Surviving A Layoff

Useful Tips on Surviving Unemployment

• Get some advice about how to create a layoff survival plan.
• Don't blame yourself. So much of what we have known about getting and keeping a job no longer seems to apply. Decisions to downsize or close a company are being made because of the economy. You have no control over that.
• Starting over. The result of a layoff can be very positive however it will require many changes. You may have to back to school to learn new skills. When you do get a new job it may be in a field in which you have never worked before. If you have been in a position of seniority, you may once again find yourself at the bottom of the ladder.
• Consult with others and make a plan.

Being anxious about starting over is normal, and it's amazing how something as simple as talking about it can make things easier. What feels overwhelming when you face it alone becomes something you can do when you are working together with other people to come up with a plan. A "go it alone" attitude makes starting over much harder.

Taking back control When you lose a job and the security it gave you, you lose some control over your life. Having a plan about what you will do now, and what you will do in the future is a way of taking back some of the control you have lost. The key to taking control is planning. You need a plan for today and one for tomorrow, and you need to act on them. It's important not to just sit back and see what will happen, but to take the initiative. A good plan will help you find all all the resources available to help you find a new job, get retraining or build a new career. You may need to upgrade your skills or change careers. A long term plan is the best insurance against a changing and uncertain job market.

For people who have been in the same job or workplace for a long time, the hiring process was much simpler when they hired on. The job market is much more competitive now, especially for family wage jobs. The whole way of looking for work has changed, and the application process can be much more formal and complicated than it used to be. To find a new job you may have to learn new job search skills. There are usually programs that will help you do that. A wealth of infomation at Job Hunt.org

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