Layoff Survival Guide

[ramcharger]

So, you’ve been laid off. First thing I have to tell you is that it’s not the end of the world and may well end up being a change for the better. Being laid off is right up there on the stress-o-meter with getting divorced or losing a family member and you will need go through similar stages of recovery.

The first is shock, the second is anger, the third is mourning, the forth is depression and the fifth is acceptance. Everyone is different when it comes to getting through this but behooves you to get through this as quickly as possible. A positive attitude is essential to getting another job and to allow your creativity to flow when writing a resume and cover letter (we’ll get to that later). I got through the stages 1through 3 in about a week. 4 through 5 took a bit longer. Here are some things that helped me:

1. Make a list of chores that need to be done but don’t cost any or little money like organizing the garage or basement, digging a garden, fixing little stuff around the house, etc.

2. Get outside everyday! I can’t stress how important this is. It’s easy if you have a dog. Take him for an extended walk. He’ll love you for it and you’ll feel refreshed when you get back home. Take a bike ride if you can or just a walk through the local forest preserve or park. Start working out. Split some wood if you live in the country. Exercise releases nature’s most powerful anti-depressant called “endorphins”.

3. Don’t drink or drug after the first day. It exacerbates depression and hangovers are not productive. Also, many jobs now require a urine and/or hair follicle test. You could ruin your chances of ever getting a job.

4. Turn off the TV. It’s mind numbing crap for the most part.

5. Read both fiction and non-fiction. Fiction based books will keep you creative and some non-fiction books pertaining to your job skills will keep you sharp.

6. Apply for Unemployment Insurance immediately!! More on this in the first section.

7. Set your alarm and wake up the same time everyday. Don’t allow yourself to stay up late and wake up late. It’s a bad pattern to slip into and exacerbates depression.

For ease of navigation I am going to divide the rest into sections in the following manner:

1. Unemployment Insurance
2. Resume Building
3. Cover Letter writing
4. What’s a salary history?
5. Professional and Personal references
6. Job Resources
7. Cost cutting at home

Please feel free to add your ideas and ask questions as I write this. It’s a monumental task and I’ve never done anything like this before. I feel that I owe the people on this board for being so supportive during my time of unemployment and anything I can do to pay y’all back really makes my day. Remember the saying “Give a man a fish and he eats for a day, teach a man to fish and he eats for a lifetime”? That is the vein that I write this in.

More to come. 8)

 

[FISHBREATH]

Good advice there, Ram. Some people need to get things "right" at times like that and they might not have the experience to do so.

 

[rp23g7]

As a professional layoffee, McDonell Douglas 90-94, Boeing 95-99, Microsoft 2000-2002, the first Cingular/AT&T merger 2003, I agree.

I didnt change my routine at all. I still got up at 6:00, used the morning time to look for work, after that i took the dogs out to play, and came back and took care of chores.

I was off for a year between Microsoft and AT&T, but was so busy that when i got a job i was upset i would have the time to take care of anything like I was.

I did get dejected and upset at times, but remembered that, Hey, i still have my doggies, my wife, and a place to live, and lots of friends that care about me. So hang in there everyone if your out of work for a bit.

 

[ramcharger]

Here are some general guidelines of what to expect although every state will vary. The following is what I experienced:

1. Apply ASAP! My state has a cut-off in the middle of the week (Wednesday) and would delay my benefits by another week.

2. After applying, I received a letter stating how much I would receive and for how long. This makes budgeting much easier (although not less painful). Your benefits will most likely be 40% of your past income averaged over the past 3 years.

3. I also received a guide with all pertinent information regarding when to log in for my benefits and what’s expected of me to receive those benefits.

4. Read that guide and follow everything to the letter. If you make a mistake you could lose your benefits and be charged with fraud!!

5. Applying isn’t easy so be prepared. It took me at least a couple hours online scrambling for my last check, vacation pay statements, last years W2, etc.

6. You will find that you will need to cut costs dramatically. Don’t think of it as the end of world, it’s just a camping trip at home, lol!

7. The first month will be the toughest. It may take up to 6 weeks until you see your first check. I was lucky and saw the first check in about 4 weeks. It was dang scary waiting around for that money.

8. You most likely will not get paid for the first week of unemployment. They call it a “waiting period”.

No, it’s no free ride but it’s a life saver in these hard times. I don’t like taking money from the government, but keep in mind that employers pay this money into a pool so it’s not really tax payer money either. I don’t feel good about it but I think of this way: I’m getting paid to look for a job so I’d better be worth it. The state of Colorado expects you to apply for at least 5 jobs a week and keep a log of all my job contacts. In my field of expertise this was exceededingly difficult as there just were not that many openings, but I also applied for jobs that matched my skill set of days gone past. Ya gotta do what you gotta do. :-D

 

[ramcharger]

Good advice there, Ram. Some people need to get things "right" at times like that and they might not have the experience to do so.

Thanks Fish! I'm just hoping that my experience can help someone get through it. I not employed yet either and this helps me get my "Ducks in a Row" as well. 8)

As a professional layoffee, McDonell Douglas 90-94, Boeing 95-99, Microsoft 2000-2002, the first Cingular/AT&T merger 2003, I agree.

Thanks for the backup.

I didnt change my routine at all. I still got up at 6:00, used the morning time to look for work, after that i took the dogs out to play, and came back and took care of chores.

Yep, up at 6:30, let the dogs out, start the coffee, feed the dogs, let them out again, take a shower and sit down to three hours of job searching. By then I was getting bleary eyed so off the to the park with the dogs. Come home refreshed to get down to some chores and lawn work, then more job searching and some A-body surfing. 8)

I was off for a year between Microsoft and AT&T, but was so busy that when i got a job i was upset i would have the time to take care of anything like I was.

Lol, I'm thinking the same thing. My dogs have never been so well behaved.

I did get dejected and upset at times, but remembered that, Hey, i still have my doggies, my wife, and a place to live, and lots of friends that care about me. So hang in there everyone if your out of work for a bit.

I'm so thankful for friends who have come through for me, my dogs for their unconditional loyalty and friendship, my landlord who knocked a $100 bucks of my rent, my family for their support, etc. This is a time when you find out who your real friends are.

 

[Rob]

You have the perfect attitude for this Joe, I have no doubt you will come out of this better off than you were. Do to other economic factors I have also had to tighten the belt, albeit not to your degree, nonetheless it has been an eye opener on how fat I was living, always assuming status quo. Should things correct and I expect they will to some degree, I will have a much greater appreciation and do things differently.

Never feel bad about collecting unemployment insurance, it is exactly that, insurance, you paid for it just like you do for car or house insurance, to cover your *** in the event of misfortune.

I'm sure something will come up soon :cheers:

 

[ramcharger]

OK, I gotta run and get prepared for my interview this afternoon and get at least one more resume out. I'll try to get this finished within the next couple of days so please be patient with me. I got another call from another prospective employer yesterday and I need to find out exactly what job they were calling about so I don't sound like an idiot when I call them back, lol! I have well over 50 resumes out there, so it's going to take research.

 

[ramcharger]

You have the perfect attitude for this Joe, I have no doubt you will come out of this better off than you were. Do to other economic factors I have also had to tighten the belt, albeit not to your degree, nonetheless it has been an eye opener on how fat I was living, always assuming status quo. Should things correct and I expect they will to some degree, I will have a much greater appreciation and do things differently.

Never feel bad about collecting unemployment insurance, it is exactly that, insurance, you paid for it just like you do for car or house insurance, to cover your *** in the event of misfortune.

I'm sure something will come up soon :cheers:

Yeah man! I had no idea how good I really had it. 8) Thanks Rob, gotta run!

 

[PFogel]

Ramcharger, my man, I really respect you. You think of helping others when you yourself are taking a hit. It shows real character. Ellie and I have been praying for you to land a really great job. Hang in there!
Pat

 

[Demon416]

ramcharger: Good advice for all. Good luck with that interview this afternoon.

 

[340 Dart]

Good luck today man. :glasses5:

 

[rp23g7]

Here's wishing you good luck

 

[waggin]

Good attitude Joe!!! let us know how it goes, we got you on our mind's and wishing the best for ya!

 

[camd64]

Good luck today Joe! :cheers:

 

[FISHBREATH]

:thumblef:

 

[340 Dart]

Well, how did it go?

 

[69DARTS]

well whats up

 

[ramcharger]

There is a basic formula that I use in regards to the construct of my resume. I have uploaded a copy here to visualize my points.

1. Name in upper left corner, in bold and larger font. Not too big or it may make you look psycho, lol.

2. First heading is “Skills” in bold.

3. Use “bullet points” to accentuate each and every skill that you have learned over the years but do not put work history or accomplishments here. This is the first thing that a prospective employer will see so don’t bore them and keep it short and sweet. I have 11 bullet pointed skills sets on my resume.

4. Next is your work history. Start with the most recent company you worked for with the name in bold, then their address and “time served” for that employer. Phone number is a good idea too.

5. Under each employer you need to add a bullet point for every accomplishment. This is really hard as almost no one really gets recognized for what they do, so sit down with someone who knows you really well and bounce some ideas off them. Not only do you want to put at an accomplishment but a result as well. For example one of my bullet points says “Developed and implemented a series of scripts that automatically download the CDR flat files, that have saved the company at least one man hour per day” See were I’m coming from? Yeah it’s hard, but you’ve got time now. Make the best of it.

6. I start with 8 or 9 accomplishment bullet points and reduce them from there. The next most recent job has 5 bullet points, the one after that has four, etc.

7. Once you’re done with your work history you can add certifications that qualify you for a specific task or job. Put “Certifications” in bold

8. Education is next and “Education” should be put in bold

9. At the very bottom left list your contact information including address, phone number and e-mail address. Make sure it’s right. Some companies are using character recognition software when you upload or e-mail your resume and you’ve only got one chance. Don’t use some weird font either as I’ve heard the following from more than one supervisor “WTF? Why is this guy/gal using (insert weird font name here) font!! I can’t even read this crap!” ..throws resume in trash and walks away.

Be prepared to send out tens, even a hundred resumes. So many leads that can be found will say “Company Name Withheld” so can’t even follow up with a nice note like “Thank you so much for your time” that used to be par for the course. The reason is that these companies are inundated by job applications. If they see your skills match the job, they’ll keep reading, but if they see a job history first they may just get bored and pass it up. The regional manager that I interviewed with today mentioned that before they changed their hiring practices, he would have to interview 60 people out of over 200 resumes.

Use spell check! I can't tell you how important this is.

Be patient. I got called on one application 5 weeks later and another only a day later. It just depends on what system that specific supervisor is using or is mandated to use by the powers that be. Don’t let it get you down if you don’t hear anything right away.

 

[69DARTS]

hey ur name is bud wieser how cool

 

[ramcharger]

Well, how did it go?

well whats up

Well, I thought it went great but I'm not hiring me, lol! :-D They gave me a tour of the facility and how their "tiered" system works in regards to advancement. They asked me what I hours I could work and grilled me on some stuff I was completely prepared for. My ansewers were fluid and to the point.

The last question they asked was this: "Why do you think we should hire you in regards to how you would fit within our values and the culture we have fostered."........

Whew! That's a tough one. "think fast bro" I thought. I relied on the old standby, start by repeating what the regional manger said and apply it to something tangible. I said "Well, what's really exciting to me is that you said that this is a "Candy store for nerds"". I gestured toward the one piece of equipment in the conference room and said "I know just where to get the documentation for this and I can't wait to get my hands on it."

They both smiled at each other, gave me their cards and said "We have a couple more interviews to do but we'll contact you for second interview next week. Please call us if you have any more questions in regards to the job." :cheers::cheers:

It looks really dang good right now. Oh yeah, they also reiterated that they'll try to up my starting pay and the local manager came back up front after I finished some paperwork for them and again asked if I had any questions. The Gal at the front desk said "Good luck and this is a great place to work! I hope you get it!".

:cheers:

 

[ramcharger]

hey ur name is bud wieser how cool

:toothy10:

 

[memike]

I just took the time to read this Joe:cheers:" been out side" No tv he he :-D
Get your ducks in a row:thumbrig: to knowing who you are:thumbrig: to righting a good paper sheet on your self :cheers: Amazing !! Go get'em and keep sowing your seed by helping folks here with reality :thumbrig:=D>=D>=D>

 

[FISHBREATH]

Damn, Ram, things are looking good at this point. It sounds like you have the ability to think quickly on your feet. Next week cannot come fast enough for me now. How do you feel about that particular company?

 

[ramcharger]

Thanks Mike! I'm about wore out today, lol. I have another interview tommorow at 4 with another company. Feast or famine I guess.

 

[ramcharger]

Damn, Ram, things are looking good at this point. It sounds like you have the ability to think quickly on your feet. Next week cannot come fast enough for me now. How do you feel about that particular company?

It's been running strong for 10 years now and their equipment is the best they can buy. So good in fact that they are hosting some co-locations for some very, very recognizable names. They use kerosene fueled turbine generators for backup rated in mega-watts. I've never seen anything like it!

All the people there were friendly and a had a smile on their face, something rarely seen in this line of work. That says a lot about how a company treats their people.