Now What?
Aug 11, 2014
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.