Imagine the most dreaded thing has happened: You have been laid off from your job at the newspaper. Or
is it the worst thing that could have happened?
You wonder, "Now what do I do?" Take a deep breath. Though emotions may overwhelm you, there is life after layoffs. Easy for me to say? No, I recall working at a newspaper in 1995 when about 115 journalists and business side employees were laid off.
The process, much like a funeral wake, started with tears and goodbyes. But after we ate cake and lamented about days gone by, we began building our colleagues' portfolios and got them to focus on themselves.
When was the last time you had the opportunity to focus on you, on your career and on what you want to do?
Take this time to do an honest self-assessment.
Ask yourself what you really want:
- What are your top 10 priorities for your personal life and your career?
- What work would you be happy doing?
- What are you good at that will give you a sense of satisfaction?
- Where do you want to do that?
- What are your core values that keep you committed to your job?
- Where is a company that shares those values?
- Where do you really want to live? (Is this a time to get "back home," however you define that?)
- How far are you willing to move?
- How much money do you need to make this move good for you and your family?
Ask yourself what you have to offer:
- What are your accomplishments?
- What strengths have you developed as you met challenges that seemed overwhelming?
- How have you survived in such a changing world?
- What technology has become part of your repertoire?
- How have you cultivated teamwork, leadership skills, learning on the fly?
- What were some of the results of your work and how did they help the company?
- Who at your company would speak well of you?
- What would your bosses say?
Take this time to build opportunity. Write down these answers and begin to build your resume.
Make a list of everyone you know. Bosses, colleagues, vendors, associates, customers, sources, neighbors, folks at church -- they're all in your network.
Contact these people. Quickly describe your situation and tell them you are networking for your next career move. Make sure you note what makes you valuable to a new employer. Go talk to some of these people, and if they know of no openings, ask them if they can refer you to someone else.
Keep records of whom you met, when you met them and what transpired in the conversation. Write thank-you notes to all who offer you assistance. Follow up each month, keeping this network fresh.
Research the marketplace. Go to career sites such as
Monster and
Careerbuilder.com and niche sites like
JournalismJobs.com and
Poynter Career Center. (You can
search media jobs posted all over the Web by clicking on the "Jobs from all around the Web" link at the bottom of the right-hand Career Center column.)
Don't do this alone. Job hunting is exhausting and it is lonely. Your best friend is confidence, but when you are putting yourself out there for potential rejection day after day, it is hard to maintain your confidence. Find yourself a coach: someone with experience in the industry, someone with whom you can talk frankly about your search.
Keep an objective perspective on your progress in making contacts and interviewing. Finding the right job is work, but the investment is worthwhile.
Next week: Using mentoring to teach and learn.
I took the buyout offered by my paper after a...
