While the overall unemployment figures are trending down, layoffs are still a very real possibility. Here are steps to take if you’ve been laid off. Yes, it's time to create a new possibility!

1. Now What?

2. And I know how it feels

3. T a deep breath
ake

5. It’s not the end of the

6. Create a New World of
Possibilities

7. Here
are
the
Career
Steps
to
take
After
a
Layoff

8. One
Remain
Professional
to Others

9. Layoff is
not an
excuse to
finally give
everyone
a piece of
your mind.

10. Don’t film a dramatic exit to
post on Y ube.
ouT

11. This is a tough time
for everybody ,
even people who
didn’t lose their
jobs.

12. Don’t contribute any
additional negativity.

13. Two
Stay positive
to yourself

14. This also
isn’t time
for
negative
self-talk

15. Maybe you
regret not
starting a
job search
sooner or
not saving
more money.

16. Dwelling on what
might have been
is not going to
help you and will
in fact fuel
additional anxiety
and frustration.

17. Instead

18. Think of
obstacles you
have
overcome in
the past to
focus on
things that
will give you
confidence.

19. Three
Negotiate your
package and end
date

20. Severance
Packages
are often
negotiable

21. Pay attention to your end date,
because this determines
how long you have insurance,
how much of your retirement account vests,
or how much paid time off you accrue.

22. Pay attention to your end date,
because this determines
how long you have insurance,
how much of your retirement account vests,
or how much paid time off you accrue.
Don’t feel like you have to
sign anything right away

23. Make sure you
understand
your package
and don’t be
afraid to ask
Questions

24. Consider lateral transfers,
both permanent &
Four
temporary

25. Y department might be laying off staff,
our
but other areas might be growing.

26. Don’t forget to
consider subsidiaries or
joint ventures of your
employer .

27. Ask about
consulting
opportunities

28. Sometimes a department doesn’t have
permanent headcount but they have a
consulting budget and
they could benefit from having someone who
already knows the internal ropes.

29. Five
Prepare your story to
explain what happened

30. When there is a large layoff that makes the
headlines, it’s easy to summarize your story.

31. But for lesser-known restructurings, you will
have to explain to your network and
prospective employers what happened.

32. A concise story will do

33. A concise story will do
my department was restructured

34. A concise story will do
my department was restructured
my role was split between two
more junior hires

35. A concise story will do
my department was restructured
my role was split between two
more junior hires
my area moved to headquarters

36. A concise story will do
my department was restructured
my role was split between two
more junior hires
my area moved to headquarters
Make sure your story matches what your
manager or any references will say about
your departure.

37. Six
Collect contact info for
when you leave

38. Don’t forget to get
people’s permanent
contact information.

39. They may get laid off after you
so don’t assume their current
company information will last.

40. You will not have access to your office equipment,
including an employer-provided cell phone, so make sure
you have contact information in your personal files.

41. Seven Leave on a positive
note with your
manager colleagues
,
and HR.

42. When you do finally exit, don’t forget to thank everyone.

43. Even for people who didn’t lose their jobs, they may feel
guilty, anxious that they could be next, or overwhelmed
by the plight of their departing colleagues.

44. Your
graceful exit
will reassure
them that
you have
the
confidence
to persist
and may
turn a
neutral
colleague
into an
advocate.

45. Eight T time to assess and
ake
reflect.

46. This is a big change so don’t feel like you have to go
from your job to your job search right away.

48. Nine Run the numbers on
your cash situation.

49. That said, don’t
underestimate the time
it will take to search.

50. You are coming into the job
market along with
thousands of others.

51. You might not have looked for a job in years.

52. Now that you know your severance package,
calculate how much time you have for your search.

54. Ten Launch a proactive,
thoughtful job search.

55. Don’t just blindly send resumes in a
frantic attempt to find something.

56. Yes, you want to find a job, but you also want to find
the right job.

57. What is the right job
right now?

58. It might be a temporary one for
cash flow.

59. It might be a
lateral move
to learn some
new skills.

60. It might be moving to
a different industry
that has always
interested you.

61. The silver lining of a layoff is that you
have this opportunity to find a new job.

62. Would you take your
old job all over again?

63. If so, then you know to look for the same industry,
functional area and type of company.

64. But if not, then explore what would be a
better choice this time and execute your
job search to find this better job.