LAID OFF
You were downsized, laid off, asked to leave, or maybe you were even fired for cause. Now what? This is certainly a tricky situation to manage, but fortunately, you do not have to wear a scarlet letter.
You do not write:
Director of Communications, Baton Rouge, LA, July 2006-Fired.
When recruiting directors pick up your resume, they don’t know why you left your last job. Getting laid off is something that might have to be addressed during the interview.
It’s never easy to transition into the idea of getting a new job after you lose your old one. But if the day arrives, what exactly do you do? Mere thoughts of the sudden job search can be immobilizing, and it’s a problem that plagues many job seekers. Here is the inside scoop on exactly how to take the next step:
1. Put your house in order
Resume, cover letter, interviewing skills—you’ll need to have all of them brushed up and in top-notch shape. Your resume may have been sitting dormant since you graduated college ten years ago, but trust me, the recruiting director no longer cares that you raised $370 for the “Cannes Car Wash ’99” with the Advertising Club. Use this book as a guide to update your resume.
Don’t assume that the title or company from your former job will speak for themselves either. Just because you were the account director on Unilever at Ogilvy New York doesn’t mean you’ll get any job you apply for. There are an abundance of well-qualified candidates out there. The more diligent you are with your preparation, the better your chances.
2. Reassess your career
Our first inclination is to get another job doing the same exact thing, as quickly as possible. We think like a robot: “Lost job as account director on car account at large multinational ad agency. Must get new job as account director on car account at large multinational ad agency.”
Take some time to think. Do you like your career? Do you like the field you work in? What might make you happier? The earlier you do this in your career the better. One lament I hear from more experienced job seekers is that they feel trapped.
That doesn’t necessarily have to be the case. Now that you’re changing jobs, reassess your priorities and make sure you’re not just blindly jumping into the next job. You can start your own company, go to work in a different city, or get training for another industry. Obviously, there are some constraints on what you can do, but take some time to really think about that next move.
3. Get out there
You have more tools than you think when it comes time to see what jobs are available. Take this short quiz to determine if you know the best way to land work. Please select which is the most effective way to score your next job:
a. Check out online job postings
b. Network
c. Work with an executive recruiter
d. Scour individual company websites
e. All of the above
Yes, folks, the answer is E. If you are serious about landing that next job, you want to go after it with vigor. Like anything else in life, the more effort you put into your job search the more you get out of it. Each method has its advantages:
• Online job postings are how most companies list their open jobs.
• Networking can get you access to hiring managers and recruiting directors with a recommendation from someone on the inside.
• Executive recruiters often are hiring for jobs that are not posted online.
• Company websites allow you to stay abreast of up-to-date job listings.
However, each approach can have its disadvantages as well. Going home one night and applying to twenty jobs online—and then wondering why you haven’t heard from anyone—is not the best way to look for a job. Similarly, putting all of your eggs into the executive recruiter basket can be a risky proposition. It sounds like a cliché, but the wider you cast your net, the more likely you are to catch a fish (or in our discussion, land a job).
Looking for a new job after getting laid off can be an intimidating process. But if you go about it with a plan on how to do it the right way, it can be incredibly rewarding and breathe new life into your career.
Check out the next resumes and see how we worked with candidates who had been laid off.
Laid Off
When Carrie came to JobBound, she had been let go by her previous employer and had been volunteering at a museum. For her next job, she was looking to go into the not-for-profit field. When we talked, she was embarrassed by the fact that she had been fired, so we placed the museum entry first on her resume, which made it less likely that a recruiting director would ask why she’d left Szabo Advertising.
Carrie also didn’t think the museum job should be on her resume because it wasn’t a paid position. That’s a big mistake. Obviously, the museum job should be on there—especially since it was her field of interest. Many job seekers, especially students, relegate extracurricular activities or volunteer work to a lower position on the resume. Often, those experiences are incredibly meaningful. Now, you don’t have to list all of them in the “meat” of your resume. But if you do have some relevant and compelling non-work experiences, don’t be shy about listing them prominently.
You should also watch out for abbreviations and acronyms. On her before resume, Carrie lists RTEC, AOR, and TRU. Huh? Some acronyms were unique to her company, some to her account, and some to the field itself. Don’t assume the reader knows all of them.
Laid Off
Our next client found himself in a difficult situation. He was a great employee, and he was valued by the company. He enjoyed his job, and he excelled in his position. Unfortunately, the organization was forced to restructure, and Joseph’s position was eliminated. Joseph suddenly found himself without a job. Especially because he was so passionate about his work and the organization, Joseph was deflated and a little discouraged. If you hated your old job, then it’s easier to embrace the job search when you lose it, but if you loved your job, then it’s more difficult to focus your energies on moving forward.
Many people find themselves in the latter position. Through little to no fault of their own, many employees find themselves jobless. Maybe the company is experiencing tough economic times, so it conducts mass layoffs, or maybe they have to restructure to cut costs. Fortunately, in these cases, the company is more likely to help its people transition into another job. In addition to providing severance packages, many companies connect employees with outplacement firms and recruiters. If you are laid off for reasons other than personal or behavior problems, then you should leverage your company and its network in your job search.
You can ask your boss if he or she knows of other companies in the industry that are hiring. Don’t be afraid to ask for names or contacts. Your boss probably feels horrible about having to let you go, and will most likely jump at the opportunity to help you transition smoothly. Simarly you should “network” with anyone you can in the organization. They know you and your work. Typically, they will be delighted to help you land the next job.
Luckily, Joseph was an exemplary employee, and his organization wanted to assist him with the next step. Joseph’s company actually hired JobBound to write his resume so he could be as marketable as he could be.
As you will see, Joseph wasn’t planning on the job search, so his resume was not up-to-date. The first thing we did was add Joseph’s most senior position and his accomplishments at B&D, Inc. We also removed his old job as a waiter, which made him appear more junior.
We then advised Joseph to give his resume to his boss at the company that he was leaving. That way his boss could forward it along to any contacts that he had, and he would also have the resume on file in case another opening came up at B&D, Inc.
Laid Off
As a result of a merger, Bradley was laid off after almost ten years with his company. Basically, Bradley’s entire department was absorbed by the new company, so his team and his bosses were all jobless.
Bradley had excelled at Apex, and he was concerned that his age and salary history would discourage companies from considering him. Bradley wasn’t ready to retire, but he didn’t want to take a big salary cut and minimize his standard of living.
First, we wrote a succinct summary and emphasized his accomplishments. We downplayed his age by not including his school graduation years, and we made the most out of Bradley’s extensive network and professional organizations.
Through the years, Bradley had been involved with numerous companies, symposiums, conferences, and associations. Since people in Bradley’s line of work need a large network, we really highlighted his multifaceted connections on his resume. Any recruiting director would want an employee who brings a wide scope of possible new clients.
In addition, we prepped Bradley on ways to answer interview questions about the layoff since most people in his industry were aware of the merger. First, we advised Bradley to be honest and positive.
Even though it may be difficult, you don’t want to speak negatively about your past employer. You want to state the reason for the layoff and then focus on the experience you gained:
Due to the company merger, my entire department was laid off, but while I was at Apex, I was able to accomplish . . .
Although it was an unfortunate situation for many people at the company, I am really looking at this as an opportunity to meet new challenges . . .
With his new resume and a positive perspective, Bradley was able to gain a great position after being laid off.
