Moving Forward After a Layoff
Last week I was at a job I LOVED. My work was fulfilling and I was well compensated. My Manager, Team Leader and fellow teammates rocked, as did many of the Loan Officers I worked with. My company offered terrific training opportunities to improve and expand our skill sets. Then I got a call - I was among a new group of folks being laid off three weeks before Christmas.
My heart started pounding and even though the layoff was not performance-related, my mind was a jumble.
How will we pay our bills? Why did this happen right before the Holidays?? Where will I end up?
I could not remember when I had last updated my resume or LinkedIn.
Whenever I feel overwhelmed, stressed or frustrated, I immediately work on changing my mindset with positive intentions.
The two intentions I repeated out loud to myself were: "stay calm, you can't lose it" and "everything is going to be OK".
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Those simple intentions helped me to take action almost immediately after getting off the phone.
I logged on to LinkedIn, then opened my resume. I made a few updates on both, and then started searching through emails, texts and on LinkedIn. Within an hour I had reconnected with several head hunters / placement pros who had reached out to me a few months ago.
Less than a day later, I had two phone interviews, both of which went very well. While it might take a few weeks before I know if either results in a new job that's a good fit for me, I felt validated and valued because 2 out of 3 folks immediately wanted to set up appointments with me.
I hope my situation will help you to keep skin in the game, no matter what your career.path is now. Don’t wait till something unexpected happens - make sure your online professional profile and your resume are updated on a regular basis (every 3-6 months). This is a gift you can give yourself year round!
For some smart resume and LinkedIn update inspiration, check out two of my favorite career advancement resources: