A young woman called the other day and asked how to handle being suddenly ”laid off.”  I asked a few questions about the size of the company, how many other people were laid off, etc.  As it turns out, she was the only one let go.  Listen up, girlfriends.  When only one person is laid off it’s not a lay-off — it’s a termination.  Weak, incompetent bosses who don’t have the guts to do their jobs by giving feedback to employees for how they can improve performance often use the euphemism laid off when they really mean fired.  If you find yourself in this situation, here’s what you do:

1.  Ask yourself how you missed the clues leading up to this.  Were you given subtle feedback that you ignored?  Did you not take your boss seriously when he or she told you to do a few things differently?  Did you not take time to build relationships with people who might have been honest with you about your performance?  Being fired should never come as a surprise if you are vigilant about the verbal and nonverbal messages being conveyed all the time in the workplace.
2. Ask the boss or HR for feedback.  Without being argumentative or defensive, simply ask for feedback that would help you to avoid being in this situation in the future.  Cowardly bosses won’t be honest but with any luck you might get some good insights to work on at the next job.
3. Negotiate.  It’s easier to find a job when you have a job, so see if you can negotiate to keep your office for a finite period of time or be given a workspace from which to conduct your job search.  Ask the company  to keep you on the payroll until you’ve used up vacation time, PTO, or sick time. This way you can legitimately say you are currently employed.  Similarly, negotiate a severence package that includes extended health insurance and other benefits.  If needed, hire a good labor lawyer to help you with this. 
4. Remember that job search is a numbers game.  There’s something called the “Rule of 21″ in job search.  For every 21 contacts you make you’ll get one positive response (not necessarily an offer but perhaps an interview or request for more information).  This means you need to cast your net wide and call in any favors that might be due to you.
5. Don’t look for a good job, look for a good fit.  Many times people are let go because they don’t quite fit in.  It could have nothing to do with your capability and everything to do with the fact that you don’t go out for drinks after work with the rest of the crowd.  Interview the interviewers by asking questions that give you a feel for how good a match you are for the company and vice versa. 

TAGS: Job Search, job transitions, lay-offs, managing your career, termination

US News and World Report recently interviewed me for an article titled “4 Ways to Boost Your Career During a Recession.”   In case you don’t subscribe, let me summarize the points author Liz Wolgemuth cited as opportunities for those impacted by a lay-off:

 1.  Re-create your brand.  With a smaller workforce you’ll be expected to do more (or at least as much) with less.  Rather than view it as just more work, look for the lemonade in those lemons and seize the opportunity to learn as much as you can that will expand your current skill set. 

2.  Lay claim to assignments, accounts, and projects that will help advance your career.  Many times it’s the higher paid employees who are let go.  Don’t wait to be asked, make known your desire to do these jobs.  This requires getting over your survivor guilt — fast.

3.  Volunteer to pick up the slack.  Although you won’t be able to immediately ask for a promotion or raise as a result of the additional work, in time you will be able to make a case for them if you pick up the slack and show you’ve been a team player. 

4.  Be flexible in your job search.  If you’re one of those who are let go, be open-minded about possibilities that will bring in money.  It might be the perfect time to change careers and an interim job could provide you with the skills needed to do it.  One summer I worked for the oil company ARCO writing job descriptions while I was on a break from my job as a university dorm director.  It changed the entire course of my career and life. 

TAGS: lay-offs, recession, surviving downsizing, survivor guilt