What You Should Do After Being Laid-Off

You may have been expecting it for weeks or months, or you may have been caught completely off guard. No matter how you look at it, getting laid off from your job is never fun.

Regardless of the circumstances, there are some things you should do and shouldn’t do immediately following a layoff.

Often times, our first reaction is panic. In that panic, you may be tempted to send out dozens of resumes and cover letters frantically in an attempt to find a new job as quickly as possible. That is the worst strategy you can use.

Instead, here are some do’s and don’ts to consider if you’ve been laid off.

Accept it With Dignity

Accepting the fact that you’ve been laid off can be difficult. In order to bounce back, you have to be able to accept the layoff for what it is.

It can be hard to believe at the time, but you can actually end up in a better position in the long run. The main thing to remember is you never want to burn any bridges with your past employer.

Layoffs happen for a variety of reasons, so there can be a chance for you to return in the future.

No Time for a Pity Party

You tend to think this is the worst thing ever. You feel sorry for yourself and tell others about it, but that doesn’t move you forward. Neither does 24-hour Netflix binges.

Getting out of your rut of being laid off can be difficult, but it’s a necessity. If you must, take a day to reflect on the situation, but then let it go.

Update Your Resume

If you have been at this job for a while, your resume is probably past due for an update.

Get in touch with a resume writing service for professional help on brushing up your resume.

Professionals can give you words of encouragement, as well, and help ease you out of your party-of-one frame of mind. We work with all types of clients and have plenty of success stories to share.

Allow Some Downtime

Giving yourself some space before immediately jumping into your next job search is a good idea. You need to regroup.

It’s human nature to take a little time to rebound from a layoff, so you need to make sure your mind is in the right place before you start talking to potential employers.

This downtime would be the perfect window to optimize your LinkedIn profile, but give yourself enough time to recover before making connections.

Reconnect With Your Network

This is a perfect time to reconnect with your network. Part of the reason you have created a network is for times like these.

Reconnect before you send out dozens of resumes and cover letters.

Be sure to optimize your LinkedIn profile first, though, so your connections know exactly what you’re up to when you reach out to them.

Update or Create Your Career Plan

Whether this came as a surprise or not, this is the time to visit your career plan. You may need to create one or revamp the one you have.

That may involve incorporating multiple streams of income or switching industries completely. Your opportunities are endless, so take the time you need to put together your next career plan.