The Job Search Checklist: Everything You Need to Know to Get Back to Work After a Layoff

By Damian Birkel

It’s been a long time since you had to search for a new job. You may be wondering, How did I get this last one so many years ago? What has changed since I last hit the job market? Have I since gathered more knowledge and experience that qualifies me for something better this time around? Where does one get started? The Job Search Checklist is your saving grace! This indispensable guide covers everything from dealing with the emotional impact of being laid off to rebuilding your professional identity. Within these pages, you’ll find solid advice on: • Developing a career plan by taking stock of your experience, abilities, and goals • Crafting an effective résumé and building Internet-friendly documents • Creating a “personal marketing plan” to promote yourself to potential employers • Finding the hidden job market through in-person and online networking• And much more!Complete with downloadable templates, sample cover letters, a range of effective résumé formats, and helpful checklists throughout the book, this invaluable resource gets you on the right path toward your next career and keeps you there.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Thomas Nelson
• Release date: Oct 15, 2013
• ISBN: 9780814432921

Damian Birkel

DAMIAN BIRKEL is a certified career counselor and the founder of Professionals in Transition(R) Support Group. His job search methodology has been used by more than 5,000 out-of-work professionals to find new employment. His expertise has been featured on Fox News, CNN, NPR, and in USA Today, Fortune, Time, and The Wall Street Journal.

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STEP 1

The Emotional Impact of Job Loss

Job Loss Grieving

For me, the most difficult part of being downsized was the intense job loss flashbacks. I would be in the middle of applying for a job, on a follow-up phone call, or emailing; then (out of nowhere), I would flash back to the moment of my job loss. All of the intense emotions of losing my job would then follow—the shame and humiliation, the shock and denial, the fear and the panic, the bitterness and anger, and, on some days, the depression. I was ready to lash out, wanting to even the score with my old company in any way possible.

Resentment and anger drove me to build a small model boat that had plenty of room for all my outstanding company awards and a special place for a powerful cylindrical firecracker (left over from the 4th of July). I took one last look at my awards, lit the long fuse, and pushed the model boat quickly away from the shore. Soon a mushroom cloud of water erupted and all traces of my award-winning professional life were obliterated and slowly sank into the lake. It provided immense relief, but the next day my feelings of abandonment, discouragement, emptiness, and hopelessness were still there, along with the reality of being unemployed.

Why Is Job Loss Like an Emotional Wave?

Job loss grieving follows an Emotional Wave of Unemployment (or E-Wave) because without planning or permission, you are dumped into an ocean of emotions—shock and denial, fear and panic, anger, depression, and temporary acceptance. Just when you think you may have bottomed out, rejection creates one more wave you need to navigate.

Job loss grieving is a normal process people go through, although not everyone encounters all of the above stages. Losing a job is traumatic and devastating because there are no socially acceptable rituals to follow. Job loss is complicated and changes your life. People may not be able to see it, but you have been badly bruised on the inside. Still, you are expected to be strong on the outside.

Some people know in advance that downsizing is impending. They recognize the signs of layoffs, hear rumors that the company is going out of business, or simply work in a company that has constant turn over of personnel. They may take early retirement or start preparing well before the layoffs take effect. These individuals have the chance to process job loss on their time and terms and actually may be relieved when a final downsize or release occurs.

Once you understand the emotional stages of job loss grieving, you can better cope with the process. This chapter reviews each of the emotional stages of unemployment and provides proven strategies for conquering the loss. In addition, it discusses the potential impact of posttraumatic stress, the ongoing stress of being out of work, and how this stress may impact your ability to find a job.

Stage 1: Shock and Denial

Remember when you heard the words Your position has been eliminated plus all the other noise you heard (blah, blah, blah) from thereon, but didn't absorb, only to hear again I am sure you understand…. Mary from HR is going to introduce you to ‘blah, blah, blah,’ who will help you find another job. ‘blah, blah, blah’ ‘Good Luck.’….

Like so many others in your company who have been terminated, you have just gone into shock. Even if you believed the rumors, you didn't think the layoffs would affect you because you have:

Always done the right thing.

Worked overtime without complaint.

Postponed vacations when asked.

Always thought it would be someone else.

And, like most people, you probably said to yourself:

How could this happen to me?

This must be a mistake!

My professional life is over.

What will I tell my spouse and children?

The public announcement of your termination may not seem real and, at the time, nothing else will either. People have told me over the years that they felt like zombies in a bad movie…this is your mind going into shock.

Coping with Shock and Denial

Give yourself plenty of time and the privacy needed to recuperate. Fight the urge to blast your former employer on Facebook or Twitter. This is not the time to post anything on any public forum, write letters, call people, or broadcast the news of your termination. Instead, begin to think about your options and plan your next steps. Pamper yourself by allowing time for you to catch your breath, pause, and then