No matter how much you prepare for a sudden layoff, the transition from having a regular job to full-time unemployment can be scary, intimidating and very stressful. You have several months' salary saved up for emergencies, but what happens if you have some unexpected expenses during that time? Don't fold under the pressure of a layoff. Instead, pick yourself up and stay productive during your forced downtime to maintain a positive outlook on your career situation.
Let It Go
Perhaps the first thing you should do is let go of your anger, denial and frustration. That doesn't mean take drastic actions that hurt people. It simply means the layoff wasn't your fault, and there's nothing you can do about it now except move forward. The sooner you realize you control your own destiny, the sooner you have the freedom to find your ideal job.
Evaluate and Investigate
Now that you've got your wits about you, it's time to take stock of your career prospects. Evaluate what you enjoyed best and least about your previous job. Look at the best attributes you find and turn them into a theoretical job description. This job description becomes your ideal job you want to have the next time someone hires you.
Search through job listings to discover the positions that mesh with your happy place. Perform a generic Internet search, but also look through career websites, job placement services and trade publications to narrow your focus. You may gravitate towards careers you never considered before. You could also gravitate back to the same industry you just left, only within a different position. Once you uncover some job descriptions and compensation packages you like, test the waters and see what happens.
Put Out Some Applications
Apply for a few positions to keep your job search skills sharp. If you try to apply for every job under the sun, you may wear yourself out with dozens of application forms, cover letter rewrites and resume keyword searching. Target jobs that fit your skills, passions and experience.
Maintaining your job search skills also means making connections. This is a good time to tap into your network. Discover if any of your connections and colleagues have some relevant leads for you to follow. Stay productive through a layoff simply by talking to people you know and listening to what they have to say. Some networks may pay off, while others may clue you in as to what you need to improve before putting your name in front of the HR manager.
Learn a New Skill Set
You may find that some of the job descriptions list a few skills you lack. As you wait to hear back from a recruiter about your job interview, take some time to learn a relevant skill or two. This rings especially true for skills towards the top of the job description. Several websites have online courses that help you earn certifications. In fields such as health care, computers and engineering, you may need to refresh your skills that became outdated two or three years ago. Some industries change quickly, so you have to keep up with the pace or you risk losing some advantages over other job candidates.
Improve Your Resume
Instead of filling your layoff with large gaps in unemployment, look for opportunities to fill your resume during downtime. Volunteer for an organization for a few hours per week, and ask if you can put your volunteer supervisor down as a reference. This person can vouch for your skills, attitude and professionalism just as much as a supervisor at a job can. Volunteering could also put you in touch with new people within your network.
Rejuvenate Your Social Networks
Take a few hours per day to peruse your connections within LinkedIn, Facebook, Twitter and the like. Find some new connections to make within your industry, graduates who attended the same college as you and people who share similar interests. As you dig through the people you already know, you could discover a lost link that has a job opportunity for you.
A new position may not arrive in your life right away after a layoff, but you never find opportunities if you don't look for them. Stay productive during a layoff to alleviate stress, maintain activity and keep your job search dynamic until you settle into a new job or career. Productivity leads you to a job faster than sitting there and worrying about your next pay check, so get out there an do something about it.
Photo Courtesy of Stuart Miles at FreeDigitalPhotos.net
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