Top 10 Things to Do if You're Laid Off
Being downsized, dismissed, let go of or laid off is never easy. No matter how much information we're privy to regarding our company or industry, it's always a shock when we're the casualty.
Here are 10 things to do should this happen to you.
1. Regroup.
Experience the shock, hurt and anger that you're experiencing
but don't get stuck in the feelings. Instead, focus on the future
and what it is you most want and need.
2. Mobilize.
Mobilize your resources.
List every idea you have about what you think you'll need to
do. Get the ideas out of your brain and onto paper. This will
help you with brainstorming, with strategizing & with mobilizing
your resources. Immediate action is required; mobilization is
the step preceding action.
3. Think people.
List all the people you
know. Make a plan about how you'll approach them, and for what
purpose. How will you explain your situation to people, and what
is it that you'll be asking for? Get clear about this last point
so your communication with them is productive.
4. Think functions and transferable
skills.
Think about the skills
and talents you've tapped into in previous jobs. Creatively brainstorm
what jobs would easily incorporate these transferable skills.
Educators and social workers have successfully transferred their
communication skills into corporate training positions, and financial
planners have successfully entered other industries as analysts
or educators. Successful sales people frequently job hop industries
-- their communication skills transcend the product or industry.
5. Presentation Matters.
Immediately update and
upgrade your resume. Have your resume clearly represent your
personal best. Make sure that the reader has no doubt about how
well you'd perform - have your resume express the best of who
you are! This means that impeccability matters! Present yourself
professionally and in a style that both flatters and communicates
who you are. Give people a reason to hire you! If you don't effectively
represent or promote yourself, why should a potential employer
think that you'd effectively represent or promote their product?
6. Maximize resource utilization!
Don't dismiss newspaper
ads because you've heard that most people don't get jobs through
the newspaper. Think creatively about what resources are available
to you and utilize them! Besides networking and the newspaper
classifieds, there are professional organizations, alumni services,
private and public employment offices. Look around your community
for other available resources.
7. Focus on your strengths!
You're concerned about
your future and worried about your income. While you might feel
powerless and fearful or anxious about your lack of control,
make a commitment to live from your strengths and not from fear.
Identify your strengths and make a conscious decision to live
from them - observe when you're not. The future will unfold in
unforeseen ways when you apply and integrate this concept into
your life. Work to maintain your self-confidence while being
open to others' contributions. List on a piece of paper the qualities
that make you unique and special - list your strengths, talents
& skills. Look at the list daily, and add to it when new
insights about your strengths emerge. If YOU don't believe in
yourself, no one else will. Focus on your strengths!
8. Create a personal board
of directors.
Consider creating your
very own personal board of advisors. Apply Tom Peters' concept
"the brand you" to your life - run your life as you
would a business. Create a personal board of advisors who will
contribute to your success. Invite people you respect and who
have complementary perspectives, approaches and skills. Remember,
we learn more from those who are different than from those who
are similar. Differences of opinion create a more solid product.
When others challenge you, know that they're actually helping
to expand your vision. Let others contribute to you. Utilizing
your very own personal board of directors will help you get beyond
your blind spots.
9. Invest in yourself!
Investing time and resources
into your personal and professional development is well worth
the effort - regardless of your employment status. Structure
personal/professional development into your schedule on an on-going
basis. Consider it a necessary ingredient for success. The benefits
will far exceed the investment.
10. Visualize the Future.
Don't let logistics or
fear that your dream is crazy or impossible stop you from visioning
the future! There's always learning in the listening - so listen
to your dreams. Identify the essence of what most excites you.
Creatively brainstorm how you can live from that space more frequently,
as the more you do, the more powerfully you'll generate the future
you now only dream about.
The layoff may be a blessing in disguise. What is the Universe trying to tell you? Is this a wake up call of some kind? You might unknowingly be on a path of personal discovery - let the layoff be the catalyst for self-discovery and powerful actions! Perhaps it IS time to move on to something more challenging and exciting.
Be open and listen. They may
be a lesson and an opportunity in this for you.
Jan Gordon, LCSW is an Executive and Personal Coach who finds great joy in helping her clients achieve outstanding results! Ms. Gordon provides coaching to individuals and teams who are dedicated to enhancing their personal power and sense of fulfilment. Her coaching embraces the concept that challenge provides opportunity. Visit her website at: www.qualitycoaching.com. Jan can reached at jan@qualitycoaching.com
Copyright © 2001 by
Jan Gordon. All Rights Reserved. This content may be forwarded only in full, with copyright/bio/contact/creation information intact, without specific permission, when used only in a not-for-profit format. If any other use is desired, permission in writing from Jan Gordon is required.
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