The Job Search Checklist

Everything You Need to Know to Get Back to Work After a Layoff

Damian Birkel

• Publisher: AMACOM
• Year: 2013
• eBook ISBN: 9780814432921
• Topic: Personal Development
• Subtopic: Careers

It's been a long time since you had to search for a new job. You may be wondering, How did I get this last one so many years ago? What has changed since I last hit the job market? Have I since gathered more knowledge and experience that qualifies me for something better this time around? Where does one get started? The Job Search Checklist is your saving grace! This indispensable guide covers everything from dealing with the emotional impact of being laid off to rebuilding your professional identity. Within these pages, you'll find solid advice on: • Developing a career plan by taking stock of your experience, abilities, and goals • Crafting an effective résumé and building Internet-friendly documents • Creating a "personal marketing plan" to promote yourself to potential employers • Finding the hidden job market through in-person and online networking• And much more!Complete with downloadable templates, sample cover letters, a range of effective résumé formats, and helpful checklists throughout the book, this invaluable resource gets you on the right path toward your next career and keeps you there.

STEP 1

The Emotional Impact of Job Loss

	CHECKLIST

____	Understanding the emotional wave of employment.
____	Hidden family issues—helping family members cope.
____	Redefining family relationships—you are in this together!
____	Fighting feelings of scarcity—finances taking center stage.?
____	Temporary changes—responding to a new economic reality.
____	Feelings of powerlessness—be patient.
____	Creating low cost/no cost alternatives.

Job Loss Grieving

For me, the most difficult part of being downsized was the intense job loss flashbacks. I would be in the middle of applying for a job, on a follow-up phone call, or emailing; then (out of nowhere), I would flash back to the moment of my job loss. All of the intense emotions of losing my job would then follow—the shame and humiliation, the shock and denial, the fear and the panic, the bitterness and anger, and, on some days, the depression. I was ready to lash out, wanting to even the score with my old company in any way possible.

Resentment and anger drove me to build a small model boat that had plenty of room for all my “outstanding company” awards and a special place for a powerful cylindrical firecracker (left over from the 4th of July). I took one last look at my awards, lit the long fuse, and pushed the model boat quickly away from the shore. Soon a mushroom cloud of water erupted and all traces of my award-winning professional life were obliterated and slowly sank into the lake. It provided immense relief, but the next day my feelings of abandonment, discouragement, emptiness, and hopelessness were still there, along with the reality of being unemployed.

Why Is Job Loss Like an Emotional Wave?

Job loss grieving follows an Emotional Wave of Unemployment (or E-Wave) because without planning or permission, you are dumped into an ocean of emotions—shock and denial, fear and panic, anger, depression, and temporary acceptance. Just when you think you may have bottomed out, rejection creates one more wave you need to navigate.

Job loss grieving is a normal process people go through, although not everyone encounters all of the above stages. Losing a job is traumatic and devastating because there are no socially acceptable rituals to follow. Job loss is complicated and changes your life. People may not be able to see it, but you have been badly bruised on the inside. Still, you are expected to be strong on the outside.

Some people know in advance that downsizing is impending. They recognize the signs of layoffs, hear rumors that the company is going out of business, or simply work in a company that has constant turn over of personnel. They may take early retirement or start preparing well before the layoffs take effect. These individuals have the chance to process job loss on their time and terms and actually may be relieved when a final downsize or release occurs.

Once you understand the emotional stages of job loss grieving, you can better cope with the process. This chapter reviews each of the emotional stages of unemployment and provides proven strategies for conquering the loss. In addition, it discusses the potential impact of posttraumatic stress, the ongoing stress of being out of work, and how this stress may impact your ability to find a job.

Stage 1: Shock and Denial

Remember when you heard the words “Your position has been eliminated” plus all the other noise you heard (“blah, blah, blah”) from thereon, but didn't absorb, only to hear again “I am sure you understand…. Mary from HR is going to introduce you to ‘blah, blah, blah,’ who will help you find another job. ‘blah, blah, blah’ ‘Good Luck.’….”

Like so many others in your company who have been terminated, you have just gone into shock. Even if you believed the rumors, you didn't think the layoffs would affect you because you have:

• Always done the “right thing.”
• Worked overtime without complaint.
• Postponed vacations when asked.
• Always thought it would be someone else.

And, like most people, you probably said to yourself:

• How could this happen to me?
• This must be a mistake!
• My professional life is over.
• What will I tell my spouse and children?

The public announcement of your termination may not seem real and, at the time, nothing else will either. People have told me over the years that they felt like zombies in a bad movie…this is your mind going into shock.

Coping with Shock and Denial

Give yourself plenty of time and the privacy needed to recuperate. Fight the urge to blast your former employer on Facebook or Twitter. This is not the time to post anything on any public forum, write letters, call people, or broadcast the news of your termination. Instead, begin to think about your options and plan your next steps. Pamper yourself by allowing time for you to catch your breath, pause, and then proceed.

Stage 2: Fear and Panic

When I was out of work, I began to believe that everywhere I went people were looking at me. At one point, I thought the word “loser” had been tattooed on my forehead or “will work for food” was written on my chest. During the day, I didn't answer my door or telephone or go outside. I didn't want my neighbors to know I was out of a job and at home.

Fear and panic can create a sense of anxiety. Relatively minor decisions and events can sometimes become enormous and frightening.

A member of Professionals in Transition^® Support Group Inc. (PIT®) once shared how she obsessed about the air conditioner in her house coming on when she was out of work. “Whenever the blower came on, I thought of the expense. How long will it run? How much will it cost?” To regain control and reduce costs, she turned down the air conditioner and began sweating to save money.

Anything that costs money during unemployment brings up a host of valid concerns. During the fear and panic stage, you may spend much of your time and energy obsessed on concerns such as:

• Will I have to declare bankruptcy?
• What happens if I lose everything I own?
• Will my family and friends abandon me?
• Is this the end of my career?
• Will any employer ever give me another chance?

Fear and panic may also lead to indecisiveness. Every minor choice may take on an exaggerated importance and sometimes may make you feel as if the world will end if an incorrect decision is made. For example, Rick, who lost his job as a bank teller, remembers how much of an ordeal it was for him to figure out how to present himself on job interviews. “I'd change my tie ten times, and then go back to the one I had originally chosen.” Each time he hesitated, Rick felt as though his indecision proved he was a loser and reinforced his inability to follow his own trusted instincts.

Fear, panic, and indecision are appropriate responses to losing your job. Nothing could be more natural than to worry about the future when your income and career have just been stolen and you don't know what tomorrow will bring.

Coping with Fear and Panic

The key to managing fear and panic is to put your concerns into perspective. Create a scheduled worry time. When I caught myself worrying outside of my worry time, I would tell myself “You can't worry now because your worry time isn't until 2:00 this afternoon.” Did it stop me from worrying? Sometimes, but mostly it reminded me to relax, take a deep breath, and keep moving forward.

A feeling of scarcity may envelop you and your family. This is a very common reaction to losing a job. What is interesting is the “scarcity mentality” touches all income levels. It makes no difference if you are a newly created “golden-parachute” executive or a factory worker. During job loss, fear is an appropriate response because your identity and income have been “jerked” away. To reduce fear, choose, instead, to move forward. Know that there is another job for you out there; positive thinking always helps change your situation.

Begin to control fear and panic (and the scarcity mentality) by creating a prioritized list of all outgoing expenses and compare that list with incoming monies, including severance, dividends, and unemployment benefits (see Exhibit 1-1). Now is the time to be proactive and make adjustments.

Ongoing expenses (nonnegotiable items) include:

• Food
• Utilities
• Housing
• Childcare
• Healthcare
• Taxes

One time/current (nonnegotiable) expenses include:

• Health club or gym. Let someone in charge know your situation. The club may not charge you (or may reduce your membership fee) while you are unemployed. Physical exercise reduces stress and gives you the chance to think, so you want to keep your membership if possible.
• If you have planned and partially paid for a vacation, take it. The cancellation fees alone may eliminate any savings you would have been able to reclaim. Instead, call the companies, explain your situation, and see if you can negotiate a lower cost version of your trip. Vacation renegotiation may eliminate the need for you to pay the remaining portion of the deposit.
• If your kids have been promised summer camps and you have prepaid, let them go.
• Maintain as many family rituals as possible, but don't be afraid to modify them to meet your new budget. Maintaining an attitude of abundance instead of scarcity may seem contrary to common sense,

Exhibit 1-1 Evaluating Finances

TOTAL MONTHLY FIXED EXPENSES
Ongoing costs: Expenses you may need to pay each month

	Current Monthly	Revised Monthly
Rent/Mortgage/Property Taxes
Personal Taxes (Vehicles)
Gas/Electric/Water (Utilities)
Telephone/Cable
Insurance: Automobile
Health
Life
Credit Payments: Loans
Credit Cards
Retail Cards
Childcare
Other
TOTAL FIXED EXPENSES

TOTAL MONTHLY VARIABLE EXPENSES

Unnecessary costs: Items for which you may have allocated funds, but which could be cut back if needed. The “current” column should contain the amount which you are currently spending. The “revised” column can be completed later to reflect those expenses that have been rev...

Table of contents

• Cover Page
• Title Page
• Copyright Page
• Contents
• Foreword
• Acknowledgments
• Introduction
• Prequels: Anticipating Job Loss
• Step 1 - The Emotional Impact of Job Loss
• Step 2 - Life after Unemployment
• Step 3 - Developing a Career Plan
• Step 4 - Crafting an Effective Résumé
• Step 5 - The Power of Networking
• Step 6 - Effective Interviewing
• Step 7 - Reemployment: Hit the Ground Running
• Conclusion
• Endnotes
• Index
• About the Author
• Free Sample Chapter from Acing the Interview