jobs, job search, careers, and employment links and information ...your objective source * of the Web's Best Job Search Resources
 On this page: At home, take these steps to prepare for a layoff.
Job Search Resources Center
Getting Started
Job Search Advice & Tips
Protecting Your Privacy
Starting Your Online Job Search
Finding Jobs Online
Choosing a Job Site
Using Web Job Sites
Creating an Internet Resume
The Dirty Dozen Online Job Search Mistakes
Layoffs - before & after
The Online Job Search Guide - more articles
Pick Your Employer
Recommended Reading - books and news
Networking Resources
Networking & Support Groups
Company Alumni Groups
Associations & Societies

Job Sites & Career Resources
Job Resources by Location
Jobs by State ( U.S.A.)
State Employment Offices
International Jobs
Specialized Job Sites
Academia and Education
Computers & Technology
Engineering Jobs
Entry Level, Internships, and Seasonal Jobs
Finance, Accounting, and Banking
Government Jobs
Law and Law Enforcement
Marketing and Sales
Medicine, Biotech, and Pharmaceutical
Science

 
Other Job Sites & Career Resources
Employment Super Sites
General
Classified Ads
Resumes
Newsgroup Searches
Recruiting Agencies
Job Fairs
Other Link Lists
Reference Material

For Employers
Human Resources
Recruiting Resources

  Back to  «  Home  «  Online Job Search Guide   «  Layoffs
Preparing for a Layoff - Home

Almost everyone experiences at least one layoff in their work life. According to the experts, many of us will be laid off more than once. So, it's a good idea to be prepared. Having lived through an extended layoff, several years long, with a previous employer, I know that it's a very stressful time, even if you are one of the "stars" in your workplace. Even stars get laid off. Don't expect a layoff to be rational.

 Sponsor:
what where
job title, keywords or company
Employers: post your jobs
city, state or zip jobs by Indeed

Related Articles:
Layoff Preparations at Work
Signs a Layoff May Be Coming
Surviving a Layoff

Getting Ready to Be Unemployed

If you've done a little ground work and some planning, you'll feel more in control when the proverbial ax falls. Here are some things you can do in advance of being laid off, both at home (below) and at the office.

  • Be sure that you know your rights.
    Look into what is required by your state when someone is laid off. Frequently there is advanced notice required, which can be a couple of months or a couple of weeks. Sometimes, a severance package (e.g. 2 weeks pay) is specified. Contact the people in your local Employment office for the rules that apply in your state. [See Job-Hunt's list of Employment Offices by State] If you are offered less, let them know you are aware of the applicable laws and regulations, and expect them to follow the law.

  • Prepare your personal finances.
    Cut back on your spending and increase your savings, just in case you need to survive without a salary for several months. Experts recommend having a 6-month "cushion" (sufficient funds to cover all of your living expenses) available at all times, anyway. But, if you don't have that set aside, get started.

    [Note: As of April 7, 2006, 18.4% of unemployed people have been unemployed for 6 months or more, according to the U.S. Department of Labor; so 81.6% have been unemployed for less than 6 months.]

  • Set up a non-work e-mail account.
    Establish a personal e-mail account (Hotmail, MSN, Yahoo Mail, GMail, or one from your college, etc.) for your job search.


  • Create personal business cards.
    Don't just mark out the contact info on your employer business cards. Make new ones, separate from your work business cards, to give out to acquaintances and other people you met with whom you want to/need to stay in touch for your job search.

    Make business cards with your personal computer and printer and special business card paper which comes in sheets usually with 10 cards per sheet (Avery is one manufacturer). Or you can have the cards printed at your local business supply store, like Staples or Office Max.

    To protect your privacy, rent a post office mail box to use in place of your home address on your cards. Use your cell phone or other unlisted phone number that can't be easily traced to your home address. Resist the temptation to put your work phone number and e-mail address on the card. It's a tacky thing to do, and it can backfire, big time, if the wrong person answers your phone or hears your voicemail messages or sees your e-mail.

    And, of course, be sure to include your personal e-mail address on the card! Some people have only their name and that e-mail address on the card, which may not be a bad idea.

  • Update your resume.
    You'll need your resume on your home computer anyway because if you are laid off, you won't have access to your office or place of work any more. You'll probably end up with many versions of your resume, and you may end up changing your career in the end (see the bullet below), but you need to start somewhere. So, start here and now.

  • Start looking for new employers - but NOT AT WORK!
    While you are still employed, take the time to look around and decide what you want to do and where you want to work next.

    You can lay the groundwork for a career change, too, taking classes, volunteering, talking with people about their jobs. This is the good part about being laid off - you get a chance for a new beginning somewhere else (yes, you may not want to leave, but it also may be an opportunity for a beneficial change, temporarily disguised as a disaster).

    For help figuring out what to else you might want to do, read Richard Bolle's classic book "What Color Is Your Parachute" and visit his JobHuntersBible Website. Also see Margaret Dikel's Guide to Internet Job Searching and her RileyGuide.com Website, particularly the sections "Before You Search," "Research & Target Employers," and "Network, Interview, & Negotiate" for information and more resources.

    Also, see these articles and sections of Job-Hunt for ideas and more resources - "Pick Your Employer," "Pro-Active Job Search," and "Beating the Job Search Blues."

  • Read Job-Hunt's "Preparations for Layoff You Can Do at Work " for more ideas.
    If you haven't already read it. If you have read it, move on to the "Surviving Being Laid Off" article.

For more information, check out Fired, Laid Off or Forced Out: A Complete Guide to Severance, Benefits, and Your Rights When You're Starting Over, a book by Richard C. Busse.

Return to Job-Hunt Home.


Our Sponsors
Career Resources & Jobs from The Wall St. Journal
Find a Job
Post a Job
Virtual Career Fair

$100K+ Jobs
Subscribe for access to an exclusive database of jobs paying $100,000 or more.

New year. New resume
Ready-Made Resumes
by resume guru for you. Download and use now.
ReadyMadeResume.com

Need experienced staff?
Hire grown-ups next time; job seekers 50+ are reliable & mature.
Workforce50

The Site for Executives From John Lucht, dean of executive recruiters, author of Rites of Passage at $100k+
RiteSite.com

Job-Hunt's Sponsors are carefully chosen.
Does your company or site qualify?



To Top
 About Job-Hunt    Privacy Policy    Disclaimer    Feedback    Contact Us

Job Search

  Job-Hunt.org, Marlborough, MA. U.S.A.
©
Copyright NETability, Inc. 1998 - 2008. All rights reserved.
Use without written permission is prohibited by international copyright law.


Hosted by: AVIA! high performance web hosting