A rough economy has a backlash in all directions. Companies are looking to keep their investors happy. If they’re not selling products they’ll be looking to trim the fat. You may not think you are part of the fat, but the higher ups might not see it the same way. It’s up to you to insulate yourself as best as you can against being tossed back into the unemployment pool. It’s important to have a plan in place that will speed up the process of landing a new job.

I had a friend who recently was laid off. She describes her experience and plans in this email:

My Dear Friends,

Well, The Great Recession has claimed another victim – yours truly.  I was “separated” from (my company) last week, closing a 10 year chapter of my career.  The blow is cushioned with a severance package and I will receive some pay-outs of various retirement plans so I should be OK for a while.  Of course, whatever I live off of today is what I will not be able to live off of in retirement.  And while today is not the most opportune time to be looking for a job in the retail field, I have at least been equipped with outplacement services for 6 months and an astonishing network of (ex-company) executives who have banded together to form a kind of support group.  Extraordinary.  I have dubbed it the (XX) Group - (Ex Executives) - and there are 10 of us so far, including two fellow Directors and my ex-boss.  Our first gathering is tomorrow night.

So I have dusted off my resume and the outplacement firm will help me fluff it up as well as help me brush up on my interviewing and networking skills.  I have an extensive list of head-hunters, courtesy of another friend who is job searching and a good business network both in NY and overseas.  I also have some really solid friends who are pitching in and getting my name out to help with my fishing expedition.  I also have financial advisors who will help me maneuver my way through that tricky maze.

And I have my friends.  Yes, you!  I am counting on you to keep sending me amusing emails to keep me laughing, and to remind me that in spite of it all, I do have much to be grateful for, not the least of which is an army of moral supporters who will not let me down!

My plan is to launch the job search in earnest at the beginning of the year knowing that the fourth quarter is shaping up to be one of the worst in recent memory and NO ONE in my business is going to be hiring until they get their bearings on how rough and long-lasting this storm is going to be.  But business and life will continue and I will be ready to seize any reasonable opportunity.  In the meantime, I intend to enjoy the holiday season, do a lot of things I never had time for and work hard to open the next door.  And in that order!

Let us all count our blessings,

D

Karl’s Note – (Brackets) were used to protect identities.

D is smart and has created a system to help her recover from her company’s layoffs. We are going to break down what she did and how you can insulate yourself from going into debt. 

Your Company Network

That means staying friendly with the right people. Yes, it’s all about playing corporate politics, but it’s going to reduce your amount of time without a job. No one wants to lay-off a person that they walked through fire with and made it out the other side. They will fight for you as long as they can (basically until their job is on the line).

Eventually the cuts will come closer and closer if the company doesn’t start turning their cash flow around. That means you have two options: just wait it out until you are laid off or get your butt in gear and start connecting with people who can help you find a new job. If you do get laid off, you want to be in position to use your contacts at your old company. They will want to walk through fire with you again.

External Network

Being fired or laid off requires you to fall back on your external network (friends outside the company) to help you find a new job. You may know a good head hunter who understands what company would be a good fit or you may know the manager of your company’s competitor who needs someone like you. It’s all about continually expanding your network. If you are too busy to keep in touch with past friends and acquaintances then you are hurting your chances for future employment.

Head Hunter

Finding the right head hunter who understands your profession is difficult. You don’t want someone who finds staff for caterers; you want someone who knows your industry. The best thing you can do is interview head hunters. Don’t pick the first one that you see.

It’s all about asking the right questions. Make sure you understand their background and how long they’ve been finding people jobs within your industry. If they know what they are doing then let them do all the hard work. They will typically be paid 25% of your first year’s salary. This is paid by the company that hires you, and if the company thinks you are a good fit then they’ll happily pay the premium.

Friends

Hopefully you’ve made friends within the industry. They like your style and are willing to vouch for your ability to work brilliantly. This is where it hurts to be young. Gen Y just doesn’t have the same amount of connections as older Gen X’s and Baby Boomers. But that’s why it’s good to expand your network now. Waiting until next week to email that friend in another company, which we know will eventually be forgotten about, won’t help you find a new job.

Constantly expanding your network beyond what you think will help you in the future is always beneficial. Some of my best contacts help me figure out problems that they’ve already encountered at their company. You may just find that mentor to help take your career to the next level. You’re killing two problems with one stone, making yourself more useful at your present job and making connections with people who can help you find a new job if you need one.

I asked D a few interview questions and she was kind enough to expand on her original thoughts.

What do you do to protect yourself from being laid off?  

Kept a positive attitude, continued “business as usual” vs obsessing about the inevitable (over which I probably had no control) and tried to set a good example for my staff and peers.  (P.S.  I got laid off anyway!)

Am I leaving off a part of a networking tool that you would use?  

Contact EVERYONE – you never know who knows someone who knows someone who could be looking to hire someone.  You touched on many of the people anyone should get in touch with.  My network will include:  friends and their friends that they put me in touch with, people I used to work with daily, occasionally or only once (but I feel I made an impresssion on the person I am contacting), people I used to work with, people I went to school with (college and high school), neighbors, and business contacts. The old adage about “the network” being the most reliable way to find your next job is REALLY true!  I got my last four jobs through “the network.”  But note:  The network will not get you your next job – it will only connect you to people who are hiring.  YOU have to earn your next job yourself.

I suggest you research LinkedIn – the largest online network of professionals in the world.  You can look for a job, look for someone to hire, potential clients, venture capitalists, potential partners, business contacts etc.  It is the professional equivalent of Face Book, etc. and my outplacement counselor advised that the first thing I do is build my contacts in that system.

If you’ve been laid off, what tools did you or are you using to find a better job?

Prepare a professional resume (2 pgs MAX) – no tricks, just the facts.  ALWAYS include your address, email address and phone number.  Have your resume on an e-file that you can email it and have several hard copies ready to be sent as well.  Use GOOD stationery and even if you email a copy, always follow up with a hard copy – it’s a good excuse to stay in their face.

Print professional looking business cards.  Once you have your cards printed, always carry a supply with you AT ALL TIMES.

• Network like crazy - LinkedIn
• Job Search sites like Monster.com

Recruiters – good advice to seek out specialists; use as many GOOD recruiters as you can (if you are unemployed; if you are still working, BE DISCREET!)  It’s a numbers game so you want the most people trying to find your next opportunity.

Think about your strengths/weaknesses and match that to the next job – don’t go into (or continue in) sales if you hate working with people!

Research companies you admire and would like to work for – see if you can network your way in.  If not, try a “cold call” with a compelling cover letter.

Encourage companies to invite you for an exploratory interview even if no job exists – it’s good practice, and something may come up in the near future.  Go in with a reason why they should hire you.  Be confident, but not cocky.

Research the company you are interviewing with BEFORE the interview and find a way to drop a few pearls about what you know about the company

Keep a diary and be religious about following up with phone calls, letters – companies are not returning calls these days because there are too many applicants.  Which applicants do you think they are going to remember – the ones who just sent a resume or the ones who follow up with phone calls and/or letters?

ALWAYS follow up an interview (phone interview or in person) with a thank you note – I personally prefer a hand-written note because it shows that you took the time.  But many people find an email acceptable these days.

Consider relocation – it opens up possibilities. Consider one step back now to make one step forward later.

Think about transferable skills – maybe you were a “user” consultant and part of a pilot group that launched a new system in your company and found that you are really good at IT.  Maybe you ran a few training workshops in your company and it turns out you are good at it – could you be an HR training specialist in your next job?

Are there any job fairs in your area?  Do a little research and if there are recruiters for companies you are interested in and are recruiter for your level, you should definitely attend!

Are there any networking events?  These can be quasi-social so might actually be fun.  THIS IS WHY YOU NEED A BUSINESS CARD WITH YOUR NAME AND CONTACT INFORMATION

(P.S.  don’t forget to file for unemployment!)

Thanks D! I know that it’s always good to brush up on all these suggestions because you never know when you’ll need them.

What would you do or what have you done to secure your future? What are you doing to stay in touch with old friends?

If you enjoyed this post then you probably enjoy these too:

• A Steve Pavlina Interview on How to Build Your Career
• Your 3 Careers – Are You Ready?
• Trapped in a Job You Hate? How to Take that First Step Toward Career Bliss

Download the Free eBook Work Happy the Google Way * Post from: Work Happy Now!

If you take a hard look at your career, you’ll see hundreds of failures. A failure is rarely a dramatic occurrence. Most are usually small and hardly leave a blip on our awareness. No matter how small, the blip is registered and it often builds or reduces confidence. So if we break down our work happiness psyche, it all comes down to our ability to deal with each obstacle and how we use these experiences to build our careers.

Many people encounter difficulties and they either give up or avoid the challenge, instead of pushing through their fears.

Fear has dictated many of my actions.

When I didn’t enjoy my job it was usually because I was afraid of:

• Not being able to find a job that I really liked so I kept quitting and looking for something else.
• Being fired because I didn’t want to put effort into something that wasn’t rewarding me properly.
• Trying really hard and still getting caught in a tough position so I would just coast along, doing work that was just okay.

Fear is based in assumptions. We assume that our boss doesn’t care about our hard work, so what’s the point of trying. We assume that our hard work doesn’t matter. Our fear holds us back from reaching true greatness. The funny thing is that even the greatest business people often see faults in the choices they make. The difference is that they don’t let the fear dictate their future decisions.

I’ve seen dozens of people get fired because they did not put their full effort into making their job a success. They either wanted something easier or something more challenging. They were stuck on the seesaw of emotions, flying high or low, never really knowing what they wanted. Ask yourself: are you truly happy where you are? If not, you have choices and it’s up to you to empower your career and give it a good kick it in the butt.

Help Yourself Make a Choice

When you lay out all your options it’s easier to see what you need to do to find a career that will get you excited and keep your energy level high, whether it be a new perspective on the present job or doing something completely different.  Some of you may make lists of all the pros and cons of staying at your present job, use mind mapping techniques or talk to a trusted friend who knows you almost as well as you know yourself.

The only way to do work that you enjoy is to take risks:

• Ask for new tasks at your present job
• Try a similar job at another company
• Go back to school
• Experiment with other jobs that you think will hold your interest
• Start a company

Some of you may not love your jobs, but you are okay with this because you get to do what you love on the weekends. If you do a decent job that you enjoy and it doesn’t create that much stress then don’t be afraid to keep doing it. You don’t need to conquer the world if you enjoy what you do. However, for most of you this won’t cut it, so you need to find what type of work will trigger the most happiness.

An Emotional Foundation

It’s all about being honest with who you are and what you want. If you need to wake up and get excited about what you do to earn a living then it’s time to make a plan. You need to do some soul searching and write a list of emotional needs as related to your career. When working happy, money isn’t always a powerful motivator. Your career happiness will most likely depend on two main factors: Your ability to feel productive and the people you work with.

I created a list about 5 years ago and my shortened version looks like this:

• Writing
  • Poetry
  • Marketing/business
  • Self-help
  • Novels
• Public Speaking
  • Although it made me nervous it got me excited.
• Flexibility
  • Ability to go and be where I wanted, not be stuck in an office.
• Sharing of Ideas
  • I love to share and develop ideas with other people.
• Laughter
  • I wanted a job that was fun. Nothing too serious and uptight.
• Grand Goals
  • I wanted a job that had almost infinite possibility.

I realized that there wasn’t one job out there that was able to satisfy my needs. I am building on my career to get where I want to go. I looked at my list and tried to figure out what niche would best fit my talents. I pictured myself in a whole mess of careers: advertising, copywriter, freelancer, massage therapist, chiropractor, poet, school counselor, artist, teacher, and novelist. None of them seemed practical and a solid fit for me. I knew that I wanted to write, but not sure what niche. I also knew that I wanted to speak and engage the public. The more that I kept coming back to my desires, my career came into focus.

That’s why I started Work Happy Now, my fifth blog. It fit with my degree (Business – Marketing), my passions (writing and public speaking), and it also satisfied the most crucial need for me (The ability to be creative). Practicing this work on the side makes my day job easier to go to each morning. I know that I’m building toward a greater goal.

Building Your Skills

I’m currently working for a company, but I’m also gaining valuable experience to build on my career foundation. I speak to various schools about financial literacy (public speaking), I create PR for my company (refine my business writing), and I get to design brochures and web banners for the website (creative).

When you can find ways to increase your skills at your present job then it will become more enjoyable.

You must create opportunity to help see greater possibility. That may mean doing work outside of your job details, but that’s how you get ahead.

Try building on your career foundation by:

• Asking a co-worker if they need help on a project.
• Asking your boss’s advice on a report.
• Asking your boss for a specific project that interests you.
• Develop a project that you think will help the company and when it’s got some substance – pitch it to your boss.

You have to create opportunities.

Pride + Passion = Success

Being good at a job takes pride.  We have to care about the outcome or we are never going to double check our reports or follow up with that annoying customer.

It’s harder to care about work that is monotonous. If you can’t find a reason to care about the outcome of your work then it’s up to you to take control and find out what you really need to feel successful.

You have to ask yourself why you either lost or never had pride in your job. If it’s fear then it’s your fault. If you are bored then it’s also your fault. I’m going to be honest. You are the reason that you are in this position. It’s really up to you to release that fear and do what gives you the best odds to be happy.

Find A Career that Fulfills Your Dreams

Look at your list of emotional needs and find the theme that emerges. Every list has a theme and yours will help lead you to the career that will build energy instead of sucking it away from you.

Down deep, you probably have some idea of your dream job. It’s your fear that keeps you from pursuing this career. The easiest way to release your fear is to imagine yourself doing what you love. Allow yourself to feel these emotions. Let them build passion. Visualization is a great technique to build motivation, but you must also act on these feelings to encourage change.

If you want to change career paths then start taking little steps toward that goal:

• Talk to people who have a similar career and find out how they created their path
• Go to night school
• Create a website
• Join a club
• Join a network online

Every time you add new tools to your skill set, your fear will likely regress. Start small and keep on taking baby steps.

If you only have a general idea of what you would love to do then create a list of steps to accomplish. As you mark off your progress your confidence will grow and the apprehension will wither away. Before you even reach your dream career you’ll be enjoying the foundation that will make it happen. That’s what it means to work happy NOW. You have to appease the “present you” to keep yourself motivated to improve your career.

So go take a baby step and surround yourself in an environment that will make you happy. If you like to organize then join a club and make contacts. If you love writing then create a blog. If you like sports then volunteer at your local college and start making contacts that will help you develop this passion.

Your skills will take time to build, but I promise if you stick with it you’ll see progress. You’ll slowly add new friends in the industry. These new friends may one day help you find a job that will make your dream career a reality.

Now go get started and add a new skill to your foundation and see what happens.

Here are a few articles from my fellow bloggers that will help you gain a better understanding of what direction to take:

• Escape from Cubicle Nation: Stop searching for the perfect job and start finding your life’s work
• Seth Godin: Get to vs. have to
• Get Rich Slowly: How Do You Turn Passion into a Career? (And Should You?)

If you haven’t found your perfect job (like most of us) then what are you doing to find a career that fits your emotional needs? Let’s discuss in the comments so we can learn from each other’s choices.

Articles Related to Making Your Career So Cool that You Almost Pee Yourself:

• Your 3 Careers – Are You Ready?
• Trapped in a Job You Hate? How to Take that First Step Toward Career Bliss
• You Should be Celebrating Your Average and Tiny Successes

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Images courtesy of orphanjones and Walsh

Download the Free eBook Work Happy the Google Way * Post from: Work Happy Now!

This is a guest post from Janelle Vadnais, who is social media manager and a business blogger.

“It’s amazing how much unhappiness we needlessly cause ourselves by ascribing negative meanings to simple things that happen in our lives.” -Gaile Blanke

I hate my job.  Well, at least I used to.  Let me start at the beginning.

As long as I can remember, I’ve been an overachiever.  All throughout elementary and high school, I went from wanting to be a scientist to wanting to be a journalist.  The days of dreaming about DNA in test tubes quickly gave way to thoughts of working in a busy office environment editing news stories and meeting deadlines.  Bringing home anything less than an ‘A’ was unacceptable, and earning my Baccalaureate, Masters and then PhD was never an option; it was only a matter of being able to answer the question: “in what?” I finally decided on writing and editing because I determined it was what I liked above all else.  When college rolled around, I earned a full athletic scholarship to North Carolina State University for cross country and track.  And all throughout my undergraduate years, I thought I wanted to be a journalist.  I even did an internship for a well known, local magazine, but I soon realized that this wasn’t what I wanted to do; so through the course of taking a few electives, I transitioned into the fascinating field of Sociolinguistics and went on to earn my Masters degree in Linguistics. I set aside my applications for PhD programs when I came to the horrific realization that somewhere along the lines of having endured non-stop education from the time I was two years-old; I was burned out with school.

Crap.

The problem with most people who are unhappy in their “chosen” careers is that they are the victims of their own misery.  When I was in college, I was so determined to get that coveted sheet of paper-you know, the one that said I was a “Master of Arts” that I actually ended up losing focus of the other things around me that were important: my happiness.  I thought that having proof of an advanced degree would somehow make me happy, but in the end I was burned out and miserable…miserable because my only plan of action at that point was to immediately continue into getting my PhD, and I hadn’t exactly factored “burn out” into the mix.  And of course, as fate would have it, this all happened during my last couple of months of college.  With plan ‘A’ shot to hell and no plan ‘B’ to speak of, I knew I had to act fast otherwise I would wind up moving back home with my tail between my legs, so I did what anyone else in my situation would do: I joined the police department.

“Life can only be understood backwards; but it must be lived forwards.” Johann Wolfgang von Goethe

In retrospect, I can understand now how experience makes you wiser.  Going through the police academy taught me many things, mainly that I did NOT want to be a police officer for a living.  Needless to say, it was a unique experience and I certainly credit many of my friends and other officers I’ve met who are still serving the fine state of North Carolina.  But there came a point early on when I first enrolled in the police department when I thought to myself, “This is a mistake; you’re only doing this because you couldn’t find a job fast enough”.  It’s true.  I knew that I needed a job relatively quickly and the police department was hiring. 2+ 2=4, right? Wrong.  Sometimes you have to re-do the math and show your work.  I really didn’t think it through.  In fact, I even made up excuses and justified how a career in the police department might actually work out for me.  I could take my background in writing and editing, combine it with my background in sociolinguistics and maybe wind up as a detective behind a desk someday solving the world’s problems one crime at a time.  Who the heck was I kidding?

The long hours quickly wore me down. I would come home exhausted after a 10-12 hour midnight shift and get up the very next day to do it all over again.  The work, while it was physically challenging, was not mentally challenging enough.  I found myself bored while I was at work, and then too exhausted when I came home to do much of anything else.  What little social life I did have had almost died, and I soon found myself absolutely dreading going to work.  Hardly my dream career.  My overall outlook on where my career was heading seemed bleak.  I had been applying to jobs but only half-heartedly because negative thoughts coupled with low self confidence as well as feeling trapped in my current career were heavy on the forefront.  It finally took several long talks with my boyfriend and family to realize that I was the captain of the ship, and as the captain, I needed to pick a direction and stop blowing around in the wind.  I wrote down all of the things that were worrying me, possible solutions to the problems as well as why the problems weren’t getting solved, and you know what was to blame? My attitude.

I wish I had Known Then What I Know Now

Having been an athlete all my life, you would’ve thought that I might have had an inkling into just how powerful a role your mental state plays in your life.  Negative thoughts are like a virus.  Once they get into your head, they have the potential to spread and multiply like wildfire.  I felt like I wasn’t in control of my career path.  I began to feel miserable and didn’t even know why. Getting out of bed every day and chanting to yourself, “I hate my job I hate my job” is bound to get anyone down.

I think that the vast majority of people wind up in jobs or careers that they hate simply because their minds aren’t completely made up with what they really want to do.  This lack of experience lands you in a never ending circle of self-doubt, low confidence and feeling like you have to stick with whatever job you because you’re now bound by financial obligations, etc.  The key to happiness is changing your attitude.  If you’re unhappy about something- anything, assess why you feel that way.  Write it down, tell a friend.  Whatever you do, just make sure that you do something. (Karl’s note: I agree. One small step leads to another, which builds a career.) In my own struggles to get out of a dead-end career and into something more suitable, the following things have helped me:

Be knowledgeable: Know what makes you happy.  If you don’t know, perhaps it’s time to figure it out.

Be determined: Know what your goals are and stick to them.

Be positive: Know that things can and typically do go wrong. Nobody is perfect, but you can be better by knowing how to more effectively handle your stress.

Be surrounded: Know that you are not alone.  Use your resources: write down your thoughts; talk to a friend.  These things will help you.  Surround yourself with positive people who will encourage and guide you to make positive changes in your life.

Be wise: You’re never too old to make a change, and you’re never too young to learn from your mistakes. (Karl’s note: Yes! Go for your career happiness now!)

Janelle Vadnais is the Social Media Manager for Unlimited Web Solutions, Inc. and is the main blog writer for Create Business Growth.  You can follow her on Twitter also at ‘janellevadnais‘ or visit her on StumbleUpon.

Articles All About Finding a Job that will Bring You Career Happiness:

• Building Your Future Career Foundation
• Never Stop Expanding Your Network
• Give It Your All, Not for Your Boss, But for Your Own Work Happiness

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If anyone is interested in writing a story or article for Work Happy Now, please contact me at karl (at) workhappynow.com, thanks.

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Image courtesy of lamazone

Download the Free eBook Work Happy the Google Way * Post from: Work Happy Now!

You may do your job well, even so well that no one can complain, but you never get ahead. This career trap can cause many problems. The cause of the problem may be that you are one dimensional. You are so good at what you do and you’ve become so comfortable that you’ve stopped sharing thoughts, ideas, and helpful hints.

I’ve seen friends fall into this trap. When they need to expand their network they ignore the signs.

• Co-workers stop coming to them for help.
• They don’t reach out to people below and above them.
• They don’t take advantage of programs that might help them expand their skills.

Your Corporate Network

Many of you may be imagining some old man on the verge of retirement that has trouble adapting to the latest computer programs at work. This happens at every age. I’m relatively young, 32, but a few months ago I felt like I had become complacent at my job and I wasn’t keeping my co-worker network strong.

I decided to start calling people within the organization to just say hi. I always make it short and sweet and keep the conversation on them. They love it. They have been more willing to help me out with a problem instead of pushing me on to someone else.

Customer Network

This same problem happens with your customer base. When we get too comfortable and we stop reaching out to old contacts, we hinder the circular flow of love from our networks that helps us succeed.

You have to communicate to all levels within the organization to stay on the pulse of your company or your business, but you don’t have to push from just one angle. If you sell refrigerators and all you do is talk about how good they are, all day every day, people will tune you out.

Talk to people about what they enjoy most – themselves. Let them remember you for your graciousness and they will return the favor.

What do you do to expand your network?

Related Career Tips and Advice:

• Give It Your All, Not for Your Boss, But for Your Own Work Happiness
• Losing Heart In My Company – Reader’s Question
• Tell Your Boss You Need Leisure Time

* Buzzoodle Marketing wrote about being one dimensional, which spurred this article.

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Image courtesy of luc legay

Download the Free eBook Work Happy the Google Way * Post from: Work Happy Now!