Get Proactive: Steps to Take After a Layoff or a Firing

Updated August, 2004. originally posted January, 2001

Everyone reacts to bad news like a job loss by floundering around in response to what has happened. But the people who survive a job loss in good shape are those who get over the floundering stage quickly and take assertive, proactive steps to help themselves.

It's important to remember that even when you get an unwelcome pink slip you still have choices and it is more important than ever to exercise them.

It's all about people

There's no avoiding what for many people is an uncomfortable truth: many if not most individuals get jobs through contacts made with other people. Yes, you can find a job using online methods. But it would be foolish to think that online searching is the only thing you should be doing to find work. Your chances of landing a job which is also a good fit are greatly increased by doing some in-person legwork.

A highly introverted friend of mine whose company closed shop found an incredibly good job by approaching the people she regularly chatted with on the commuter train she rode every morning. She gave all of her commuting buddies a copy of her resume and told them she was being laid off. She later told me she had to "suck it up" to get this accomplished -- she knew she had to get those resumes in peoples' hands despite how hard it was for her.

Five months after her layoff, a company HR director called her up out of the blue and asked her to come in to interview for a job that she viewed as a great fit. During the interview, my friend discovered that the job recommendation came from one of the people she had given her resume to on the train. My friend landed the job, is extremely happy with it, and is happy that she went past her comfort zone to get her resume out.

Even if you don't ride a train every morning, you can find ways of talking to people you know about your job situation. Tell people you are looking, and have your resume ready to hand out to people you trust. If you are seriously deficient in the networking department, head to a library or bookstore and read up on networking how-to. Even if you can only sustain a limited burst of schmoozing and extroversion, that's ok. Just get it done.

Get Your Resume in Shape

Your resume still counts, no matter who you know or how much you network. Talk to any recruiter, and they will confess that while a personal contact can get you in the door, the resume closes the deal and encourages someone to call you up for an interview.

You can help yourself by making sure that your resume is about one to two pages in length, and formatted in a way that allows you to send it via email. The old advice about perfect spelling and grammar still holds true. At this point, for contact information I advise people to list a Post Office box address instead of a home address, and a temporary email account that can be closed after a job search is over. If you have more than 10 years' experience, focus on your most recent 10 years.

After your resume is in good shape, send it out. But do it carefully. Emailing your resume in response to job ads or to people you know is a good way to go. Another good way to go is to apply directly to the Web sites of companies or organizations where you want to work. I no longer advise jobseekers to post a resume online at third party job sites anymore due to privacy issues.

But if you don't mind the privacy problems and you still want to post your resume, don't post your resume on too many job sites, or you will look desperate. Most recruiters are on the job search sites frequently and are sensitive to people who are mass-posting resumes. Pick just a few sites and stick with them. And post your resume privately. Most sites offer this option -- take advantage of it.

There are now known incidences of resumes being stolen from resume databases, and of less than desirable people gaining access to resume databases. Posting your resume privately may help curb some of those problems.

If you are emailing your resume, remember to paste it right into the body of your email. If someone wants an attachment, they'll let you know, but otherwise, most attached resumes are not seen.

Don't Ignore Company Web sites

Please don't post your resume online at a big job site and then just wait for job offers to come rolling in. While this may happen, the odds are usually much better if you are proactive. This means targeting companies or organizations you really want to work for, and applying directly to that organization or company.

I recently spoke with a lead recruiter from 3Com, and she told me that she gives strong consideration to resumes that come directly to the 3Com Web site. For her, the direct application tells her that a job seeker is genuinely interested in 3Com, and is not just out for any job. Her view is not an unusual one.

One caveat -- applying at corporate Web sites will try your patience. Expect this, and understand that long forms go with the territory. My experience at the corporate sites varies from great to dismal. But on the average, when you have a form to fill out, it tends to take about 20 to 30 minutes to get your resume into a corporate database.

Follow up on Leads

Follow up with email, and with phone calls if necessary after you have found a job lead or have done an interview. Don't give up on a job until you are told that it has been filled. I can't tell you the number of times employers have told me that they hired someone because of good follow up.

Of course, you don't want to be a job-stalker, but now is not the time to tread gingerly, either. Find that balance between being too passive and being too aggressive, which will differ slightly for every type of job. In general, though, one email or call a day is plenty.

Think about Temporary Work

If you have been out of a job longer than 6 months, definitely look at temporary work. Some people object to this sort of advice, saying that it is a waste of time and the jobs are usually low-paying. I disagree. I think that temp work can combat depression and malaise, and it can get you in contact with more people.

For those of you who do not have a large personal network of acquaintances, temp work can help you fill that gap and can put you in a position to hand your resume out in person at a large number of companies. I agree that tempting is not always a perfect solution, but I have seen many situations where it is a real help.

Dealing with Spam and Job Fraud

If you post your resume online, you can expect a certain amount of "job spam." I posted resumes online for a year and collected the spam and bad job offers, so I know exactly what this can look like. What I have found is that most actual job offers tend to come within a month to a month and a half of posting your resume. After that, you tend to get the multi-level marketing schemes, get rich quick scams, and other forms of job fraud.

A good proactive step to take is to use a disposable email address, date your resume, and only email your resume in response to actual job announcements that you are interested in. This will cut down on some of the problems.

Otherwise, if you post your resume openly online, be prepared to get anywhere from ten emails or more a day in response to your resume. Be discerning about job offers that look too good to be true, and check out the companies that approach you for interviews very thoroughly.

If you are thinking about working for a company that is based overseas, this advice applies in triplicate. Be careful, and check companies out extremely carefully. For more information about avoiding job fraud, see http://www.worldprivacyforum.org/jobscamtipspayforwarding.html.

Do you need an attorney?

If you have been fired, then you may want to consider getting legal counsel about your situation. Sometimes, an attorney will need to write a firm letter to your previous employer ensuring that you are treated fairly when it comes time for references. Other times, you may have a discrimination suit or another situation that requires legal attention. Whatever the case, it is best to deal with legal issues quickly.

No matter what the situation that caused your loss of employment, work hard to remember that ultimately, you're the one who is in charge of who you work for and for how your career progresses. I know it doesn't seem that way when you're out of a job, but it is nevertheless the truth.

After you’ve gotten your resume ready and sent it out, remember that the most important thing you can do is to find an employer who understands you and who will let you make the positive steps forward that you want for yourself and your career. That's what will keep you in the driver's seat, and that's what a satisfying job and career is all about.

Pam Dixon is the author of seven books, including Job Searching Online for Dummies.