Laid Off Do These 4 Things Now

Laid Off Do These 4 Things Now A layoff can be a shock. Its normal to have a range of emotions including anger, sadness and even relief -- both directed at your employer, and fellow employees. An abrupt change might make you wonder how to proceed and remain productive without the routine of work -- specially if you arent receiving unemployment benefits like severance. Here are four things you can do right away to assess your situation and determine your next steps.1. Take a beat.Youre between jobs and it may be a priority to find something now, but it might also be the perfect moment to spend extra time with your children, enroll in a course or take a trip youve been putting off. Unemployment is the perfect excuse to stretch your legs a little. Pause for a moment to evaluate what this time off could mean and identify your top priorities. You have the power to decide your next move. If you rush to land anything to avoid being without a job for too long, you may end up looking for your next move again sooner than later or regret focusing solely on your search instead of enjoying some down time.2. Perfect Your Pitch.What zu sichausforderung do you solve? When talking about your next move, it can feel more comfortable and is often easier for people to understand what you do when you talk in terms of the problem you solve or solutions you offer. For example, I work with small businesses to streamline processes and introduce procedures where there were none before. This approach allows you to offer a solution, rather than asking for a job. Its also important to note that you will be competing with a pool of equally qualified candidates -- all who want to join the employees already working in that office. Make koranvers you stand out from other potential workers.Also, consider how youll talk about your layoff while keeping the tone positive. Youll want to abflug on a positive note sharing what you did well or enjoyed at the company, then mention the position eliminati on. Promptly follow up with what youre looking for in your next role so the conversation continues effortlessly with a focus on next moves rather than the layoff.3. Activate Your Network.Whether youve let your relationships and networking efforts lapse or kept them up to date, its time to make sure youre on peoples minds and that they can keep an eye out for opportunities for you. Ensure that friends, family members and contacts know that youre on the market and how you provide value to companies. Oftentimes layoffs come in waves. Look at the people who were in any previous waves and where they are now working. Those contacts might have openings on their teams. Its also a good practice to partner with former colleagues who are looking for complementary, not competitive, roles. You might come across opportunities for which they are qualified and vice versa.A good place to start is on LinkedIn. Hopefully, youve been keeping up with professional contacts via this social media platform. From here, you can easily interact with people youve crossed path with over the course of your professional career. This is a great place to start activating your network.4. Refresh Your ResumeOnce you start your job search and activate your job seeker network, its very likely that employers will start to ask for your resume pretty quickly. Ensure that you have something ready to share. Make sure your most recent employment experience is included and update any industry jargon that may have changed since you last refreshed this document (because for many, it could be years.) As a job seeker, you have to constantly stay up to date on the latest industry trends, and your resume is the first place you can reflect that knowledge and experience.Layoffs are more common than most of us realize and oftentimes propel people into better and more exciting roles. Try your best to focus on whats next andstay positive. These four steps will set you up for success right away.--Alyson Garrido is p assionate about helping people advance their careers and find jobs they will enjoy. As a career coach, she partners with her clients to identify their strengths and create a path toward a more fulfilling career. Alyson also provides support for interview preparation, salary negotiations and performance reviews, ensuring that her clients present themselves and their goals in the best possible light. Learn more at www.alysongarrido.com.Fairygodboss is committed to improving the workplace and lives of women.Join us by reviewing your employer