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  • From: Scott Chilcote <scottchilcote AT earthlink.net>
  • To: "Internetworkers: http://www.ibiblio.org/internetworkers/" <internetworkers AT lists.ibiblio.org>
  • Subject: Re: [internetworkers] way off topic
  • Date: Fri, 30 Jan 2009 16:39:26 -0500

stan briggs wrote:
okay, this is a very diverse group. i think that we're all okay with that. and, i'm a technologist who is hoping that not everyone in this group is. here's why:
a friend of mine who is a mortgage broker just lost his job. decades of experience and a degree in real estate finance (or something like that) and he's on the street. his wife doesn't even know, yet.

This won't be much help for your friend, Stan, but I recommend that everyone who's the slightest bit at risk of being laid off take heed. I heard about this idea on NPR's Marketplace recently, and it's excellent advice.

Put simply, don't let a layoff catch you by surprise. Very simple notion, but very hard to follow. The last thing most of us want to think about is losing his or her job. It's just too scary.

Until it happened to me a couple of times, I would tell myself anything on Earth but the truth: I may be the next to go. Instead I would deny it or change the subject - anything but contemplate the "horror".

Prepare for the possibility of a layoff, and you won't feel like the planet just got jerked out from underfoot.

Conduct a Layoff Drill.

Pick a day - SOON - and spend it planning for the worst. You got laid off. You got little or no notice, and little or no severance.

So now what?

I've asked this question to co-workers, and have heard "There's no way I could handle it. I have too many expenses. I have kids, etc." But that's the wrong answer. People with a lot of expenses have to deal with it all the time. And they do: They cut out all unnecessary expenses, they get rid of the 2nd or 3rd vehicle, they borrow money, whatever it takes.

We all know the basic advice: reduce expenses, spruce up the resume, begin making contacts and connections. But from there the solution is very dependent on our individual circumstances.

I don't see the Marketplace article online, but "Layoff Drill" in google hits a few interesting links. Here's one:

http://redstaplerchronicles.com/do-you-conduct-layoff-drills/

The more you understand about a dangerous beast, the more prepared you are to face it. It's the unexpected and unknown situations that cause the worst stress. So the more we prepare ourselves to deal with it, the more likely we are to land safely and begin working purposefully towards recovery.

Nearly all laid off people find jobs again, even under poor circumstances like this. It's a matter of deciding what jobs to try for, and then preparing. We need to give ourselves some recovery time, then make plans and pursue them.

Scott C.




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