Pongo Blog | When You Get Laid Off, Tell Everyone

The door is that way, buh-bye. The other day my sister-in-law told me about a mutual friend for whom the handwriting seems to be on the wall. The "impending layoff" handwriting, that is. Our friend has been invited to a meeting with the board of directors at work this Friday, hasn't been told the meeting's agenda, knows there are no new projects in the pipeline, and her industry is in a slump.

She's convinced (let's hope wrongly) that she'll be heading home Friday night with a pink slip.

Her predicament got me thinking about what I would do if it were me about to be laid off. I decided my first step (after updating my resume, of course) would be to immediately announce the news to all my family and friends so they could become allies in my efforts to land a new job.

Job boards and social networking sites are great, and they should definitely be part of your job search plan. But a "tip from a friend or family member" is one of the best ways to find a new job.

Below is a rough draft of the kind of announcement I'm thinking of, which you should send via e-mail to enable easy forwarding. (However, if you're inserting business cards, you'll need to use the paper-and-stamps kind of mail.)

Dear Family and Friends,

Well, I've become a statistic. Last week, I was laid off from my job at Former Corp, where I'd been working as Coordination Coordinator for almost five years. Naturally, this was an unwelcome turn of events, but in a way, I'm excited about the new possibilities it opens up. [Note: This optimism is probably BS. But you want people to think of you as a positive go-getter, not a dejected zombie, which may be what you actually feel like. ]

Rather than keep this news a secret, I decided I'd just lay my cards on the table and ask my "network" for a favor: Would you take a minute to consider whether you, or anyone you know – a friend, a neighbor, your hairdresser, your kid's coach – might have any connections, information, or suggestions for me?

In case you're not sure what I do …

[Insert one of these three options here]

Summarize your qualifications and desired positions.
or
Attach your resume.
or
Have business cards printed with your contact information and qualifications (like a mini-resume) and insert several in each letter.

Please don't feel obligated to respond. I just wanted to put the word out that I'm in the market for a new position, because you never know until you ask.

[Here you could insert a personal comment, say thanks in advance, ask for advice or prayers or lucky vibes, whatever feels right for you.]

Best regards,

A. Jobseeker
123 Main Street
Anytown, ST 00001
555-345-6789
ajobseeker@myemail.com

P.S. If you know of anyone else who's job hunting, I'd be glad to share any leads I come across as I conduct my own search! (Or we can just commiserate.)

You've got nothing to lose by spreading the word and getting your loved ones working on your side. Layoffs are happening everywhere, to everyone. Enlist the people who know and care about you to be your partners on this journey.

At worst, you'll get some cyber hugs to boost your spirits. And who knows? Your dream job may have just opened up at your uncle's mechanic's next-door neighbor's company.

We'd like to hear how you've coped with layoffs and unemployment. What worked? What do you wish you'd done differently? Please leave a comment.

Well, I can tell you that almost two years ago, that did happen to me. I new that my supervisor was coming to visit but she did occasionally anyways. But this time it was to tell me that my position was eliminated and that I needed to leave.

So there I was...the first time in my life unemployed. I didn't update my resume' right away, I told my family and friends first. Then I took some time to "take it all in" and decided I was burned out "for now" in my present career anyways. Soon after began looking for a job through various channels including the internet, etc.

But your information regarding contacts that your family and friends know is VERY important. I live about 3 hours from my family and after about 10 months of unemployment I landed a job. Here's the clincher....it was my moms cleaning lady that helped me get the job I have presently. She happen to know I was looking and her sister in law lives/works in the city where I do. She was in need of hiring a Sr. Administrative Asst. so she put me in touch and I've been here for about a year now. One never knows!

So sometimes it really is who you know!

This isn't my end all be all of jobs and I miss Marketing which is what I spent many years doing. So thanks to Pongo, I've updated my resume' and am beginning to job hunt again.

Hello Readers,

On another post, we received a comment form reader "Jes," who reported great success with this technique of "telling everyone." She's been getting job leads from all sorts of people.

HOWEVER, some of these leads have nothing to do with her field, and/or are at a lower career level than she is looking for. She reports:

>>"Here is how I have been responding when these people are thoughtful enough to mention one of these positions: I thank them and let them know I'll look into it and then I give them a copy of my resume. I hand off the resume partly to encourage them to continue to think of me, but also to urge them to read between the lines a bit and see my depth of experience.

I may reach a point where one of these positions is going to save my family but until I am there, how do I not offend them but stay honest?"<<

Well, Jes, I think you're doing beautifully, but I would take it one step further. Along with the copy of your resume, why not give them a list of job titles that you are qualified for?

I think your best bet is to tell them the truth right away, with a polite statement such as:

"Thank you so much for the information about the cashier position. I'm definitely hanging on to it, but at this point, I am still holding out hope that I will find another position in the XXX field, which is where I've been working for the past several years. Here's a copy of my resume, and a list of some of the job titles that I've been applying for. I hope you'll keep thinking of me!"

Something like that should get the message across, and make it easier for them to give you appropriate leads.

(Meanwhile, pay it forward and give those leads to others who might be looking for exactly that kind of opportunity!)

-- Julie

What to Do When You Get Laid Off: Tell Everyone