you're fired; now what?

No

w W

ha

t?

And I know how it feels

Take a deep breath

It’s not the end of the

Create a New World of

Possibilities

Layoff

Here are

the Career Steps to

take After a

Remain Professional to Others

One

Layoff is not an

excuse to finally give everyone a piece of your mind.

Don’t film a dramatic exit to post on YouTube.

This is a tough time for everybody,

even people who didn’t lose their

jobs.

Don’t contribute any additional negativity.

Stay positive to yourself

Two

This also isn’t time

for negative self-talk

Maybe you regret not starting a job search sooner or not saving

more money.

Dwelling on what might have been is not going to

help you and will in fact fuel

additional anxiety and frustration.

Instead

Think of obstacles you

have overcome in the past to focus on

things that will give you confidence.

Negotiate your package and end date

Three

Severance Packages are often negotiable

Pay attention to your end date,

how long you have insurance, how much of your retirement account vests,

because this determines

or how much paid time off you accrue.

Pay attention to your end date,

how long you have insurance, how much of your retirement account vests,

because this determines

or how much paid time off you accrue.

Don’t feel like you have to sign anything right away

Make sure you understand

your package and don’t be afraid to ask Questions

Consider lateral transfers, both permanent & temporary

Four

Your department might be laying off staff, but other areas might be growing.

Don’t forget to consider subsidiaries or joint ventures of your employer.

consulting Ask about

opportunities

Sometimes a department doesn’t have permanent headcount but they have a

consulting budget and they could benefit from having someone who

already knows the internal ropes.

Prepare your story to explain what happened

Five

When there is a large layoff that makes the headlines, it’s easy to summarize your story.

But for lesser-known restructurings, you will have to explain to your network and

prospective employers what happened.

A concise story will do

A concise story will do

my department was restructured

A concise story will do

my department was restructured

my role was split between two more junior hires

A concise story will do

my department was restructured

my role was split between two more junior hires

my area moved to headquarters

A concise story will do

my department was restructured

my role was split between two more junior hires

my area moved to headquarters

Make sure your story matches what your manager or any references will say about

your departure.

Collect contact info for when you leave

Six

Don’t forget to get people’s permanent contact information.

They may get laid off after you so don’t assume their current company information will last.

You will not have access to your office equipment, including an employer-provided cell phone, so make sure

you have contact information in your personal files.

Leave on a positive note with your manager, colleagues and HR.

Seven

When you do finally exit, don’t forget to thank everyone.

Even for people who didn’t lose their jobs, they may feel guilty, anxious that they could be next, or overwhelmed

by the plight of their departing colleagues.

Your graceful exit will reassure them that you have

the confidence to persist and may

turn a neutral

colleague into an

advocate.

Take time to assess and reflect.

Eight

This is a big change so don’t feel like you have to go from your job to your job search right away.

Run the numbers on your cash situation.

Nine

That said, don’t underestimate the time

it will take to search.

You are coming into the job market along with

thousands of others.

You might not have looked for a job in years.

Now that you know your severance package, calculate how much time you have for your search.

Launch a proactive, thoughtful job search.

Ten

Don’t just blindly send resumes in a frantic attempt to find something.

Yes, you want to find a job, but you also want to find the right job.

What is the right job right now?

It might be a temporary one for cash flow.

It might be a lateral move to learn some

new skills.

It might be moving to a different industry that has always interested you.

The silver lining of a layoff is that you have this opportunity to find a new job.

Would you take your old job all over again?

If so, then you know to look for the same industry, functional area and type of company.

But if not, then explore what would be a better choice this time and execute your

job search to find this better job.