Career Strategies after a Layoff

It's an experience all too many professionals have faced recently: the dreaded layoff. If you've been laid off—or fear you may be soon—you may be so paralyzed by fear, anxiety or just plain shock that you feel helpless and don't know what to do.

That's only natural, but it's important to pull yourself together and formulate your plan of attack. The actions you take immediately after a layoff can help determine where your career goes from here. They can also help you get your professional life back on track as quickly as possible.

This article shares a bunch of post-layoff steps to take. Some highlights:

Make a graceful exit. If you haven't yet walked out the door for the final time, resist the urge to make a dramatic exit or tell everyone (especially those high up the ladder) exactly what you think of them. You never know where you or others will end up, and the people you tell off today may be the ones who are hiring for your dream job at another company a few years from now.

Don't beat yourself up. Most likely, the layoff had nothing to do with you personally, so don't take it that way. Remind yourself of all your positive professional attributes—and play those up in your resume and online profiles.

Gather up references and contact information. Now's the time to do this—the longer you wait after a layoff, the harder it is to track people down. Plus, it's easier for someone to write a detailed reference letter while the specifics of your job duties are still fresh in their minds.

What helpful strategies have you taken after a layoff? Share in the comments.

Image courtesy of HSmade