How to Survive Being Laid Off From Your Job

Laid off, downsized - whatever word you call it, losing your job is arguably one of the most traumatic events that can occur in one's life. Unfortunately, it has become quite commonplace in today's economic environment. My goal here is to offer some useful pointers and relay some insights from my own personal experiences to hopefully help you get through this situation, and to emerge a better, stronger person.

Don't Panic

Chances are that you will experience shock, anger, and maybe even depression to a certain degree. These are normal feelings, and in my opinion, they should be acknowledged and dealt with. With that said, it's important not to panic. Fear can immobilize us and cloud our thinking processes - neither of which is very helpful. Although as a single parent, I can certainly identify with the fear and deluge of questions about how you'll make it financially, you cannot afford to let fear cause you to make rash decisions about your future.

You'll most likely have some well-meaning friends or family who will urge you to jump right into your new job search immediately. I understand the rationale behind this, which is that you don't want to wallow in self-pity. I definitely agree. However, it will serve you much better to use the downtime you now have to engage in some serious self-reflection. Exactly how much time to take will depend on your personal circumstances, and I'm certainly in no position to give a timeframe here. You know better than anyone else how long you'll need. The point to take away from this is to seriously ask yourself what you'd truly like to do with your life from here on out. It could be that you've been accepting jobs that you really didn't like out of what you perceived as necessity. Do you want to continue along that path, or pursue a career that fulfills you? Once you figure out what that is, (and don't rush the process!) make it happen.

Dust Off Those Old Dreams

One of the biggest motivators to starting your own business is finding yourself without a nine-to-five. I can attest to that personally. So ask yourself: Has being self-employed been your dream? Or perhaps you had a "side-hustle" while you were employed. Now that you have the time on your hands, why not turn it into a full - time venture? And don't let a lack of funds stop you. Good old sweat equity and resourcefulness will at least get you started. To quote Nike: Just do it! Whatever it is, whether it's completing your college degree or starting your own catering business, you can now use the time and energy that you devoted to working for someone else to invest in yourself. Take the necessary steps to make the dream reality. If there are others who will be affected by your decision, such as spouses and children, by all means, clue them in. Hopefully, they will provide their support and encouragement.

Tips to Surviving a Layoff

Surround yourself with lots of positive energy. This comes from supportive friends, family, and sometimes even total strangers who just happen to be in the same boat as you. On a personal note, I leaned more heavily than ever on my Faith to get through it. That's very individual, but the point is to plug into the positive so that you may get on with the business of moving on. Here are a few helpful tips to getting through a layoff successfully.

· Volunteer. One of the best ways to take the focus off of your own situation is to focus on helping others. Go online or to your local library to find out where the available opportunities are to volunteer your time and talents.

· Once you're ready, ask for help in your job search. Ask friends and family if they know of any job openings. If you're looking to switch careers, look into going back to school or maybe entry - level positions that will get your foot in the door.

· Get out of the house. Staring at four walls every day would depress anybody. Get out and mingle! Hit Starbucks, go to the local park, have lunch with a friend. It will do wonders for your mood, and get you motivated. This is also an excellent opportunity to use your networking skills.

Final Thoughts

Being laid off does not - I repeat NOT - mean that your life is over. It means that your life is changing significantly, yes. But how you react to it makes all the difference. It's all about perception. If it is perceived as an opportunity instead of an unfortunate event, then you can turn it into a stepping stone to something better.

If it weren't for my layoff, I probably wouldn't have written this article, started this blog, or decided to grow my resume writing business full - time. It just goes to show: you'd be surprised how setbacks can turn into setups for success.

Marsha owns and operates Key Image Resumes in Phoenix, AZ, a professional resume and curriculum vitae writing service. She brings five years of expertise to the table, and believes in the importance of using the ever-evolving talent acquisition trends to better position you for success. She specializes in individuals who have been downsized and who wish to leverage their skills in order to make a transition into a new career. Key Image crafts targeted resumes to help market your skills and accomplishments successfully. Marsha's creativity and desire to help connect people with fulfilling careers helps her stand out from the rest.

For a professional resume or CV consultation and rewrite, visit: http://www.keyimageresumes.com/let_s_get_started.html today.

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Starting a New Job - 6 Tips for First 90 Days

If you just got a new job, congratulations! This is a tough market, so getting a job is definitely an achievement. Now another type of work begins. The first 90 days on the job is critical to building a strong foundation for success at your new company. You may say, what do you mean? I know how to work. I would say I am sure you do but starting a new job involves more than just hard work.

Starting a new job also needs to include implementing a jump-start plan that helps shape key people's first impression of you. First impression is key because once they have that impression (either positive or negative), it will become your reputation. That reputation is hard to change unless you do something drastic later on. Here are six tips on how build a great reputation in the first 90 days of a starting a new job.

Determine what kind of reputation you want to build: Ask yourself what you should be known for? What qualities are the most critical for success in this job? For example, a Director should try to build a reputation that includes ability to think strategically, get results, facilitate cross functional communication, etc...; an Analyst should try to build a reputation for learning quickly, having always a positive attitude, is detailed oriented, etc...
Know who are the "key people" in this company that should have a good impression of you. Obviously this includes your boss, but there are many more. For a Director of Marketing of a small company for example, it would be the Chief Marketing Officer, all peers that are cross functional leads in sales, technology, product management, website, plus perhaps the other C level executives as well. For an Analyst, it will be your boss + perhaps anyone you have to interact with frequently to get your job done + even your peers, especially ones that already have a good reputation. They may also have your boss' ear (meaning your boss may ask for their opinion of you).
Spot situations in your job that builds your reputation: In the first 90 days of starting a new job, whatever you need to deliver for your job, hit it out of the park even if you have to work extra hours. On top of that, spot opportunities to help before you are asked. For a Director, most likely you would need to come up with an assessment of the current situation and plans on how to improve. Why not propose it to your boss and let him/her know when you can deliver that? You will come across as taking initiative and have a chance to demonstrate how strategic you are. For an Analyst level, proactively update your boss on your progress and set up meetings to get support if needed. You will make his job easier and every manager loves a self-sufficient team member.
Connect with "key people" - schedule "meet and greet" (lunch, coffee break, short meetings) with each person separately so they know who you are. Figure out whether there is a need to do a regular meeting with them depending on their preference and your job. Everyone appreciates a proactive person. Once you did achieve something (e.g. created a plan), you can copy these "key people" to get their feedback. It's a subtle way to involve them and build a good reputation for yourself. Also socialize - go out to lunch and happy hours with co-workers and "key people." If someone likes you personally, it's easier to build a good reputation for your work as well.
Get to know your bosses working style - as important as it is to build a good reputation with all "key people" when starting a new job, your boss is probably still the most important as he/she controls much of your promotion, evaluation, etc.. It pays to figure out quickly his style - what works, what doesn't work, pet peeves. It's even ok to initiate a meeting to discuss this for half an hour and ask him how he likes to work with you. Again you are making it easy for him and that is always a good thing.
Spend time to get up to speed with all the context: This means not only understand your role and what you need to do, but also understand key histories of decisions and any related information or departments that affect your job. Ask lots of questions. A new person gets a lot of leeway to ask questions in the first few months. So go ahead and ask. It's better than assuming any day.

Obviously, I don't mean that you can slack off after the first 90 days of starting a new job, but once you build a good reputation, you just created some room for yourself to protect against any mistakes you may make in the future. I hope these simple but critical tips will help you jump-start your job success. I look forward to your comments. I am always in your corner.

- Lei

Lei Han - Career Strategist
Marketing Executive
Stanford Undergrad
Wharton MBA
15 years of business experience
I am passionate about helping you find, excel, and enjoy your careers. Check out my career advice blog - http://bemycareercoach.com/ - over 120 articles related to career development, job search, soft skills development, and work life balance.

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On the Job Harassment - When It's Not All Fun and Games Anymore

August 19, 2011

Have you ever felt uncomfortable at work? Is there someone you work with that you feel intimidated by to the point of actually being fearful of them? If you have ever experienced any of these feelings then you may have been the victim of on the job harassment.

Your workplace, although it might not be your home, is still a place where you have every right to feel safe in and be able to focus on your job instead of how you are treated by other employees. You and your fellow employees should complement each other as you work together and you should never have to work in an environment where you feel bullied, discriminated against or where you feel that you can't speak your mind for fear of retribution.

What Is On The Job Harassment? - Basically, on the job harassment is when a coworker might touch, hit, punch, feel, fondle, caress, maul or lick any part of your body in a way that makes you feel uncomfortable. While contact is not always necessary and there are guidelines and books written on the subject, if a coworker does something that you feel fearful of speaking about with them or a third party, then you have probably been harassed.

There might be times when your harasser might say that the contact or comment was welcomed. But instead of blaming yourself or feeling as if you are trapped, just think about this. If you were close enough with this coworker then you wouldn't have a problem with telling them to knock it off. The important aspect of any sort of harassment is how you feel and not what your harasser thinks since many harassers or bullies are very good at manipulating and your particular instance of on the job harassment probably isn't an isolated case.

What You Can Do About On The Job Harassment - While you might wish to just sweep it all under the rug or hope that your coworker or boss just forgets about it or never does it again, this is seldom the case. Your first step towards resolving the issue and getting back to living your life and loving your job again should be to confront your coworker. If this is an isolated case and a simple misunderstanding then talking with them should set them straight and there will never be such a misunderstanding or any form of harassment again. This might make things a little weird for a while between you and your coworker or boss but they will get over it or they can deal with option number two.

Option number two can also be your primary option if you truly feel fearful of retribution or you just don't want to deal with the situation. After all, you are there to work and there are people like your Human Resources person, who is trained to deal with harassment and that is who you can go to with your concerns if you feel fearful of talking with your harasser.

A skilled HR person will know how to handle things and if there is retribution for talking to someone in human resources about the incident then you have another problem that you can talk to HR about. In situations that involve harassment your concerns should be kept anonymous and a good HR person will be able to handle things so you shouldn't feel as if you did something wrong or be perceived as a rat or tattle tale.

Harassment is a serious problem and one that often carries the penalty of immediate termination in most companies. You have been hired to do a job and so has your coworker. Part of your job is not to feel intimidated or demoralized in any way and your coworker was not hired to harass employees. You have the right to work in a place that is safe for you both physically and emotionally and that is your employers responsibility to maintain a peaceful and safe place for you to do your job free from on the job harassment.

For further information on how to file a formal claim with the Equal Employment Opportunity commission, click HERE.

Erica Davis, President & CEO
Diamond Hospitality Services, Inc.
Visit us at http://www.diamondhospitalityservices.com/ for more information on how we can help your business save with outsourced personnel services.
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