I have just been laid off for the first time .....What I learned

I have just been laid off for the first time .....What I learned

Being laid off for the first time is a turning your world upside down experience.

Working in the Oil Patch I have myself been laid off (after 25 years of being an employee) and know many people who also have been laid off. When it happens for the first time, especially when you do not see it coming, it feels like a blow to the gut. I never really knew how much my job was part of my daily identity until it was gone. The downtown that was once familiar and welcoming felt lonely and strange. I thought I would share some of my experiences that resonated with others who were also laid off.

First things first - Reach Out

If you have been through a lay off, reach out to someone who is going through it for the first time. You can provide a sympathetic ear and share your own experiences if asked. Offer to take the person for coffee or lunch. They may not respond for a bit as they are hurting. Extend that helping hand, it will be appreciated.

What I learned (in no particular order)

  • Anger, frustration, feelings of betrayal and many more are part of the process. Everyone goes through these. I wrote many an email explaining why laying me off was not a good idea. The good advice I got was. Do not send these. I was fully prepared to go guns a blazing in the emails. Looking back on it it was a good thing I did not burn those bridges. Writing the letters helped me vent (I think). It took me one year to really get over the hurt I felt.
  • People are very willing to help you find a job, but you have to get out there and let them know you are looking.
  • Getting out and meeting people, to chat and let them know you are looking is important. Make the time to meet new people every week. Suppliers, Friends, People from School, People you have worked with in the past etc .... (I set a goal for myself that I would meet 3 people a week, then I started making a list). I also kept track of those people, who I had met, when I met them along with potential topics of conversation.
  • Check out meetup.com. They have many groups for technical people. I used these to meet people in one place, trade business cards and generally to let people know I was looking. It was awkward at first as everybody there had a job ... it got easier with time.
  • Get a business card. I went to Vista print and got a card made up. You always want something to give someone.
  • Update your LinkedIn profile, Get a professional looking profile picture. Not sure what is worse a picture of someone with their dog or no picture at all ... okay "no picture" is worse IMHO.
  • I was never brave enough to do this - Update you Facebook status to let people know you where laid off and are looking for a job. The premise being people cannot help if they have no idea you need a job.
  • Update your resume (this was the hardest part for me) as I needed to revamp mine from the ground up to be "accomplishment" based vs "responsibility based". There are many books on the subject.
  • Use Indeed a website job search. Get these job search engines working for you. Setup alerts and refine them. (there are more than Indeed, but I found Indeed to work the best for me)
  • Know that you will always get a job.
  • Jobs can come from the most unlikely sources. I have listened to stories on how people found their job (or how their job found them) and they have been as varied as the people themselves.
  • Be open to new jobs and experiences. When I was laid off I was not sure what I wanted to do. So I decided to do short term contract work for a while. I ended up doing many different jobs I would not have necessarily looked for as an employee. This helped me understand what I liked doing.
  • You now have some extra time you have not had before. Try something different. For me I was able to drive around town picking up soccer referee uniforms to send to Haiti.

Some stats from me

Out of the 4 jobs I have had over the last couple of years

  • Two came from people I networked with that I knew from past jobs (some as far back as 20 years ago).
  • One came out of the blue from randomly talking with a person at a meetup event.
  • One came from me applying for the job of an Indeed website job Ad.

The last one is the job I have now. It was one that I applied for more out of desperation (it was not on my top list) and it took many weeks before they called. As it turns out it is the best job I have ever had .... go figure.

People have come to me and asked what I would change if I was to do this all again ....

What I would change

  • My attitude .... I got so worked up over not having a job I found it hard to enjoy the time off. I would live my time off as if I already had a job lined up ..this is easy to say and hard to do.
  • I would eat less (ended up gaining weight the last time around).
  • Tell more people that I was looking for a job.
  • Finally I would forgive those that laid me off sooner (than the 1 year it took me). Hanging on to that negativity did not do me any good.


Hi Glenn. Thanks for this.  My husband has just been laid off and this may be very helpful for him.  Much appreciate the perspective.

Like
Reply
Leeza P.

Getting People Home Safely - One Job at a Time

6y

Nailed it on the head.

Like
Reply
Diana Goldstein

Civil Infrastructure Design Technologist Background: Petroleum Reservoir Engineering

6y

Thank you Grant for sharing 😊

Like
Reply
Grant Feddema

Leader, Contracts professional, positivity generator

6y

Sounds really accurate Glenn! Keeping the faith...

Josh Skiendziel

Vice President - Inside Operations

6y

Great article...nicely done

Like
Reply

To view or add a comment, sign in

Insights from the community

Explore topics