Career Management Alliance Blog

The employment news isn’t all bad - according to a CareerBuilder.com survey, 32% of all employers plan to add full-time, permanent employees in 2008.

But perhaps you are in a company or industry that is suffering and you have good reasons to suspect that a layoff is a very real possibility for you.

This is a scary feeling, yet there are things you can do to prepare for such an upheaval. Doing something feels better than fretting and doing nothing.

Here are things you should do to prepare for layoff, from Kate Lorenz of CareerBuilder.com, as reported in CareerJournal.com:

Get organized. Print and take home personal files on your computer and locate copies of your performance appraisals and other personnel records. Review your status reports and project files to help you update your résumé so that it reflects all of your recent accomplishments and newly acquired skills. Think about what you might want to do next and whom you might want to use as a reference.

Get what’s coming to you. Take advantage of any perks and benefits to which you are entitled. Schedule your checkups and tend to any dental or medical issues while you’re still insured — especially if you’ve already met your deductibles. If you’ve got a flexible spending account, turn in all outstanding claims to avoid forfeiting any balances. In addition, know exactly how much vacation and floating holiday time you’ve used and make sure you’ve taken credit for your holidays. (Most companies will not honor unused holidays, but will pay you for any remaining vacation.)

Get connected. Spend at least one to two hours a day networking. Call your friends, former co-workers and clients. Attend your professional association meetings. Talk to headhunters and corporate recruiters. This is a good time to help others who may be helpful to you in the future.

Get searching. Visit the Web sites of any relevant trade and professional associations as well as companies where you’d like to work. Check print and online job postings to see what requirements are being asked for in your desired next job and note any gaps in your experience or skill base.

Get an exit strategy. The HR folks will be working from a script when they give you the news. Make sure you know what you should say, too. If no information about severance pay has been communicated, check the company policy manual to find out what is standard practice. Do not agree to sign anything then and there; say that you need to review the proposed agreement with your legal and financial advisers. The National Employee Rights Institute contends that employees have more bargaining power than they realize — and not only about the amount of severance pay. Assess your situation, so that you can negotiate aspects of the termination that will have the most value for you.

Get fired up! When layoffs are looming, stay positive and place yourself in a position of strength. Remember, change is an accelerating mechanism. It can bring about hardship and anxiety if you try to avoid it, but tremendous opportunity if you accept and welcome it.

Posted by Heather Mundell

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