So You Just Got Laid Off

I never thought I'd be writing this Hub. I never thought that I'd have to deal with getting laid off, really.I may not be the bestemployee in the world, but usually even if I'm struggling at one part of it, I have some applicable skill that makes my employer think I'm worth keeping around for a little while longer.

But now, I get to experience it all firsthand. I just got laid off.

The company I worked for shut down. Bankrupcy. We all got a few hours notice, and that was all. Phone calls to say not to come in for any shifts after that day. All of a sudden, I find myself unemployed, at precisely the worst time for it.

But it's not all doom and gloom. Though I've been thrown into this mess headfirst, I've managed to learna few things already, and so far I've found them to be very helpful in keeping my head above water, at least emotionally. (Financially is still a work in progress.) And for all I know, somebody out there is, all of a sudden, in the exact same predicament that I am. So I'm going to share what I've learned, what's helping me, and what I expect will continue to help me in the future.

First off, remember that what happened is not your fault. Unless you got fired for theft or something, then losing your job is likely the problem of the company you worked for rather than a problem you caused. Maybe your job became obsolete, or the company has to downsize. It's awful to go through, but you can rest a little easier knowing that you didn't bring this on yourself.

The trick is to stay positive. It's hard sometimes, but it's important.I've found that making silly jokes has helped. If I start to feel stressed out about not having a job, I say to myself, "Well, at least I got that time off I asked for," or "Good thing I don't have to worry about that performance review!" It sounds silly, but it's effective. Make light of your situation. Say the words out loud. Saying them aloud instead of just in your head makes them real, makes them mean something. We all think a ton of things we don't mean, after all. And keeping thoughts locked inside makes them, in some ways, insubstantial. Turn thought into actual sound, and it's easier to believe it.

Don't look at this as having lost a job. Look at it as having gained an opportunity. I was fired once, from a crummy minimum wage job that was just barely keeping my head above water. I was within my probation period, so they didn't have to give a reason why they were letting me go, or notice. I came in for my shift and was told to go home. And it upset me. But it turned out to be a good thing. I started applying for jobs, even to places I didn't think I'd particularly enjoy working at, just to get some income again.

I was hired full-time at a call centre, where they paid me more than minimum wage. It wasn't ideal, but it gave me enough money to move into my own place again after having to live off charity for a year. It gave me health insurence to be able to buy my medications again. It gave me job security. I stayed there for 2 and a half years. I probably wouldn't have even bothered to apply there at all if I still was working even than cruddy little retail job. Being fired actually allowed me to move forward again in life.

I look at this situation the exact same way. Maybe being laid off will make me start seeing opportunities that I might have missed before, because I'd become too complacent. There's a saying amongst players of video games that nobody fights as fiercely as a man who has forgotten to save. Complacency can make is pass over the best chances, because we get comfortable in our ruts, and we don't want to take risks. Now, I'm in a position where risk-taking is a little bit easier to do. So I take a job that I thought would be great and turns out to be lousy? Well, at least I got paid for a while, and it's not like I left a well-paying stable job behind to do it.

Unless you have plenty of savings, finding a new job is going to be pretty much inevitable. And you may get discouraged before you even start, thinking about the bad economy. But even with the economy going down the drain, there are still jobs out there. True, they may not be great ones, but sometimes when we need money, we can't afford to be picky. If you end up with a part-time job bagging groceries, it may be terribly boring, but remember, that job may be the difference between eating and going hungry, paying your rent and going homeless.

It's an unpleasant way to look at it, but unless backup provisions are made, it's a fact of life and we have to deal with it.

But there are ways to help make it all more bearable. First of all, find out if you're entitled to employment insurence. Or unemployment insurence, depending how PC or un-PC your area of the world is. If you can get it, apply for it. It won't pay much, but it'll help support you until you can find a new job. All most EI places require to continue receiving those benefits is proof that you're actually still looking for a job, and what they often take as proof are lists of places you applied at. They may badger you about trying harder, but they also can't do much if you apply for jobs and nowhere calls you back. They can't force you to force somebody to hire you.

Once you've got EI, start applying for jobs. Even the lousy ones. As I said, if you have to take a less appealing job until something better comes along, you're at least getting paid, and you're keeping EI agents off your back.

The important thing to remember here is not to devalue yourself. It might be hard when you've worked as a tech support manager for 8 years and suddenly you're applying at Wal-Mart, but remember that you've got skills. Lots of them. Find a way to turn your skills in another area into something that can work for the company you're applying to. You were a techie? Tell them you're good with computers and machines and that you learn quickly. Tell them you're a problem solver and that you know how to think outside the box to find solutions.

The same thing applies is reverse. Spent the past 8 years working at Wal-Mart but you think you've got the skills to do tech support? Tell them you're used to working in a fast-paced environment and handling customer complaints and problems. Even if potential employers can see from your resume that your skillsets are primarily in another area, a good number of them are impressed by how versatile you can make yourself.

And more to the point, how versatile you seem willing to be. If you're willing to learn the needed skills, that counts for a lot, believe me.

Some people say that looking for a job is a full-time job in itself, and that you should probably spend about 40 hours a week actually doing it. I say that sometimes that's impossible. You can only apply for so many jobs before running out of places to apply. Even if you take the advice of some of the hardcord job applicants who tell you to send resumes to places that aren't even hiring yet, you'll still eventually run out of employment opportunities.

So what to do when you're not actively looking for jobs? Ah, now here comes the fun part of being unemployed. Here's where you can take some personal time to enjoy hobbies.

You may feel guilty about participating in hobbies when that nagging voice in your mind is telling you to hand out just one more resume. Tell that voice to shut up. Tell it that you've handed out resumes and called places all day, and now you deserve a little you-time, dangit. Looking for a job doesn't mean you need to suffer undue stress about it. Take some time for yourself and enjoy it.

For one thing, taking some time for enjoyable hobbies will benefit you in the long run. Stress is a terrible thing, and if you're feeling stressed out right now, that's completely natural. Everyone responds to stress differently, too. Me, I've found it hard to sleep for more than 6 hours at a time, and it's fitful sleep at that. I don't feel actively worried or rushed or scared. But my sleep schedule is off, my lungs spasm from my asthma, and my stomach likes to roil. Just because you're not feeling strong emotions doesn't mean you're not experiencing stress.

Stress can supress the immune system and make you more susceptible to getting sick. Which, annoyingly, adds yet more stress to your body, resulting in a cycle of pain and physical and emotional torment. It's really hard to make a good impression at an interview when you've got a runny nose and a throat so sore you can barely talk.

If you get stressed and frustrated enough, you might feel like crying. It's understandable. And here's where I'm sure some of you are expecting me to say, "Don't cry. Don't let it get you down, don't give in to emotional weakness like that." On the contrary. Go ahead and cry. Guys, this means you too, even though I know that socially it's harder for most males to let themselves cave and have a good cry.

Why do I advocate this? Because one thing that crying does is it gets rid of the stress chemicals that are building up inside your body. It's a release, not just emotionally but chemically, biologically, and it's healthy. You don't necessarily have to spend your days weeping in a corner, but if things get to be too much, don't be afraid or ashamed to shed tears. Ever notice how people tend to feel better after they've had a good cry? That's why.

This is why taking time to enjoy yourself is so important. Enjoying yourself lowers stress, and helps counteract all those problems.

Also, your hobbies might be another area where you can experience the fun risk-taking of being unemployed. If your hobby involves making things in some way, you've got a marketable skill. Artists may not get paid a whole lot, but they do get paid if they know how to market their art properly. I'm not saying that you can make full-time waves selling wood carvings or crocheted scarves, but you can make some money. Consider taking what you love and turning it into a profitable venture. Maybe even a home business. People often create small businesses doing what they love. There's no reason you can't do the same.

And if it doesn't work out, then hey, at` least you tried, and you had some fun with it. It's experience, and experience is a great teacher. Sometimes the weirdest things can help us with situations down the road that we couldn't foresee. Trust me, you'll know that when it happens!

Staying positive isn't the easiest thing to do in this situation, but it is important. Maintaining a healthy positive attitude is one of the best things you can do for yourself in times like these. It makes the essential things more bearable, and it makes the fun things more enjoyable.

And it makes it easier to see potential and opportunity in all its forms. Don't overlook something. If it caught your eye, it did so for a reason. Might be the universe's way of telling you, "Come over here. Do this. It's more worth it than you may think."

And best of luck to you in your endeavours. We'll both come out of this on the other side, I'm sure of it.