Getting ready for the big flush
February 3, 2010 11:41 AM Subscribe
My current employer is currently circling the drain and I am certain there will be severe layoffs in the next 3-4 months which are likely to include me. What non-obvious things should I be doing to prepare? I'm in CA.
I've got my resume updated, started applying for jobs, started networking, set up all my medical/dental appointments for the year, am refreshing my job training, had my car checked for problems, and have tightened my belt on frivolous spending. I have no significant debts and enough cash to last me for over a year. Basically I'm looking for things that you wished you had done before you were laid off, which are non-obvious until you're on unemployment/COBRA/etc. I have never been unemployed before.
I've got my resume updated, started applying for jobs, started networking, set up all my medical/dental appointments for the year, am refreshing my job training, had my car checked for problems, and have tightened my belt on frivolous spending. I have no significant debts and enough cash to last me for over a year. Basically I'm looking for things that you wished you had done before you were laid off, which are non-obvious until you're on unemployment/COBRA/etc. I have never been unemployed before.
Take some time to recognize, verbally and in-person, people that you enjoy working with and who also likely hold you in high regard. This includes not just co-workers and supervisors/subordinates, but also customers/vendors and other industry contacts.
In other words, beef up your networking. One of these people may be your chief contact for your next job.
posted by de void at 11:58 AM on February 3, 2010 [1 favorite]
In other words, beef up your networking. One of these people may be your chief contact for your next job.
posted by de void at 11:58 AM on February 3, 2010 [1 favorite]
It be worth asking for reference letters from anyone you can. If they've already written and saved one while you're fresh in their mind it's easier to send one in the future. Maybe obvious, but this one bit me on my first lay-off.
posted by eleanna at 12:07 PM on February 3, 2010 [2 favorites]
posted by eleanna at 12:07 PM on February 3, 2010 [2 favorites]
Do you have payment protection insurance on your mortgage/car loan/credit card? (if you have them)
posted by Mike1024 at 12:23 PM on February 3, 2010
posted by Mike1024 at 12:23 PM on February 3, 2010
Make sure there's nothing on your office computer that you'd need to access. At the company where I worked, they called everyone into one room to announce layoffs, and at that precise moment the computers were being shut down. No one ever got to go back onto theirs, even for a moment.
posted by BlahLaLa at 12:30 PM on February 3, 2010
posted by BlahLaLa at 12:30 PM on February 3, 2010
Save/print to PDF...
- past performance reviews
- salary history
- details about severance, etc, that may only be available on the company network
- details/description of your health coverage at your company
- contact info for people you'd like to stay in contact with
- notes about current and past projects, accomplishments, etc
- letters/emails of recommendation or commendation you've saved at work
Nowadays, on resumes, people seem to like quantified or quantifiable achievements... not just "I developed this system" but "I developed this system which is used by 1000 people a day and which saves/makes the company $x,xxx,xxx per year." Try to gather and write down that info now, while you have access to it or the information to calculate it.
Look at your job title, and if it does not reflect your current duties at your workplace, talk to your manager about revising your job title to match what you do. A job title that reflects what you were actually doing three years ago can end up being a detriment on your resume.
Look for special discounts or deals through your employer that you would like or need, for example, hardware or software discounts, or discounted enrollment in online training. At my employer, for example, I found out days before my layoff that we had access to a 'home use' program for certain Microsoft applications -- full installs for a personal computer for a ludicrously low price. You can bet I snatched those up.
Good luck!
posted by 2xplor at 12:46 PM on February 3, 2010
- past performance reviews
- salary history
- details about severance, etc, that may only be available on the company network
- details/description of your health coverage at your company
- contact info for people you'd like to stay in contact with
- notes about current and past projects, accomplishments, etc
- letters/emails of recommendation or commendation you've saved at work
Nowadays, on resumes, people seem to like quantified or quantifiable achievements... not just "I developed this system" but "I developed this system which is used by 1000 people a day and which saves/makes the company $x,xxx,xxx per year." Try to gather and write down that info now, while you have access to it or the information to calculate it.
Look at your job title, and if it does not reflect your current duties at your workplace, talk to your manager about revising your job title to match what you do. A job title that reflects what you were actually doing three years ago can end up being a detriment on your resume.
Look for special discounts or deals through your employer that you would like or need, for example, hardware or software discounts, or discounted enrollment in online training. At my employer, for example, I found out days before my layoff that we had access to a 'home use' program for certain Microsoft applications -- full installs for a personal computer for a ludicrously low price. You can bet I snatched those up.
Good luck!
posted by 2xplor at 12:46 PM on February 3, 2010
Being unemployed and job-searching can be extremely rough on the self-esteem. Prepare yourself for the possibility that you will have difficulty motivating yourself to get things done while unemployed. The more stuff to do you have lined up and ready to go, the less likely you are to fall into a funk.
posted by contrarian at 12:49 PM on February 3, 2010
posted by contrarian at 12:49 PM on February 3, 2010
Economize at home. Cut-back on expenses as best you can.
If there are key people at the office whom may be able to help you out after you are let go (help you document your projects, for example) make sure you have their phone numbers and email addresses.
N'thing the "get your stuff off the computer" advice. Heck, I'd suggest you surreptitiously start taking personal items in your cube/office home. Many places make you arrange a time later for you to come back and get your stuff. That can be a real pain. The first time I was let-go, they weren't going to let me return to my office until I reminded them that it was 35-degrees outside and my coat was in there.
Insurance is definitely going to be the big issue. As has been noted, COBRA will be horribly expensive. That said, you will probably have to bite the bullet and take it on until you can get coverage on your own. You can shop for insurance now, but you really don't want to commit to a plan until you are actually let-go. Mostly because your current employer-provided plan is probably a lot better than what you will be able to afford on the private market. Hopefully, you can land a new job quickly, so you won't have to go through that special bit of modern hell.
Good luck!
posted by Thorzdad at 1:12 PM on February 3, 2010
If there are key people at the office whom may be able to help you out after you are let go (help you document your projects, for example) make sure you have their phone numbers and email addresses.
N'thing the "get your stuff off the computer" advice. Heck, I'd suggest you surreptitiously start taking personal items in your cube/office home. Many places make you arrange a time later for you to come back and get your stuff. That can be a real pain. The first time I was let-go, they weren't going to let me return to my office until I reminded them that it was 35-degrees outside and my coat was in there.
Insurance is definitely going to be the big issue. As has been noted, COBRA will be horribly expensive. That said, you will probably have to bite the bullet and take it on until you can get coverage on your own. You can shop for insurance now, but you really don't want to commit to a plan until you are actually let-go. Mostly because your current employer-provided plan is probably a lot better than what you will be able to afford on the private market. Hopefully, you can land a new job quickly, so you won't have to go through that special bit of modern hell.
Good luck!
posted by Thorzdad at 1:12 PM on February 3, 2010
* If you have ever thought about starting your own business or changing careers, start toying with the idea now. No need to embark upon a huge planning stage or make a big deal over it, and if you decide not to, that's cool. But just leave the door open a crack for a while and see what you think.
* Be constantly on guard regarding your work behavior and deportment. Being known as "the one who was still a great employee even when the ship was clearly sinking" is a HUGE jewel for your crown.
Your current coworkers/bosses could well be your next job contact. Think of yourself as going through an extended job interview from now until the layoff. Don't let yourself give into negativity and apathy like everyone else.
* Offer yourself as a reference for your coworkers whenever the topic comes up. "I'm happy to serve as a reference if you need." Most people end up not needing you as a reference, but they will be grateful for the offer.
posted by ErikaB at 3:05 PM on February 3, 2010 [1 favorite]
* Be constantly on guard regarding your work behavior and deportment. Being known as "the one who was still a great employee even when the ship was clearly sinking" is a HUGE jewel for your crown.
Your current coworkers/bosses could well be your next job contact. Think of yourself as going through an extended job interview from now until the layoff. Don't let yourself give into negativity and apathy like everyone else.
* Offer yourself as a reference for your coworkers whenever the topic comes up. "I'm happy to serve as a reference if you need." Most people end up not needing you as a reference, but they will be grateful for the offer.
posted by ErikaB at 3:05 PM on February 3, 2010 [1 favorite]
Great stuff so far. I'm in a similar boat and here's what I've done:
- forwarded Outlook contacts and important emails to my Gmail account
- cleaned out my drawers except for a handful of things I wouldn't miss
- removed personal items from my cubicle but not to the point that it was obvious
- added all of my co-workers to Linkedin and gathered personal contact info
- removed anything private on my computer such as the Gmail Manager add-in for Firefox that saves my password
- forward any promising job leads to my co-workers (unless I'm applying)
I would plan for being walked out with no notice. Even if you're not, it really sucks to gather your things with the co-workers who are staying watching uncomfortably. It's much better to just grab the picture of your kids and walk out. If you have any company property at home, bring it back if possible. If you have a laptop I would tote it back and forth every day just in case.
Also be very careful about signing anything. If you're not getting anything in return I wouldn't sign a damned thing. Nothing. A friend of mine signed a document releasing her company of all liability when she was laid off and they didn't give her anything. I would at least feel better knowing I have some recourse if I discover an issue in the future. However, if you're getting a severance package you might not have a choice but to sign something. Just be careful it doesn't say you're technically resigning so you can't collect unemployment. I had a past employer that used that trick successfully. In this economy, it would take a lot of severance to get me to give up unemployment.
My best advice is to get a job before you lose this one. There's definately still a stigma about people who are unemployed.
posted by bda1972 at 7:44 PM on February 3, 2010
- forwarded Outlook contacts and important emails to my Gmail account
- cleaned out my drawers except for a handful of things I wouldn't miss
- removed personal items from my cubicle but not to the point that it was obvious
- added all of my co-workers to Linkedin and gathered personal contact info
- removed anything private on my computer such as the Gmail Manager add-in for Firefox that saves my password
- forward any promising job leads to my co-workers (unless I'm applying)
I would plan for being walked out with no notice. Even if you're not, it really sucks to gather your things with the co-workers who are staying watching uncomfortably. It's much better to just grab the picture of your kids and walk out. If you have any company property at home, bring it back if possible. If you have a laptop I would tote it back and forth every day just in case.
Also be very careful about signing anything. If you're not getting anything in return I wouldn't sign a damned thing. Nothing. A friend of mine signed a document releasing her company of all liability when she was laid off and they didn't give her anything. I would at least feel better knowing I have some recourse if I discover an issue in the future. However, if you're getting a severance package you might not have a choice but to sign something. Just be careful it doesn't say you're technically resigning so you can't collect unemployment. I had a past employer that used that trick successfully. In this economy, it would take a lot of severance to get me to give up unemployment.
My best advice is to get a job before you lose this one. There's definately still a stigma about people who are unemployed.
posted by bda1972 at 7:44 PM on February 3, 2010
Volunteer now. Find an organization that you like, and it will be such an amazing help to your resume. Not only will it add to your network, but it looks good for you to be able to say, I've been dedicating 5 or 10 hours a week to teach kids to read/walk puppies at the pound/whatever.
Also, be ruthless in your budgeting. Take out now as much as you can bear, so that when you have nothing coming in (it may happen, that your job hunt outlasts any severance you might get. If you get any.) Don't be desperate for a job when the time comes. Have the flexibility to move, wait for a better offer.
And practice that 3 step salary negotiating technique that someone here was just asking about.
posted by bilabial at 2:54 PM on February 5, 2010
Also, be ruthless in your budgeting. Take out now as much as you can bear, so that when you have nothing coming in (it may happen, that your job hunt outlasts any severance you might get. If you get any.) Don't be desperate for a job when the time comes. Have the flexibility to move, wait for a better offer.
And practice that 3 step salary negotiating technique that someone here was just asking about.
posted by bilabial at 2:54 PM on February 5, 2010
This thread is closed to new comments.
Look around for health insurance. COBRA is going to seem very expensive compared to the payment you've been making while your employer covers the rest, but if you've shopped around, you can make a better decision. You also get a grace period before you have to sign up for COBRA, so if you delay signing up but then have a severe health issue in that time, you can retroactively sign up for COBRA. If you are healthy, consider looking for the really high deductible catastrophic type of insurance. If you need constant medication/care, this is not a good idea.
Being ethically mindful, see if there are things at the office that would be helpful to you later in your career. I'm not saying you should steal everything that's not nailed down, but if there are samples of your work on the PC or if there are books/manuals for commercially available programs (Excel, Access, etc) that will only be thrown away afterward, see what you can do to start making copies or taking things home. Don't take anything proprietary.
Read books/blogs about what others have experienced - you might go through a mourning period, but since nobody died, you might not recognize it for what it is. If you know in advance that you are likely to hit a time of depression/anger/denial/whatever, that might help you to ride it out.
Try to make some plans now for what to do and how to structure your days. Once you don't have any set routine, it's really easy to just sit around drinking beer and watching TV.
posted by CathyG at 11:56 AM on February 3, 2010 [2 favorites]