Well, I got layed off today!

[stratovani]

Boss called me into his office, gave me my last week's pay, an envelope full of papers, and with that I was through. Three and a half years and that's all she wrote. But I'm not upset (much!), I could see the handwriting on the wall, and there will be more to follow. The boss told me that business was so bad that they had to cover the last month's payroll out of company savings, but they didn't want to lay off anyone before the Holidays, which I appreciated. So now I'm home, trying to figure out what's next, and, in the words of the Bob Seger song, I feel like a number!

[Honk'n_down-low]

Sorry to hear that - keep the faith - start looking right away and file for unemployment as soon as possible.

[Mazatleco17]

That sucks, I'm in a very bad position right now, might get laid off to.

[Staccato]

Man, sorry! Take the weekend as time off, and you can hit the ground running (and looking) Monday...

[Thor]

Yeah, file immediately for the benefits. You paid into them.

Treat your job search like a job. 5 days a week with a minimum
of 40 hours.

To do list:

File UP
Update resume
Tweak resume for best email and personal presentation

Take stock of your skillset: List the strengths that you have
(even though you may not have used them at your last job).
Develop a list of the things you so best and care about most.

Determine if you want to stay in your field or change into another field.
Develop a realistic assessment of whatfields you could pursue succesfully.

Hit the phone.
Informational interviewing: Not every contact you make is about a job appointment. If you have friends who have friends that are strong in certain fields, develop those contacts. Keep a log of every contact you make so you are
sure that you are doing what needs to be done. Ask them
about their jobs, experiences and advice. Ask for referrals as
well and CALL or contact them.

Contact vendors, customers and competitors of your current
business if you want to stay in that field. Get those resumes
out and follow up with a telephone call or letter. MHO is that
email resumes are fine but letters stay on desktops longer,
so do it all.

If you went to college, use there career placement office. It's
not just for seniors anymore. Use the Unemployment office
resources as well.

If you have friends in business, ask them to give you practice
job interviews. Aks for a candid critique of your interview behavior.
Like doing a show, you want to be well rehearsed and relaxed.
Same here.

When I think of more, I'll hit you with them.

Happy Hunting.

[becker4567]

Been there/done that. Just don't lose heart. It might be hard to understand it, but things really do have a way of working out for the best. Besides, you have a whole web site here rooting for you, so how can you go wrong?

[tycobb73]

Originally Posted by Thor

Yeah, file immediately for the benefits. You paid into them.

Your employer paid into them. Unless you are self employed, no unempoyment insurance is withheld from your check. In some states with extensions you can get benefits for a good year and a half.

[P. Aaron]

Sorry to hear about getting laid off. It happens. I have been laid off 3 times in my work life.

Just keep a positive attitude and continue to look for work. Don't rest on any unemployment benefits you may get, that won't last for ever.

[richnota]

Last downturn I got laid off after ten plus years. Turned around and nailed a much cooler gig that has really turned out great.

Use this as a time to rethink what you do and what you'd like to do as a job.

Follow Thor's advice on treating your search like a full time job but once you get some momentum going you should consider if you can use the "gap" to do things you cant do during the work year.

Good luck

[Thor]

Originally Posted by tycobb73

Your employer paid into them. Unless you are self employed, no unempoyment insurance is withheld from your check. In some states with extensions you can get benefits for a good year and a half.

My employer pays into them, you are right. If he wasn't,
I would be making more money though. So realistically,
he figures it as part of the cost package of what it costs to
employ me, including his portion of the SS tax etc.

In my case, as a all commission sales guy, the revenue it
is paid from is the revenue stream directly generated by
me that goes to the company. In the case of our salaried
employees it is paid from the sales revenue stream and
it is understood that their job is to add value and enhance
that revenue stream. When that doesn't happen, they lose
their jobs.

You sir are technically correct. He wrote the check. I just
earned the money to pay for it.

[BB75]

Sorry to hear the news. I was laid off back in July and still haven't had any luck finding anything.

[Jimmy Bones]

On the other hand, like me, you could be out of work for over a year.

[EricF]

It sucks to see these things happen. A good friend who owns a cabinet-making shop had to lay off his ENTIRE staff last week - good guys who have been with him since he opened his shop. He's struggling to keep his doors open, and desperately hopeful things will change soon.

To all of you looking for work - I wish you the best of luck.

[Bob Lee (QSC)]

Getting laid off sucks. If you could just remove the word "off" it would be such a more pleasant experience.

Good luck! I know it's tough out there right now but there are some opportunities to be found. QSC resumed hiring a couple months ago, and gradually some other companies are doing the same.

[warwick.hoy]

Sorry to hear that. File that unenjoyment claim asap,...with the economy in the gutter and the number of people collecting UI,...the gears are turning very slowly.

[Stinsok]

Like Thor said, finding a job IS your job. You need to get up and get dress as if you are actually going to work. Do the due!

[hdracer]

Originally Posted by EricF

It sucks to see these things happen. A good friend who owns a cabinet-making shop had to lay off his ENTIRE staff last week - good guys who have been with him since he opened his shop. He's struggling to keep his doors open, and desperately hopeful things will change soon.

To all of you looking for work - I wish you the best of luck.

This sounds like me, only I am the owner and had to be the ass that let my friends (employees) go.

[6jase5]

I wish you the best of luck in your search. Things are getting a little better in my market and because of one account I got last month we have to hire 80+ people and another will be bringing in about 200 new hires. Good news in a flat economy.

[stratovani]

Many thanks to everyone for the kind words of encouragement. TB is a wonderful, caring community, and to paraphrase Dave Pomeroy, the "Brotherhood of the Bass" is alive and well here. I'll be starting early Monday morning, first with a trip to Unemployment, then I've got a few places to go. There's a bunch of Medical Optics companies in the area where I know some people, maybe all that networking will pay off! I've heard "through the grapevine" that the medical endoscope field is getting busier, so maybe I'll get lucky!

[Georynn]

I got laid off in October, and the job market is SUPER slow.. people are just scared to take a chance hiring people. Until the economy improves, I feel this is going to get much worse... Good luck on your job-hunt...