Successfully dealing with job loss

In spite of a strong economy, downsizing and restructuring continues and are still common practices. Pressures to continually improve earnings is one cause; another is the productivity improvements resulting from heavy investments in technology. Ironically, we might be hurt personally by the technologies we have championed as professionals.

Whatever the cause, each year thousands of people at all ranks lose their jobs and are not prepared for either the initial shock or what they must do to recover. Let me offer some tips from my personal experience and the experience of many I've worked with in my recruiting practice.

• Expect that it will happen to you and prepare for it. Job loss is not an isolated incident; it happens all the time. Have a plan for how you will live through three to six months of unemployment.
• Don't be embarrassed, and don't keep it a secret. There no longer is a negative stigma associated with job loss. Learn to talk about it openly.
• If you are offered outplacement services, take advantage of them. You can use all the help you can get.
• Update your resume immediately, and be sure it indicates that you are no longer at your most recent employer. Don't wait for that subject to come up in an interview.
• Make finding your next position your full-time job. If you have project management skills, use them to help you manage this personal, yet important project.
• Get educated on the job-hunting process. Read books and talk to others who have lived through it.
• Work hard at it. You should be able to fill an eight-hour day with job-hunting activity. If you can't, you don't have enough going on.
• Network, network, network. Contact everyone you know and lots of people you don't know. Ask for help, advice and suggestions. Don't ask for a job; that will follow.

Believe it or not, there could be good news in all of this. This is probably the best time in memory to lose a job. The economy is strong, and technology jobs are plentiful. The elapsed time to find a new job has dropped during the past three years. Company profits are good, and, consequently, severance payouts are higher than they've been during the past five years. The vast majority of people I deal with are successful in finding new employment, and most of them feel that the end result is an improvement over their previous job. So, if or when your turn comes, treat it as a challenge and an opportunity. Be aggressive and optomistic. Make this major career event a positive experience.

Frank Schoff specializes in recruiting networking and telecommunications professionals at both the technical and managerial levels. If you are interested in discussing career opportunities, or if you need assistance with your recruiting efforts, or if you simply want to debate the merits of Frank's career tips, he would like to talk to you. He can be reached at (800) 892-4118.

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