Surviving being Laid off
Sometimes you can see it coming and sometimes it's like a bolt of lightning out of the blue. Your boss tells you that your position is being eliminated due to cut backs in the company and your out of job. You can try to make sense of why you were singled out for layoff or why your department was cut, but the truth is that sometimes there seems to be no logical reason. The failure was the company's, not yours.
Often you have to continue working for a few weeks or months after you've been notified of your impending layoff. You need to keep your feelings under control while at work and maintain a professional attitude. Your boss can be an important reference in the future. You need to keep a neutral attitude around co-workers as well. They may be experiencing feelings of loss and guilt over losing their co-workers. Don’t burn bridges. You don’t know if you might work with them again in the future.
With your friends and family you can vent your feelings of anger and resentment. Being laid off can be a serious blow to your self-esteem and you might also be grieving for the loss of your job. It's OK to cry, rage, and be depressed for a while. You might try journaling about it or getting together with other people who were laid off from your company to talk about your feelings. Work through the feelings and then move on.
File for unemployment immediately! It can take several weeks to receive your first payment so don’t delay in filing. In many states you can file online, but it's good to know where the unemployment office is. Educate yourself on your state’s unemployment system. Make sure you know how many jobs you need to apply for weekly and how to report it. Making a simple mistake can delay payments by weeks.
Look at your monthly expenses and find areas that can be cut. Talk to the cable and the cell phone company about getting cheaper packages. Go through your old things and have a garage sale to make extra money. Look for ways to cut back on the grocery bill. Clip coupons like mad, buy generic brands, and check out your local food bank.
Prioritize your bills. Start making only the minimum payments to all creditors. You might want to contact creditors to see if they can work out a lower payment plan. You can try trading in your newer car for an older, less expensive one. Check out charities that might be able to help you pay bills, or provide you with essentials.
Update your resume and start looking for a job. This economy is hard on all job seekers so don’t delay. Talk to your family and friends, they might be able to give you leads on jobs. Consider taking a lower paying job or a temp job. Don't get discouraged if you don't find a job right away.
Finally, take some time to enjoy your freedom from work. Spend a day in your pajamas and watch a marathon of Indiana Jones movies. Take your kids to the park. Putter around in your garden. You will eventually find another job, but you don’t want to regret wasting all this free time feeling stressed out and plastered to job search engines.
