Getting Laid Off

So you got laid off, now what?

Getting laid off is almost as much a part of life as waking up these days. So if you have not gotten laid off you either will or you are probably grossly underpaid for what you are capable of doing. In any case it is best to be prepared for a layoff at some point in your life - I have an article on how to prepare here. Coming back to the current situation - you were laid off - now what?

Non Financial impact 

We will delve into the practical aspects of the situation very shortly but lets spend a little time on the human aspects of the situation. Being laid off is traumatic - specially the first time it happens to you. You have lost a livelihood, irrespective of if you loved your job or not, the positive cash flow the income that made your life possible has been interrupted, negatively impacted, gone away. That is a rude shock to the system. We will explore the financial aspects and what to do and how to deal with this situation in great depth later on, for now know that whatever the situation there is away to recover from it. It might not be ideal, it might not be even pleasant but every situation has a way out.

Lets delve a little into the emotional aspects of being laid off. There is the rejection aspect of the situation, someone had to make a choice on who stays and who goes and they chose to - let YOU go. Yeah I know - you probably did NOT WANT to go anywhere! So that stings. Specially if you have spent a long time at a company and considered it a "home", "yours" identified with it in a big way.

Know this, companies are legal constructs created by people to allow a collective to generate profit. Its that simple, it is not a person, it is not even a building for sure it has no memory of you. When it said we take care of our people, our people are everything to us - there was no IT or WE so it did not mean anything.

A collection of people in most cases made the decision that impacted you. Someone very senior looked at a ledger and realized the income was not matching the outflow or the profits were not enough and they decided that costs had to be contained, the order flowed down stream to another manager to trim X% of costs - at this point - this is a decision that impacts your life - you are represented by a percentage - no name, just a percentage. This percentage might or might not be converted to a dollar figure but it flows down stream till it hits a line manager - someone that knows your name and has a rough idea of what you do - this person or collection of people then have to decide who they can keep and who they have to lose to hit that target set by the no name, no face 'senior manager'. This decision process can be very enlightened where the choices are made based on company need or productivity of the individuals being considered or it could just be people being people and picking the people they like or are related to. You have no visibility into this process - it is nothing that you really could impact - except if you married/had sex with/ did ridiculous favors for any or all of these people. Seriously? How much of a sellout do you really want to or need to be?

Anyway it is too late now.  A bunch of people made a bunch of decisions and justified it in a bunch of ways and it impacted you. It sucks. What are you going to do now? How will you react to this situation? How will you come out the other side? This is what matters and this is what people will remember you for.

More Non Financial Issues 

Those with low self esteem should skip this paragraph. Really there is no way around this - this decision may actually be a reflection on you and your abilities, but most likely it is not. If you have some doubts about your abilities, this is really not the time to deal with them. This is not a time to create more emotions that will get you down. When all is well again, and you are on top of the world, come back to this time and think if you were performing at the best of your abilities, if you were really capable of doing the job that you were asked to do. THIS IS NOT THE TIME. For now bury this thought and do not look back.

Lets assume you ability to do the job was not the reason for your termination. Because remember we can still fire people in this country for incompetence. There is no workers council in the United States of America. You were laid off not fired. You are currently at the end point in a chain of events. The butt of a nasty joke. How you handle this situation defines you more than anything else leading up to this situation.

Then there is the whole "What will people think?" or social standing issue. Are you someone who is defined by external things like titles, the car you drive, the nice clothes you wear? If you are - well you are that is all there is to that. Acknowledge this - be comfortable with this. If you do not like to be this way try to work on not being like this - be who you want to be apologize to no one. If you do care then yes this is a set back and you will feel bad about yourself. But remember that not everyone in the rest of the world is like this - a lot of people could care less about what your title was and probably have no idea that you have/had a fancy car - they might remember the color of your car if at all. This problem for the most part resides in your mind. I wager your true friends and family will not care two hoots if you are a Managing Director or a peon. Yes there are some people who might not treat you the same way anymore - you have to decide if these people are important to your life or not or if the way you were treated because of your job was really that important to you. If they are, just do not hang out with them till you get back in a position of admiration, or make them not so important either way this is something that you control.

How could they do this to me? Well who is they? They are a bunch of people that you work with. These are not your family (hopefully - it would be pretty sad if your family laid you off - and I really can offer no solace), and even if you thought they were your friend, really they never were. Friends are people you like and want to hang out with when you are not getting paid to do so. People at work are acquaintances, the decision on if they are friends depends on if you really like to hang out with them outside of work and if you continue to hang out with them now that you no longer work with them. These are at best potential friends. Basically someone who once thought you were the best thing since sliced bread decided they could make do without you. Doesn't sound as bad now does it?

I am sorry if you were one of those people who put their "heart and soul" into their jobs. At the end of the day a job is an exchange of your time and skill for their money. Money is something you use to get the things that you want and need. So a job is something you do to be able to do and have the things you want and need. Be clear about this exchange as you move forward. If you happen to enjoy your job - well that is a nice bonus and you are one of the lucky ones.

Figure out what the terms of your termination are 

Are you required to be on gardening leave? Gardening leave is a period of time during which you are prohibited from accepting other employment. The prohibition could be based on a contract that you signed when you started working for the company that laid you off. During this period you are still paid by this company. When does this period start? When does it end? What are the conditions/restrictions under which you have to operate during this period? What is considered a violation? What is the cost of violating this period? Do you get benefits during this period?

The penalties for violating your gardening leave could be the loss of a pension, severance package, loss of deferred compensation or even a lawsuit from your previous employer. It is very important to understand what you are allowed to and not allowed to do. In general you are allowed to seek new employment but are not allowed to accept nor begin new employment during this period.

Did you get a severance package? Are you entitled to one? Review your employment contract if you signed one - if you do not have a copy ask the company to give you one. How much money are you supposed to get? Do the math - did you get the correct amount? Call them up and ask them how the number was calculated. Under what terms? Ie: are you required to do or not do something to be able to collect on these monies? Understand clearly any behaviors or situations that would either preclude you from collecting these monies or would require you to pay back any of these monies. Do you get benefits during your severance period?

List out: Start date, End date, notes on what you are allowed to and not allowed to do during this period.

To Sue or Not to Sue 

I am not a labor lawyer, you should consult one and hire a good one if you are going to sue or you think you might have a case. If you think you have been terminated in a manner that is a violation of labor laws in the state that you live in, then it is worth exploring this option. Keep in mind that you might forfeit any severance package the company may have offered you if you opt for this path. Ageism, Sexism, Racism and all other forms of discrimination is alive and well in the world, question here is have you been victimized by it and are you willing to and is it worth your while or are you motivated enough to go through the laborious and painful litigation process.

This is not a decision that needs to be driven on a financial basis alone, however it is a decision that needs to be made in a very cool, calm way weighing the pro's and cons and the impact that this will have on your life now and in the future.

What is your financial situation? 

You need to know the following things: How much money do you need to run your household every month - keep the utilities on, pay rent/mortgage, minimum on debts. No Starbucks coffee money in this budget. You need to know how much money you have in your savings. You need to know how much money you can get your hands on - by selling things - including investments, things you own including your home if you are willing to do this or have to do this. Make this assessment very realistic.

You now know exactly how much severance money you have coming in and you know how much you have in savings. Now divide this with your basic monthly budget - how many months can you support your life? If you can go 6 to 12 months you are in very good shape. If you are in the 2 to 6 month range you are doing ok but you need to make finding a job a top priority and reduce all unnecessary expenses - and your definition of necessary needs to be very narrowly define. If you have less than 2 months of money then in addition to cutting out any and all expenses you can you also need to find some form of temporary employment while you are looking for more permanent employment - consider all jobs even ones that you would never consider in normal times.

In addition as a contingency plan it would not be a bad idea to make a list of those who you might be able to borrow money from and possibly be able to move in with. I understand the situation is not that dire but this is about preparation.

Next Steps 

Apply for unemployment benefits. You need to do this as soon as possible. Irrespective of if you qualify for unemployment benefits it is important to file. In most states your benefit begins from the day you file and not from the day you were unemployed. In addition to payments from the government you will also qualify for educational and training programs as well as be invited to participate in job fairs and other activities geared towards getting you back to work. Some of this activity will require you to go to your local unemployment office and be forewarned that this is not a fun experience - however it is a necessary one and you can and will do this.

Figure out what you will do for health care. If you have a severance package or are covered by your previous employers plan figure out how long this coverage is for. If you are not then find out if you are eligible to receive COBRA (Consolidated Omnibus Budget Reconciliation Act). Please keep in mind that COBRA coverage will cost you extra you need to figure out how much and add that to your budget worked out in the previous section.

The job hunting process is detailed in my article on that topic and is linked here.

Final Word 

Please share your own experiences. As you go through this process, and remember you will get through it, It is important to know that and believe it, try to help other folks that are in a similar situation. When you get where you are going continue to help people, in the final analysis that is the only work that is worth doing.

"Life's most persistent and urgent question is, 'What are you doing for others?' - Martin Luther King

How to prepare for a layoff

The probability of you being laid off from a job sometime in your life is pretty high, most likely this will happen to you a couple of times in your working life. This is not a terrible thing - the ability of American corporations to reduce workforce rapidly is also the same reason that allows these companies to increase the workforce rapidly. In countries where labor unions do not allow reductions in workforce keep many people at home unemployed for much longer because companies are reluctant to hire in good times. In any case this is not a discussion on social values; this is a how -to article on what you need to do to prepare for a lay off.

This article will give you a run down of what might happen and help you think of the things you need to plan for now so you can better handle this situation. Some of the preparations will set you up to better deal with most other financial 'surprises' that life might throw at you.

How Ready are you?

Your ability to survive or even thrive during a layoff or any period of such uncertainty depends on how prepared you are both mentally and financially to deal with the situation. I am not a Psychologist and this is not medical or mental health advice in any way or form. But let's spend a little bit of time on how you can prepare yourself mentally.

First do not for a minute buy into the concept that corporations care. Corporations are unable to care for the simple reason that a corporation is not a person, and corporations do not have much if any memory. A corporation is a legal entity created by a collective enabling the generation of profit. (in the case of a non-profit the profits are just spent on the cause and on the compensation and perks for the employees). You are exchanging your skill and time for the corporation's money. Make sure that exchange is the best one you can get. This is not a heart and soul matter this is a brains and brawn exchanged for cash and comfort matter.

If you think (or thought) you do not need to worry because the company that you work for will never do layoff's well you may be right but you are much more likely to be wrong.

The Why me? Factor

Second a layoff is mostly not personal - what I mean is yes in a layoff someone decides someone else has to go - so it is pretty darn personal. But they had a gun to their head to make that decision. The only people who can truly decide not to lay people off are the owners of a corporation - the share holders - and share holders like you and I buy shares in the hopes of building wealth not to provide social welfare to others. Even then if the shareholders were asked and did vote to not lay people off - if the company's revenues cannot pay for the employees it wishes to retain the company would go bankrupt after a short while and then everyone would be out of a job and the shareholders would lose their capital investments. A bad situation all around. So Layoff's are necessary and someone WILL HAVE (gun to head) to pick someone and it might be you.

Do what you can to make it not you - I will soon have an article on how you might sell you soul to keep your job but until then - everything is a value proposition, is the company getting as much value as they are parting with in the way of compensation and management cycles on you?

You might feel you were singled out because of who you are, because of your age, ethnicity, sexual preference, religion etc. layoff's are convenient times for companies to get rid of troublesome employees, or people that are hard to fire because they fall into a protected class, a layoff provides some easy legal cover for companies to get rid of these people. If you feel you have been terminated unfairly you should be ready to sue - so pick out a good employment lawyer now.

You will not have all the facts on why you were chosen over someone else. So be prepared to take the information and move on. It is pointless to look back and think about - why me? Was there anything I could have done differently etc? Be mentally prepared to move forward.

Get Tough and Get Connected

Third - If you have a low self worth getting laid off will not help the situation, even those of us with a strong self worth will feel a bit down in the mouth after being laid off. So be ready to surround yourself with people that make you feel better about you - friends, family etc. This is not the time to hang out with people that bring you down, not the time to start reading up on Nihilism. If you do not have people in your life that make you feel positive - please get out there and build some such relationships now!

One way out

There is a sure fire way to avoid a layoff - find another job and quit. Seriously the only reason to sit and wait to get laid off is if you think you have a large severance package coming your way - remember severance is NEVER a guarantee unless it is in your employment contract. You must weigh the mental anguish of waiting vs the possible financial gain. Also remember to consider the overall financial climate and if conditions are deteriorating would you still be able to find another job if you were to get laid off three to six months later.

Another thing to do now is - what ever training is offered by your current employer, take it - max it out - do it on your own time if you have to. Online, class room what ever is available. These are all line items in your resume for the future.

On the Day Of

When it happens

On the day of the layoff most likely you will be called into your manager's office, he will recite a standard speech that Human Resources has carefully crafted for him, at this point there really is no going back - you are being laid off today. You do not need to sign any documents on this day, if asked to do so, say you need time to read and understand all documents and will do so tomorrow. You are generally given at the very least one week.

There is no point in getting upset or getting angry and burning bridges, this will be a traumatic experience specially if it is your first time, try your best to control your emotions - remember that this is just one aspect of your life and not your whole life. You need to leave this meeting with two pieces of information 1. How do you get a letter of recommendation? 2. Who do you call with regards benefits and your dignity intact. Any other question you ask will be answered by a scripted answer and any unprofessional behavior by you will be remembered. At this time you will not be given any useful information.

On the Day of 

Once you get home

After you have gotten home and had some time to gather yourself, you need to read the documents that the corporation provided, read everything and understand it, if you do not understand it, call a friend, call the number generally provided with the document etc. repeat till you understand everything. If you feel you have some leverage (read you have something they want - like a non compete agreement etc) to negotiate more of a severance package, before you engage legal resources see if this can be done amicably. Corporations have certain protocols that they engage as soon as legal representation is engaged - which would make this process much harder. Also most severance packages are provided when you agree to not sue the company so you may lose what is already being offered to you.

The Next Day

Things to find out

Make sure to inquire if you will be paid for any unused vacation and how many days you will be paid for on-top of any severance you are getting. Now is a good time to make sure the number of days unused is correctly listed for you.

Some companies pay out a pro-rated bonus, some are required to based on your employment contract, if you do not have a copy of your employment contract this an excellent time to ask HR for a copy and to read and understand what you signed up for when you joined the corporation. If you are eligible for a prorated bonus - make sure you know how much bonus money you were paid the last 3 to 5 years - because this data might be used to calculate how much bonus money you would be paid.

If you are getting tuition reimbursement from the company this is a good time to inquire if the company will pay for the current semester or even till the completion of the program. It never hurts to ask. Again it also never hurts to prepare for the worst so you may want to work up a plan on how you might finish your education if you are laid off.

In the USA your health benefits and insurance benefits are generally tied into your employment. This leaves a lot of people exposed when they become unemployed. If your spouse works you may be eligible to be covered under his/her plan, this would be a good time to check on that and ascertain what additional costs would be incurred because of this change. COBRA is provided but this coverage will cost you more than what your health care used to cost prior to being unemployed because the company used to pay some part of this expense. So please remember this additional expense when you start to plan your finances.

You probably have your life insurance policy through the company you work for as well, the company may provide a portable policy that you would be able to take with you but please remember that this too will cost more. It is probably better to look online for a competitively priced term-life policy that you get yourself. The fitter you are the better your chances of getting the same coverage for less money - so if you are out of shape this is a good time to start working out! Having a regular exercise schedule will be invaluable in dealing with the stressful days ahead.
Accidental Death and Disability insurance is a very important insurance that you also generally have through your employer, and this insurance will actually benefit you (vs life insurance where you have to die to collect), so please do not lose sight of this very important coverage, again if your policy is not portable then a quick search on the internet will reveal some companies what would provide this coverage for you and what that coverage will cost you.

The good news is you do not need to worry about vacation benefits - ;) you do have some free time ahead.

Practical Things 

Finances

The financial aspect of being laid off boils down to one simple thing - how long can you sustain your life and lifestyle with no income. For the purposes of this article let us assume that you will not receive any severance pay if you get laid off, this way if you do receive some, it is a nice surprise and you will have that much less to worry about. Unless there is a clause in your employment contract that says you will be eligible for severance any severance you get is at the discretion of the corporation. Corporations provide severance to reduce legal liabilities and to make the people who are left behind after a lay off feel kindly towards the corporation - not because it 'cares' about you - this is a business transaction.

Two things are important to know - how much money do you have that you can use for this purpose, and how much spend will you need to sustain? The money that you have saved up for a rainy day needs to be able to sustain you for at the very minimum six months to a year - there are various things that impact how long it will take you to find a job - most people will be able to find some employment to sustain them within a year in most situations. If you feel you need more - go for it.

Money 

A practical approach

So how much money do you need a month? Good question let's fire up excel or pull out a notepad and start to make a list, start with the most important expenses you need to maintain the roof over your head and keep the lights (and heat) on. Then add on all other expenses that absolutely must be paid. Everything that you feel you can not live without goes on the top of the list, but this is a prioritized list, meaning there is one thing with a priority of 1 and another with a priority of 2 never more than one item in the same priority - make the tough decision on if you will continue your accordion lessons or buy bread that month - now - when you are not feeling sorry for yourself. When the time comes you have to decide where you draw the line on this list, everything below X priority number goes - ie: you will not pay for anything below this line item - so for example if your list is:

1. Healthcare
2. Rent
3. Utilities
4. Groceries
5. Accordion Lessons
6. Expensive coffee

If you decide that everything below item 3 gets cut then no more Accordion Lessons and no more Starbucks coffee.

One must be careful and responsible in how one develops this list, for example deciding not to pay a credit card is a valid decision but think about the ramifications of this decision to your credit score and by extension to your ability to (not to gloss over the social and legal obligation to pay what you owe) borrow in the future.
Sometimes it is easier to develop this list by tracking your spend for a month or two and then analyzing this list to see where your money actually goes (which is enlightening in itself), but be careful about including quarterly bills that come up like property taxes etc if you are only looking at a couple of months.

How prepared are you? 

Where do you stand?

Once you have the list and you have drawn that line through it, add up the amounts above the line that is your monthly must have spend - take this amount and divide the savings you have with this number to get the amount of months you can last without income. If the number you get is a fraction, round down.

If you are in the 0 to 3 month range - well the good news is that you are in the majority and at the very least you are reading this article and are aware of the situation. Your action plan needs to focus on building up your cash reserves. Cut spend now and save like mad.

If you are in the 3 to 6 month range - well you are doing pretty good - but it is best to focus on saving so that you can get to the 6 month mark.

If you are in the 6 to 12 month range - well you are in a good place - you will probably weather most layoff's but do not lose sight of the goal now keep at it the more you have socked away the more you will be able to stay relaxed and enjoy life.

If you have more than 12 months saved up - wow! Maybe it's time to enjoy life a bit more - maybe invest some of this money into more long term investments etc - but this is a personal decision and the fact that you have more than 12 months is a very good place to be as far as being prepared for getting laid off.

What if you are not? 

If you do not feel you have sufficient savings remember that you can sell other investments, get funds from friends and family (if you have not been nice to them before this is the time to start to be nice to them), by cashing in a 401k (this is generally a bad idea but the uncle Sam does allow withdrawals for financial hardship - with a stiff 10% penalty. But it is best to be prepared and not have to resort to any of these last resort sources of funds.

Some Tips from others 

There are some other little steps people employ that might be useful for you that I have listed below.

Apply for and get a Home Equity line of Credit - do not use it but have it ready - these credit lines are generally approved 5 years at a time and will be available to you in an emergency.

When you buy groceries buy a little extra of things that will keep well for over 6 months - canned foods and other staples that will be always useful to keep in your pantry or basement. Buy them on sale and this way even if you are not laid off you will have saved on things that you would buy anyway.

Do necessary (meaning if you do not do this now you will need to do this in the next six months and it will probably be worse then) maintenance on your house and vehicles now.

If you think you will get laid off soon and a general down turn is in the offing then selling some equity investments now might be prudent.

In The End

You must know that you will prevail. There are much worse things in life than being laid off. You will adjust, you will find a new way. Chances are high that you will find a better life. Own your life and move forward.

Finding a Job Now! - Part 2

If you have not read part one of this article it is best to read that here first. 

This article is to add on some additional information to the first article. When the going gets tough its time to enhance your plan!

Networking - Level 2 

The next level of networking requires a much more focused almost aggressive approach. You have to set yourself a goal of making a number of new contacts every week - whether that number is 2 or 5 or 10 or 20 is a function of what you think you are capable of. My recommendation is that you pick a number in the 2 to 20 range that you think you are comfortable with and add 2 to it. So if you think you can make 7 new contacts every week (that's just one new contact a day) then your goal is 7+2 which is 9 new contacts a week. When you are doing this comfortably increase again. The idea here is to be aware of the fact that you need to expand your network and that you are always looking for new opportunities. Some examples of great opportunities for meeting new people, Church/Temple groups, Hobby groups, Social Service clubs (Lions club, Rotary club etc), neighborhood watch, PTA.

It is important at this stage in your search to cast a wider net, to be aware of and be exposed to a broader set of opportunities. The more people you know and the more varied (background, profession, neighborhood, ethnicity, religion etc.) your network is the better your opportunity to connect with the people out there that are looking for you!

Linked In - Level 2 

In the first article we went over how important social networking sites are and how you should have a presence on LinkedIn.com and on Facebook.com. At this point you should have connected with everyone you ever knew that is online on these sites (well not the strange kid that stalked you in high school).

Now it is time to look carefully through the connections (or friends) that the people you know have and to see who you might like to get to know. Now this article is about finding a job, so let's keep the focus on that and the people you would like to get to know should be people that will help you land your next opportunity. Keep the goals of networking in mind when you do this - do not just want to connect with every CEO, Managing Director you see in your friends connection list, it is better to make a connection with someone at your career level or someone you think you have something in common with than to just focus on very senior people. Very senior people are very busy and have many people fighting for their time/attention. Start with asking for introductions to the top 3 most interesting people you see in each of your connections, connection list.

To spell it out: if you know someone named John Doe and they have 100 connections on Linked in, go through the 100 names, pick 3 people that you think might be interesting to get to know in a job finding context and ask John Doe for an introduction. It would also be a great opportunity to re-connect with John Doe and remind him that you are still in the market and looking for an opportunity (remember we spoke 3 months ago John?) and seek his/her feedback on who they think might be good people for you to get to know in their list of connections. If you do 3 people from everyone you know and you know 100 people that's 300 NEW people you would get to know!

 

Time to get MORE creative 

Do not be constrained by the past, feel free to explore opportunities that are very different from what you used to do, from what you think of yourself as.

You might think of yourself as an office manager for example, but why do you make that narrow definition? Yes that is what you used to do, maybe you used to do that for a very long time, and maybe you even enjoyed doing it. But what is to stop you from being a data entry person or an insurance sales person or a realtor? Yes in the real world there are some barriers to entry - for example if you were an office manager chances are slim that you will be working as a Neurosurgeon at your local hospital any time soon, however in reality these barriers only apply to a small subset of jobs and each job has many other similar jobs that are well within reach for many individuals.

Did you always work in a particular industry? Pharmaceutical or Banking or Manufacturing? There is nothing that holds you in these industries. Yes having a product knowledge and a cultural awareness give you an edge but if buggy whips are going out of style it is pointless being the most excellent buggy whip maker - time to create a functional resume (and if you do not know what that is look it up) and go hunting in other industries for your next opportunity.

This is also a time to look at things that you do for fun that people seem to think you are good at, maybe there is income potential in those limericks you spout at family gatherings or in your ability to take beautiful photos. It might be worthwhile starting out even as a part time venture to attempt to monetize these skills. Try a google search or two to find other people that do this, read online forums on the topic and you will learn a lot - and there is something to what they say, when you do what you love it does not seem like work.

Why look for one job? When you can look for 2 or more? Maybe the future is not one person one job. Maybe your future is not one job. There might be a need for your skill set in smaller companies, maybe these companies cannot afford to hire you full time. Offer to work 2 days a week for them. Find a couple of such situations and you have just established multiple sources of income - diversified income is better than a single source of income.

Most important 

When you feel the weakest and the most tired is when you are closest to the peak. You may not see the summit of the mountain you are climbing; it would be a shame to turn back when the results are within your grasp. Giving up is not an option. It is at times like these that people differentiate themselves from the pack. Persistence and the discipline to forge ahead is the key.

You will succeed.

Find a Job Now

Learn how to find your next job

Unless you are independently wealthy (and if you were you'd probably have hired someone to read this for you), everyone needs a job at some point. This page is all about how to find a job. It’s a step by step approach that requires hard work but will deliver results for you.

These methods are tried and tested and will work irrespective of if you are looking for a better job, a next job or just a job. It really does not matter what industry you work in and what your level of skill or pay is.

You do have to put some work into the process, and you must persist, the alternative is to do nothing and be unhappy, its really a choice you have to make.

An overview 

You need a job? I am happy to teach you a couple of techniques for getting your next job.

We will cover two primary approaches to finding your new job, and we will touch on how to stay focused and what not to do.

The Qualitative approach - this is what is most likely to find you your next job.
The Quantitative approach - this is a way to increase your chances - expose you to more opportunity.

Staying Focused
What not to Do

What do you need to get started?  

You will need:

1. A computer with Internet access
2. A couple of email accounts
3. Phone - regular or cellular
4. Pen - anything you can write with
5. A pad to write on

Intangible:
1. Time - this will take time - the more you put into it the better the results
2. Skills (anything you can do that someone is willing to pay for) - the more you have the easier the process.

This last one is the great equalizer!
A willingness to work to get what you want!
( it helps if you know what you want - but that's a whole other lens)

Introduction 

Start your Job hunt TODAY - do not wait for tomorrow, or the next week or the next month. Once you have a job offer you can always figure out a way to take off some time to relax / find your self / do the laundry or clean house or what ever amazing thing you feel you have to do first.

It is very important that you keep a log of what you do every day:

Who did you speak with? what did you speak about? what are the follow up items?- for example call back in a month to check on a possible opening. Did the person mention a vacation they were looking forward too? if you remember this you can ask them about it next time you call them.

What jobs did you apply to? You will have many balls in the air many jobs you apply for with the same company with different companies, when you get a call back you should not be confused about which job you think the call back is about.

Writing things down shows you if you have slacked off and have not done enough on a particular day. Writing things down shows you how much work you have done it is encouraging.

You need a resume - if you do not have one make one now. If you can not make your own pay someone else to make one for you.

The most valuable space on your resume is the top half of the first page, this is all most employers read when scanning through a pile of resumes, if you do not have their attention with this you do not have the opportunity to get to the next step.

Your resume should at the max be 2 pages long, each page should have your name and contact information somewhere on that page. For all other information please see a good guide on how to create a resume.

Do not rule out any opportunity until you have an offer on the table. For example if someone wants to fly you to the coldest most isolated spot in Greenland for an interview - try your best to go, do not dismiss the opportunity even if you would never ever want to work in a cold place, you do not have all the information yet. When they offer you the job then you weight the opportunity, what do you get vs what do you not get vs what do you give up and make a decision.

The Qualitative Approach 

The Quality approach - This approach requires more time and effort than the Quantitative approach but has a much higher probability of success. This approach is fundamentally based on reaching people one on one or as close to one on one as you can get. Its all about networking.

Guidelines for Networking
1. EVERYONE is valuable - do not dismiss anyone you meet and get to know - this does not mean you have to be friends with EVERYONE just be acquainted, be interested and stay in touch

2. Knowing people alone does nothing for you, people have to think of you in a positive light, they have to like you, they have to remember you - make your self useful to them, do a favor, help them, send them some useful information, show your value to them

3. The more people you know, that like you, the more opportunities you will be exposed to.

Tools for Networking:
1. Listen - Learn to listen to people, to what they are saying, what is on their mind, what is important to them. Understand what help they need.

2. Phone - you know reach out and touch someone - keep in touch with people, ask them how they are doing - and not only when you want something from them. A network has to be cared for and nurtured and kept up with.

3. Social Networking sites online - use them
For Example:
http://www.LINKEDIN.com - Excellent Professional Networking site - showoff your business persona
http://www.Facebook.com - Show people you are more than just about work - but do not show too much

You know a lot of people - much more than you THINK you know. Remember that kid in Junior High that you used to hang with - look him up! The parents of kids in your kids swimming class? The guy that always sits next to you in the train? Everyone you ever met that you met more than three times is a friend waiting to happen.

Most people find jobs through other people.

The Quantitative Approach 

The Quantity approach - it is a mistake to neglect Approach I, this approach is meant as a supplement to the Qualitative approach. This approach is about increasing ones chances, think of this as the lotto approach.

Pick 100 to 200 companies that you think you would like to work for or you think are hiring (use some criteria to pick the companies anything that helps you to get a pool of companies you wan to apply to).

Go to their websites (almost every company has a website and if they do not then call them or fax them), post your resume on their website, most of these websites allow you to create a profile, some let you set up job searches that automatically email you when something that fits you comes up. Apply for jobs that you might be interested in. Remember you can be picky once you have an offer at this stage apply to things that are interesting to you.

Go on your social networking sites, or your contact list and see if you know someone in this company, if yes then call them up and talk to them about the fact that you applied for a job at this company. If you do not know someone at the company see if someone you know, knows someone at this company - LinkedIN.com is great for this - see if you can get an introduction to this person you do not know - network with them see approach number one.

Do as many of these applications a day as you can.

Approach 2b

Create a copy of your resume without personal information, ie: replace name with initials, company names with generic terms like fortune 100 company etc. Create a secondary email address. Put this as the only contact on this version of the resume. Think of this resume as being stuck on a notice board or as a large billboard - so be careful what information you post here.

Post this resume on sites like www.Careerbuilder.com www.Monster.com and other job boards. The reason that you do not want to put your name here is because you are broadcasting and you do not know who will receive so you want to be careful. At the same time you want to be able to learn about legitimate opportunities.

Everyday check your secondary email box and you decide which opportunities you wish to respond to and then respond with your full resume.

One final word 

In the final analysis what will determine your ability to find a job is you. Yes it is easier to find work when the economy is doing well and more difficult to find work when the economy is not doing well. However in every economy there are people that find and keep jobs. You can be one of those people.

Whatever you do - do not stop. Do not pause. Persist. When you are tired, persist. When you feel like you are not getting anywhere persist. Persistence will pay off.

Winston Churchill said - "When you are going through hell - keep going!" the alternative, to spell it out is to stay in hell.

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Hello World

Hi Welcome to my Blog.

I am new to this, I am sure I am going to make a lot of mistakes and I am going to learn a lot doing this.

Who Am I? 

I am a middle aged suburban family man. I drink. I know stuff.

Why am I blogging?


I have a lot of things I have learned along the way that I feel might be useful to others. I feel the need to contribute and to try to be of some help to as many people as I can.

What's the Point?

I am not sure really. I am not sure what the point of it all is. I think maybe that's the mission we are all on. To figure out some relevance, some point to what we are and who we are and what we can do. I think of this as part of the journey in figuring out what the point is.

If you enjoy the content share it with your friends and come back for more.

Thank you,
John