Looking for a job after a layoff?
A reminder from the past which led to the beginning of Marketing Me.
What NOT to do when you lose your job
1) Use severance pay for training.
Training sounds like a good idea. The government likes it as it gives out of work people something to do. But think about it. Would you hire someone who spent 20 years doing one occupation, but then received "training" to do something new? I didn't think so. Save your severance pay for a haircut or style, a new suit, transportation and other preparation for interviews.
2) Pay for a resume service.
Who knows you better than yourself? An out of work writer? Or you? There are websites on writing your resume. Better yet, there are free services to help you. Consult these options before dropping the coin on a for hire service.
3) Blindly apply for jobs online.
Great idea. Toss your name into the big faceless nobody pool.
4) Be too embarrassed to tell others about your job search.
Here is a secret. Your next job is coming from someone you know. Promise.
5) Refuse to act financially like you are out of work.
We have all heard the story about the laid off worker who immediately scheduled a trip to Thailand to "get his bearings and find himself". Instead, make that trip a reward after you start working again.
6) Applying for jobs you have no business applying for.
Do not shotgun resumes at every position and hope it works out.
7) If part of a company wide layoff, avoid contacting others in the same situation.
Guess what? The person who was laid off with you is looking for work as well. If he finds a position, there may be others. Keep in contact with your network.
8) Avoid coaching, a mentor or anyone who can help you with advice.
Tiger Woods has a coach. Company presidents have a board of directors. Who is on your board?
9) Do not think out of the box.
Why are you not working three things at once? A part time job consulting? A contract gig online?
10) Let pride stand in the way of success.
Yes it stinks to be out of work. But being unemployed is worse than admitting you need help finding a job. Get off the cross!
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3 comments:
Great post but not sure I agree with point number one. Surely the best time to learn is when you don't have a job taking up your time? Also, the skills that may have stood you in stead for the last 20 years may not be good enough for the next 20. I work in marketing but the methods I was using 10 years ago - mailshots/cold-calling - are not as relevant as things such as SEO and social bookmarking to generate traffic and leads. Technology moves at such a rate that even the things I learnt a year ago are superseded.
Peter,
Thanks for your comment.
My personal experience shows that losing a job causes some to make rash decisions. For instance, I left a technical job in 2002. As soon as I left I dropped a chunk of my severance on "retraining" on several software and system platforms. I never used that training and instead found myself in a totally different line of work which came about due to personal networking and contacts. I think people who lose their jobs due to layoffs are often desperate and willing to throw money at a solution not knowing if a job will be waiting post-training. My advice is first look for the job and then re-educate if necessary.
Thank you for reading Marketing Me!
Interesting Addition!
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