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 top performers get laid off. Don't expect a layoff to be rational!

More on Layoffs: Layoff Guide Home Signs of a Pending Layoff Layoff Self-Defense - free eBook Layoff Preparations Where You Work Layoff Preparations at Home Surviving a Layoff Be a Layoff Graduate, not a Survivor Related Articles: Do NOT Quit Your Job FIRST Job Loss Recovery Watch Where You're Going Stealth Job Search Tips - if you're still employed, be careful.

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 or a requirement that you are paid for unused vacation time you have accrued. It depends on your state's rules.
  
  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 October 4, 2008, 21.1% of unemployed people have been unemployed for 6 months or more, according to the U.S. Department of Labor; so 79.9% have been unemployed for less than 6 months.]
  
  
• Set up a non-work e-mail account.
  Establish a personal e-mail account (Hotmail, Yahoo! Mail, GMail, or one from your college, etc.) for your job search.
  
  
• Connect your non-work email account to your LinkedIn account.
  If you don't have a LinkedIn Profile, get one started now (unless your current employer has a no-LinkedIn or no-social-media policy). If you do have a LinkedIn account, you need access to it from a non-work email address because if you lose your job, you'll lose access to your LinkedIn account without an alternate address you can use.
  
  
• 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.
  
  For additonal help with online job hunting, see Margaret Dikel and Frances Roehm's Guide to Internet Job Searching and Alison Doyle's "Internet Your Way to a New Job" and "The About.com Guide to Job Searching."
  
  Also check out Margaret's RileyGuide.com Website, particularly the sections "Before You Search," "Research & Target Employers," and "Network, Interview, & Negotiate" for information and more resources.

  Don't forget to check 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 Job "15 Minute Guide to Layoff Self Defense" and "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.

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About the author...

Online job search expert Susan P. Joyce has been observing the online job search world and teaching online job search skills since 1995. Susan is a two-time layoff "graduate" who has worked in human resources at Harvard University and in a compensation consulting firm. In 1998, her company, NETability, Inc. purchased Job-Hunt.org, and Susan has been editor and publisher of Job-Hunt since then. Follow Susan on Twitter at @jobhuntorg.

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