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[Scott Chilcote <scottchilcote AT earthlink.net>]

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.