Tips from Kristen Fife on Her Blog

Kristen is the moderator of HRPN on Yahoo groups and in her recent blog she posted the following information. I pass it on for your use if appropriate in this economy we are in at the moment:

Dealing With A Layoff

Have you been recently laid off? It's becoming more and more common in the US, with over 10 million unemployed professionals and growing.

Here are some tricks to weather the situation.

1) File for Unemployment Insurance as soon as you find out you are being RIF'd. Your local unemployment office has classes on resume writing, worker retraining programs, and free computer usage in addition to providing you with financial support.

2) Start hitting up your professional network. Clients, former and current coworkers, professional associations, and a trick is to contact recruiters. Then it's time to call upon your second tier network, your social contacts. Think of the people in your network that actually deal with people for a living. Brokers/financial planners, barber/hairdresser, landscaper. Don't underestimate the power of networking. It's the key to finding a job.

3) Harness the power of the internet. LinkedIn, Plaxo, Grouply, Facebook are all "Social Networking" sites that can be invaluable for networking online.

4) Don't put all your eggs in one basket. Pursue multiple lines of inquiry, think "outside the box" for opportunities. For example, if you have been in auto sales, think of related industries that might have a use for your talents. Auto parts, public transportation, travel industries may all be moves to consider.

5) Be prepared to make changes. You may need to remember that times are lean, companies are paying less for top skills than they did two years ago. Also seriously consider relocation as an option. Some cities are better off than others.

6) Stay busy. Believe it or not, networking and job hunting take a lot of time, but it's also important that you take care of yourself. One of the best ways, which you can also put on your resume, is to volunteer in your field. For example, a naturalized citizen that is a recruiter friend of mine is volunteering at the local Refugee Center helping recruit volunteers to help transitioning refugees to life in the US.

7) Most importantly, take care of your mental health. Try not to get overwhelmed or depresssed. Seek professional help if you need it. Most communities have free or sliding fee scale payment plans.