Tip No. 174
Q. I was recently laid off from a job I’ve had for over 13 years. I can’t seem to get started thinking about what’s next. Do you have any suggestions?
A. Typically an individual spends about 80% of his waking hours per week in the work place (Boyles, 2003). That is an enormous investment of time and energy, which you will now want to re-direct into your job search. This is a process that looks different for every person. One concrete suggestion might be to give yourself a specific time frame and use that time to consider those tasks in your job that you have most enjoyed and been successful doing. Then, consider what types of skills or strengths you used when you worked on these tasks for inclusion in your new resume. Do some research and put together a concise resume. Join a professional group in your area of expertise to expand your network and also immediately begin putting together a list of people whom you already know with whom you can network. Don’t delay in beginning to contact people on your networking list. When you have your actual networking meetings, do not “lead” with your resume; instead, take the time to talk about a few of the specific accomplishments that you have had, so that your listener understands where you have been and can think of others to refer you to. Continue to apply yourself and spend your time networking and job-hunting each day. If you work as hard at getting a job as you worked at your last job, you will find that reemployment will not be a huge hurdle!
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