Got laid off, now what?

[dannyb278]

Was told today that my job no longer exists, about 10% of the workforce at my company was cut today. Could be worse, I could have been one of the 55 year olds that were terminated. As it stands I'm only 35, and was anticipating a carreer change.

My company did treat us very well and I understand why cuts are made.

Any advice on how to handle a layoff? Other than just go turkey hunting?

 

[Big Fin]

Bummer to hear that.

Advice; hmmm.

I've always said we have 50 productive years if our health stays good, from age 20 to 70.

If you are 35, you are only 15 years in, with 35 years ahead. Invest in yourself to create what you want from life. That investment can be money for training or education that gives you the career you've dreamed of. Or the investment might be the time to clear your mind and build that plan for the future you want.

Still a ton of options ahead at your age. Make it what you want it to be.

Good luck.

 

[Gerald Martin]

I'd suggest turkey hunting in the morning and bear hunting in the evening. That will give you plenty of time to reflect on Big Fin's advice. Eventually, the answer will come to you. Good luck with finding a career that you like and meets your needs.

 

[Southern Elk]

Sorry to hear that. Only you know what's best for yourself. I wasn't laid off, but starting my own business after working for other folks was the best move that I ever made. I make my own schedule, which usually revolves around my family and hunting. Good luck!

 

[HighDesertSage]

Sorry to hear this, I have been there. Make sure you apply for unemployment benefits. You pay into that system and it's there to use for these kinds of situations. Get set up on linked in and grow your network. You'll be amazed at the opportunities that are available out there.

 

[MN Public Hunter]

Um, start looking for another job? Get your resume on Monster and Careerbuilder. Do not just go hunting

Maybe post up what you do here and someone here might have something for you or a lead.

 

[1_pointer]

Bummer to hear that.

Advice; hmmm.

I've always said we have 50 productive years if our health stays good, from age 20 to 70.

If you are 35, you are only 15 years in, with 35 years ahead. Invest in yourself to create what you want from life. That investment can be money for training or education that gives you the career you've dreamed of. Or the investment might be the time to clear your mind and build that plan for the future you want.

Still a ton of options ahead at your age. Make it what you want it to be.

Good luck.

Whole lot of wisdom in this post. Just wish I had the wisdom to follow it...

 

[DRAFTSTUD]

Been there, done that. First look to see what your skills are in other industries. If you work with Heavy machines, what other industries do also. If you were given a severance can you invest into machinery that could start your own business. I did that 24 years ago and still have 2 grand of my severance and a business, so it can be done. Do you wish to retrain? Take this time to reinvent your self for current trends in business. Best of Luck! John

 

[Nameless Range]

Sorry to hear that. I will say that it seems like a common occurrence in the few people I have known who have lost their job unexpectedly that after a while they almost always look back on that moment as something they were glad had happened. This sound like an opportunity and a challenge - which are good things to have in life. Hope it pans out for you.

 

[JDH]

Um, start looking for another job? Get your resume on Monster and Careerbuilder. Do not just go hunting

Maybe post up what you do here and someone here might have something for you or a lead.

Been through this as well. Get your resume up online and whatever happens don't get discouraged if it takes a while. I was unemployed for 9 months and only had a few interviews then took a temp job that turned into permanent. 6 months later got 2 better offers at the same time back in my career. It's strange how everything works out.
I do have to admit that the timing of the layoff was right before September which was great for hunting. I had a lot of firsts while hunting that winter. You just have to keep your head up and understand that if you are putting your resume out there you are doing everything you can and it is out of your control.

 

[charliebravo77]

If you can't afford to be out of work for an extended period then treat unemployment itself as a full-time job and commit more than just a few minutes a day polishing your resume, applying to jobs, talking to people in your social network, contact relevant recruiters, etc. I spent 3 years looking for a new job off and on while still employed and one ended up finally just falling into my lap. Had I been a bit more proactive it'd probably have taken a lot less time.

Change is often a hassle in the short-term, but in the long run it might be beneficial and open up new opportunities.

 

[North Country]

Depends on your location, skills, and what your living expenses are. I've been unemployed since January but I had a nice chunk of change set aside and keep my living expenses low so I have been able to take my time looking for jobs. I actually ended up sending a resume to a corporation as a joke thinking they would never consider me because I had zero relevant experience. Surprisingly that joke turned into an offer.

Set your sights on what you really want to do. Don't let your past experience dictate your future experience. Get your resume perfect. Don't be afraid to take a couple interviews just to knock off the rust so you will be ready for the ones that really excite you.

I saw you wrote a piece about Jim Harrison a while back. If writing is something you enjoy I would devote some time each morning to that now that you have the extra time.

A wise man once told me that one of the flaws we have is that the more free time we have the more free time we seem to waste. You have be careful to protect yourself against that while you don't have any commitments. Best of luck to you.

 

[dannyb278]

Thanks one and all for the advice.


"Set your sights on what you really want to do. Don't let your past experience dictate your future experience."-

thank you for this, Is exactly what I needed to hear

I've spent the last ten years working as a resource specialist and land analyst for both the public and private sectors. Spent about half that time in the u.s. forest service and the other half in the oil sector.

I absolutely loved working for the forest service but family situation required that I move back to Minneapolis metro area.

I'm thinking about using my experience in environmental analysis, NEPA, and the ESA into consulting to private landowners in improving wildlife habitat.

I currently do all the wildlife habitat planning on my families 300 acres in southern Minnesota.

What I really want to do is simply be my own boss. I may get my real estate license for residential real estate while trying to build the land side up.

I've also been writing part-time for the Wide Open Spaces website and I'm going to try to get a little more aggressive in finding other writing opportunities.

 

[BrokenWing]

Sounds like you are heading down the right path.

I echo what others have said. Don't let any talk of doomsday economic news, employment reports or competition keep you from chasing what you want to do.

If you are committed you can/will outwork everyone and build your own market/demand. Get after it...maybe kill a few gobblers first!

 

[Big Slick]

All will work out in due time, Head up!

 

[LopeHunter]

LinkedIn is a good way to network. Best part of LinkedIn is once you link to someone then you are linked even when you or they change jobs. Without LinkedIn, your work email goes away when you leave a company so people might not ever locate you.

If are not a LinkedIn user, some tips. Avoid shot-gunning invites to people you do not know. Sure, you can get a reply to an invite sent to someone that went to your college or worked at your company at a different time than you but if too many of your invites get a "I don't know this person" response then you get put in a penalty box for a month or so.

If you have business cards from others over the past few years, start pinging those contacts and mention how you knew them (we attended the NVV conference in 2012 or I bought supplies from you when I was at Company X or you sold them items when you were at Company X or you were in a training class together or you met at the Wildlife dinner or PTA or Church). You can email if that is on the card and is current. Otherwise, search LinkedIn for them using their name. Strike while the iron is hot so shows you like to work and want to work again for a company soon.

Keep a log of who you attempted to contact, how tried, date, and if got response.

Once you have communication established then you can ask if they know of any openings. If they do, great. If they do not then ask it there is a person or two they could introduce you to in the industry or skill set (may be peer, may be higher or lower in their career...all is good) you want to work in/at. Repeat until the trail runs dry. Circle back to your original contact and update them that you called person Z and they gave you a good lead. Shows you took action and you can again ask if they can think of someone else.

The first 25 or so LinkedIn contacts are the toughest to establish since you look like "spam" when have only a couple of Links.

Get your LinkedIn bio current. Reach out to people on LinkedIn that know you and get them to submit a reference for you. You get to review before is made active so no worry they say something awkwardly. If you are a team player, get a reference for that from someone. If a great coach or always on time or found a way to save money for the company or showed initiative, etc, then those are things you want in the references.

Join a few groups at LinkedIn. If went to college, there is an alum group or maybe several. Join. Job listings get mentioned there. Be aware that the groups you join on LinkedIn reflect on you so consider what blowback you might get if you join a group that might generate heartburn in a hiring manager. You are building your "brand" and a valuable brand has Links, group memberships, references, a bio that is easy to read and understand and shows career progression. Facts are facts though how we build up a fact or tone it down can help improve the value of the brand.

Be upfront on the layoff. "X% of my office or division or skill set were laid off on May 1, 2016. I loved working for Company X and gained so much knowledge as a part of that team. I am now looking for the next team to help make successful."

Try not to burn bridges even if feel got a raw deal. The world is very small for an industry or skill set. We all get the shaft at times. Sometimes we deserved the shaft. Other times was a raw deal.

Most of the above you probably know better than me but, in case one or tidbits are useful, wanted to share. PM is you want to Link to me on LinkedIn. I have around 2000 links. I am close to about 100 and the rest are casual connections that might be useful but my influence is minimal. Once you link to me, you can see all my contacts and in some cases all their contacts. I will introduce you if you see some of them that make sense.

Good luck. Is good to be active. I have no desire to retire and hope I stay active long enough that they tip me into a casket from my office chair.

 

[dcopas78]

I changed career paths when I was in my mid 20s. I was doing site remediation, landfill design and management, hazardous materials management and emergency response for a large environmental firm. I lived out of a suitcase about 10 months out of the year. I decided I didn't want to do that for the rest of my life. I stuck with the environmental management fields, I just changed from the environmental engineering (mostly private) to the civil engineering (mostly public) fields. I work 13 miles from home, work mostly 40-hour weeks, make a comfortable wage and I will be retired with a public employee pension when I am 57...unless they screw it up. Small town or local governments usually value their employees and treat them well. Just a thought. I wish you luck!

 

[Sapper.dawg]

My company is looking to hire someone with your experience in Bloomington, MN.....be happy to refer you through our jobs portal. Send me a PM and we can trade info.

 

[Brittany Chukarman]

I'd suggest turkey hunting in the morning and bear hunting in the evening. That will give you plenty of time to reflect on Big Fin's advice. Eventually, the answer will come to you. Good luck with finding a career that you like and meets your needs.

There's a lot of truth to that. I've had work problems that I just could not come up with a solution while working. If I got away from work and the problem which to me was the highest chukar mountain I could find, sometime during the day without even thinking about it I would figure it out.

 

[Blacktailbc]

I would also take a hard look at local/state government jobs in your field. Downside is you will have a boss, and you will never get rich. The upside is you will have steady work, secure, and usually a good retirement. Most business owners, etc work until they are 65-70. With a good public sector retirement, you can get out at 55-57. Thats 10-12 years to do whatever you want, vs working. Just somthing to think about. Good luck, whatever you decide.