Especially in a declining economy, being laid-off is not a reflection on you, but an indication of the state of your employer. Don't expect logic in who gets laid off and who doesn't. There is often no logic involved. It's often just the luck of the draw, and it is not a personal failure, so don't let it destroy your confidence.
Do's:
- Negotiate an outplacement package
Try to negotiate outplacement benefits – severance pay, career coaching and résumé writing assistance, office with telephone and administrative support, etc. There may be a standard package offered to everyone, but you may be in a position to negotiate more.
Get a laid-off (not fired) employee letter from HR
This is a short letter on company letterhead from someone in HR, hopefully the director, stating that you were laid off as part of a larger general layoff and not fired because of any personal performance problems. Bring this with you on interviews, and include it whenever you are asked for your references. If your employer's layoff is in the news, you may not need it for your first post-layoff job search, but keep it handy for the later ones.
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Find out about health insurance coverage
Ask for the details on continuing your medical insurance coverage (assuming that you were covered by your employer's group health insurance at the time you were laid off). It's called COBRA - an acronym for the federal legislation that set it up. COBRA allows you to continue to participate in the medical plan, for a specified period of time, but you pay your own premiums. If your employer doesn't provide the information, be sure to ask your state's Employment Office about it. Never go without health insurance.
Register for unemployment compensation with your local state Employment Office
Even if you’ve received a severance pay package, be sure to register for unemployment compensation. If you wait too long to register, you may find that you no longer qualify, so don't wait! Don't try to hide your severance benefits, but don't wait to register.
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Secure personal business / networking cards, or create your own on your computer
You'll need them for networking, to hand to potential employers, etc.
Get support in your job search
It's tough to do an effective job search on your own. Each state has several One-Stop Career Centers where you can find assistance and support. Consider joining a job-finding support group.
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Accept and deal with your feelings
Allow yourself to feel angry, hurt, scared, discouraged, and depressed. Don't keep your feelings inside. Anger turned inward often leads to clinical depression. Talk to your wife, husband, a close friend, former co-worker, or counselor. Consider writing your feelings in a journal or just on a piece of paper. Find a way to get the feelings out to prevent those feelings from sabotaging your job search. Then, let it go and move on.
Don'ts:
- Feel like you are a failure
Most likely you haven't, except perhaps in your choice of employer or job. Usually, you've just been in the wrong place at the wrong time. Be more selective, if you can, with your next employer and career to minimize, but not - unfortunately - to eliminate, the possibility that you'll be laid off again.
- Hide that you’ve been laid off
Millions of people have been laid off. If your employer was large and the layoff was very public, you won't be able to escape it. So don't try. It may even be an advantage - many people will know that your effectiveness at your job had little to do with your job loss. That's just how layoffs work.
- Consider yourself fired
That can be too demoralizing, and it's not appropriate, either.
- Ever say anything negative about your former employer In networking events and interviews, be as upbeat as you can be.
Be positive and hopeful about your future!
When it happens, being laid off can be devastating, but it can also be a wonderful new beginning that leads you to a better job, a career change, more money, and greater happiness! It has been my personal experience, and that of those with whom I have worked for almost 20 years, that as upsetting as it is to be laid off, it often leads to something much much better.
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