume. I have found  the  professional  resume  reviewers  and writers to be expensive and  frankly  not value for the money you wont have. There is lots of free information out  there  on  the  web if you prepared to distill it. Google is  your  friend and  after  all you have the time. Use  the  library. Your tax dollars built it. Us it. Consider volunteering, interning or requesting to spend a day at a company related to your desired industry or field.

Have a backup plan:

What will you do if you get cut off from unemployment before you find a job? Figuring out an answer makes it easier to keep moving forward. My worst case scenario was finding temp work to pay the bills, and if that didn't work out, moving in with friends. Thankfully, I never had to go there.

Do something more with your time than just 24/7 job searching:

Use this time to to add to your job skills.  Take up a new hobby, like indoor rock climbing or yoga (I chose swimming and pilates). Take a pottery class, cooking class or money management class through your city's recreation department, an adult school or a community college. Being in between jobs is the perfect time to nurture your interests and grow as a person.

Be patient:

Understand that the interviewing and hiring process takes longer than you think but don't get caught in the waiting game. Even if you're a shoe-in for the position, keep sending out resumes and going on interviews until you get the offer. Who knows, you might find an even better position!

Good Luck. Do you have any advice for the newly laidoff?

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