Unfortunately (or sometimes fortunately), not everything in our life happens according to our plans and desires. Unexpected lay off is one of those unpleasant things that almost none of us feels secure against. Well, how to handle this if it happens? Of course, when everything is going just alright at work and  nothing remotely dangerous seems to happen, it is hard to make yourself think of what you are going to do should you be let go. As well as it’s almost impossible to prepare yourself for getting a bad news without being emotional. Regardless how well you think you prepared for taking it, you almost surely will be struck by it at least for the first moment.

But nonetheless, when first emotions settled down and you start thinking about practical things, the first question comes up: what’s next? And surely it would be much easier to pull yourself together if you already had some thoughts about it before. But, snowed under by daily routine, we rarely think about such things.

As soon as you conquer your frustration and despair, the first thing you need to do is to let as many people as possible know that you are looking for a job. If you feel uncomfortable to do so, you may not explain in detail the circumstances under which you left your last job. Just tell them that you are looking for new opportunities. You never know where the help may come from. Given endless possibilities of today’s social media it is not hard to do.

Another point we wanted to make here is that there is a certain difference between an EMPLOYED person looking for a new job and UNEMPLOYED one. Being employed gives you a luxury to be selective in your job search. You can take time to ponder different details of upcoming opportunities. You can freely negotiate your salary, benefits, and other employment conditions. There is almost no pressure. While being out of work a certain nervousness comes up, which can affect you job search. Moreover, longer brakes may raise suspicion of recruiters and prospective employers. Not all of them buy into explanations like: I have not found yet what ideally suits me.

Think about a possibility of taking even a temporary contract job and continue looking for another one, more suitable for you. Besides, a contract job or even a short assignment gives you valuable contacts (not virtual but personal) which can help in the future. Sometimes, a temporary assignment may turn into a permanent job, yet you may not be aware of it at first.

Even if you got a lucrative severance package from your last employer and think that it should suffice for a longer time, you’d better start looking immediately.

You may think that you shouldn’t go easily just for the first offer that you get. And you probably right about it. But remember, the longer you stay unemployed the fewer offers you will be receiving.

While we hope that you’ll never have to take this advice, be prepared for the worst and keep up your good work.