I Just Got Laid Off. Now What Do I Do?

There is little more traumatic thing in life than to be carried out redundant. Although most people who are laid off to have a sense of the possibility—even the likely eventuality—the actual event is never easy. If you are innovative in that position, read on!

1. Don’t panic. No one is about beating you or your children. Almost certainly, the worst that is sentenced to happen is far better than what you fear. As recommended in the book Learned Optimism (amen.To/Vr4ryg), set aside time later in the day or by the week to sit and worry (don’t be surprised if you don’t try to sit down and worry at the appointed hour—that’s the idea).

2. Start to work now. Your job search is your new job. Start right now. There is a lot to be done. It should be months before it occurs to you to obtain bored, but you’ll likely have a job before then.

3. Make a financial assessment. Take a moment soon to work out a fresh budget depended on your available savings, unemployment benefits, severance package, spouse’s income and any other available income. Remember this is temporary. There are sure things you can go without during this period that you would normally spend. You’ll also avoid some expenses you’ve had—payroll taxes will be a substantial one. Do not forget to budget for continuing your health insurance—don’t leave the window open for this crisis to become a full on catastrophe.

4. Update your resume. It may have got a while since you updated your resume. Don’t worry. In just a few hours, you can create a passable resume. Before you start placing it on prospective employers, send a copy to two or three of your most successful friends and family members to review. Not only will the feedback be valuable, they may have job ideas or opportunities waiting.

5. Organize yourself. You’re your new boss. Congratulations. You’ve been promoted. You have a duty to hold yourself accountable. You’re going to send dozens—maybe hundreds of resumes out. You’ll be willing to act on each one in a strategic way. If you don’t have a good system for that, it will overwhelm you. JibberJobber.com offers a relaxing or, to upgrade to the premium program, low cost service that will help you do just that.

6. Network. Optimally, you’ve already built a network of people to whom you are under a decent relationship. Moving closer to them will be second nature. If you haven’t built that network, it will be harder, but still vitally important. Put yourself out there. Virtually everyone has been (or will be) where you go and they know it. There is no shame. You have a lot to offer so to offer it up. Don’t be discouraged when people do not get for lunch—offer to swing by their offices for twenty minutes at their convenience. Not only is that easier for some people, but it eliminates the question about who buys lunch!

7. Tap your social network. You are pretty certainly connected with a variety of people through Linkedin, Facebook, Twitter and other social networks. If not, start today. It’s actually fun. Take care not to fritter away eight hours a day on social networking, but if you aren’t spending an hour each day, you’re not engaging enough. You can be a lot of progress in the relationship building here and is generally permitted!

Being laid off is not fun. But not pretend that this is a vacation. Unless you have lots of money and it really has been a long time since you took a vacation, don’t treat this time like a vacation. You’ve got a new job looking for a job. With a focus on the task at hand, you’ll get back in the game soon.