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Being laid off is difficult to deal with, especially when you have little or no time to prepare for what you'll do after your job ends. When I was laid off a few years ago, a friend gave me some excellent advice that helped me move on and stay positive.
"There is a silver lining in every cloud."
I know – you are saying to yourself that this saying doesn't apply to your situation, but as time goes on, you'll realize that it can. As tough as it may be, being laid off opens doors that you may not have opened otherwise. You now have the perfect opportunity to change careers or industries, take time to volunteer, or go back to school.
Not having a job gives you a lot of free time that you didn't have before, so use it. Do some research to see what alternative careers interest you and what education you may need to make that transition. Find something that fits your work style so that you'll stay content in your future career.
Maybe you've reached the point in your life where you're ready to pursue your hobby as a career. Perhaps you've always enjoyed helping your organization make internal improvements and you'd like to become a consultant; maybe you need to earn a master's degree in Organizational Performance and Change or Industrial/Organizational Psychology. Or is your interest piqued with the sustainability movement and being green? You may want to earn a master's degree in Rangeland Ecosystem Science or Integrated Resource Management, or earn a certificate of completion in Green Building, Green Homes, and Green Roofs.
The point is to find what you will be passionate about and take advantage of your extra time to really hone in on what’s important to you and what your next step will be.
This opportunity is what you make of it, so find the silver lining for your situation and take advantage of it.
Does anyone have an instance where they’ve been laid off and made the best of it? Share your story with us – leave a comment!
Thanks Paparutzi for the photo!
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Comments
09.02.10
I think when a person is laid off or fired it's a great chance to learn some not-so-obvious truths about how companies operate. I know when I have been fired/laid off it brought to light the role of favoritism and also my own lack of relationship-building skills. I also read a really interesting hypothetical about layoffs: say two people, J and W, work at a bank. J is super organized, all work is easily understood by anyone else who relies on his reports, information, etc. He makes it very clear what he does, and he always follows policy to the letter. W does not communicate clearly, is less organized, and his work takes some explaining when someone else collaborates on a project. W does his job but does not strictly follow company policy.
Guess who gets laid off? J of course! Why? Because it is so easy for management to redistribute his tasks. He did everything he was supposed to do but it backfired because he was so exact in his job he made himself obsolete.
I won't give an opinion on this scenario. It's a little like a modern-day Riddle of the Sphynx.
09.02.10
There is definitely a silver lining to being liquidated, even if at the time you feel too stunned to think about anything beyond "How am I going to survive?"
In my case this came true for me: "Do some research to see what alternative careers interest you and what education you may need to make that transition." That's exactly how I got into my social media position. I started noticing social media outside of just using it, realized it was a natural progression from my last job of developing the marketing department's B2C website (content management, et al), and took the time to figure it out.
If I'd stayed in my old position, would I ever have explored this as a viable career? It's hard to look past hindsight, but I bet it would never have occurred to me, or at least not this soon. And I might not have taken the time to find out about it.
@Elizabeth, I think that hypothetical situation is both true--and scary!
09.02.10
When you're in debt, have children and chronic medical conditions that need to be attended to, in an area of high unemployment, there is no silver lining to being laid off.
09.03.10
I'm trying to keep the positive outlook that Tamara, Elizabeth and Becky seem to have but, like JRandom, I just can't see that silver lining right now. I've got debt building up to my eyeballs, I'm already enrolled in school pursuing the degree for an area that I'm crazy about, but can't break into because I don't have the experience desired by most employers today. When there are fifty (50) people vying for the same jobs that I am and I watch what's left of my nest egg disappear quicker than I can blink, it gets harder and harder to see that silver lining...
09.03.10
@JRandom42 & Nechiele, I agree, it totally depends on what you've got going (or not going on). I don't know if you saw this article: http://www.mypath.com/docs/en_US/campus/full/tcm_66-59489.html but it's _scary_ what people are going through, as you already know.
09.03.10
I've totally seen Elizabeth's scenario in action! It's also usually the people who stand up against bad ideas that have been fired in my own experience. At my last employer, a lot of people were laid off and the message was clear: shut up and do what I say and don't be too successful. As I was not good at those things and was very close to several of the people who were laid off (one of whom was my boss), I felt like I had a giant target on my back. That's why I got out while it was still my choice.
On the silver lining, everyone I know who was laid off ended up in better positions, although at times making less money. One of them specifically had always wanted to work more in the education field but wouldn't have done it without prompting because of the significant paycut from leaving her cushy corporate job. She's much happier now. Also, most of the people were so miserable before being fired that it was almost a relief despite the financial worries.
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