What I’ve Learned from Getting Laid Off Twice in Three Months

Posted: November 29th, 2008 | Author: Daniel Higginbotham | Filed under: Projects |

I wrote the following for Happy Job Search.

In August I got laid off because the startup I was working for was running out of funds. After getting a new job, I got laid off again in October, for the same reason. The first time was distressing to the point where I began to feel general anxiety - I would be sitting doing nothing and I would still feel a lot of anxiety. The second time around I handled the fallout and the job search much better, to the point where it was even fun. Here are some practices that worked well:

1. Unwind.

The first time I got laid off I immediately started to freak and start to look for new jobs. Half of the emails I sent didn’t have a resume attached. My cover letter was sloppy.

The second time I went out and got some dinner with my girlfriend and watched a movie. I was able to approach my situation much more objectively afterwords.

If you immediately get frantic or distraught, it’s hard to get yourself out of that place. Getting yourself in the right frame of the mind at the beginning will allow you to approach your job search with calmness.

2. Ask for help.

The first time I got laid off I tried to deal with everything myself. The result that was I felt like no one cared (surprise!). Having to struggle with that on top of everything else made me miserable.

The second time I immediately talked to my girlfriend about it, and talked to a couple friends soon after. I asked my friends to see if they knew anyone who needed a web developer. I didn’t get any referrals from them, but it was nice to feel cared for.

Looking back, the reason I tried to handle it myself the first time was because I felt ashamed. I pride myself on my work (and my ability to take care of my girlfriend, who is chronically ill), so getting laid off was a blow to my ego in a way. There’s no reason to feel this way, though.

3. Exercise.

I actually got this right the first time. Exercise helps freaking everything. It helped reduce my anxiety and it gave me more energy. It also gave me a feeling of accomplishment.

A great book has recently been written on the incredible benefits of exercise, and if you don’t already have a regimen I recommend you read it.

4. Get organized

Getting organized allowed me to feel in control. The first time, I was pretty haphazard in my approach to searching for jobs and following up. The result was that I felt constant anxiety because I wasn’t sure what I needed to next. I also didn’t have any clear way to see what I was accomplishing in my job search, so I never felt OK with the effort I was putting forth.

I created this web site to help me get organized, and using it helped reduce my anxiety. In addition to this site, here are a couple lists I used to get organized:

• Job checklist - what do with each application
• “Things I can do” - a list I made of possible projects to enhance my marketability and possibly provide revenue. I picked one major one (working on this site) and focused on it.

5. Always have something to move forward on.

The real benefit of getting organized was that I always had something to move forward on. This helped keep me from dwelling on rejections and it kept me motivated and excited. This was a huge improvement from the first layoff, where I was basically a mess :)

All of these practices helped me cope better. If you have any techniques that worked for you, please email them to me!

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