Laid off and a lot to think about - help me sort through this?
March 29, 2016 12:24 PM   Subscribe

I recently lost my job. I have been laid off many times to be honest, but I have a lot to think about this time. I thought the Green could help because I have a lot of special snowflake questions about how to pivot my career, freelance more, signing a new apartment lease and then the usual stuff about healthcare and "omg I won't have any money." Thanks in advance!

So, my company is out of money and we're all (or most of us are?) going to officially have our last day next week. A few details and questions:

--I previously wrote this question (which probably isn't that helpful, but the point is I have been moonlighting and doing freelance work in a different field all while doing my "real" job). I think it would be a good idea to increase my volume of freelancing now that I won't have a job, both for the money and because it's a good time for me to boost all my connections, profile, etc. in this work without other restraints. I love the freelancing I do and would make my full-time career if I had the chance.

#1- How can I reach out to places I freelance for and let them know my availability suddenly has no limits without sounding desperate or sketchy? I never really discussed with my freelance "clients" the fact that I have this whole other separate career that was my main source of income, but I did make it clear I could only do so much. Now I want to do as much as possible.

#2- Also, I freelance for a lot of places and have made good contacts. How can I let them know that I'd be interested in an actual job if they have any openings and let them know I am no longer wanting to only freelance, also without sounding desperate, shady or like I've been fired?

--I should have one month of health insurance before it cuts off.

#3- What should I do before then? I scheduled a physical with my primary doctor and a skin check with a dermatologist since I haven't had one in a while. Anything else I should do before my health insurance runs out?

--I literally just signed a new lease on a new apartment and I am supposed to move in April 30. It's a 9-month lease and the cost was based on earning a high-paying salary. It's not cheap, but it was comfortably affordable with my salary. I have enough in savings to cover the full lease, but of course it would basically wipe out of my savings assuming I have no other income.

#4- Anything I should do about this new lease? Should I try to back out somehow? Should I tell them I lost my job? Or should I just keep it and focus on getting a new job/source of income? Is this all a bad idea and I should just go move back in with my mom like I did in my 20s?

--I think I've covered everything, other than trying to get a new job similar to the one I am losing. I know all about applying for unemployment benefits. I'm also going to save all my work and emails and clean off my company-issued laptop.

#5- Anything I didn't mention here that I need to think about?

Thanks!
posted by AspirinPill to Work & Money (9 answers total) 1 user marked this as a favorite
 
Bummer about the lay off. I've been there, it sucks.

Here are my answers:

1. Call all your contacts and let them know, "Hey, wanted to let you know that due to a recent lay-off, I'm taking on more clients and if you, or anyone you know can use my services, please pass along my information."

2. "Additionally, if you have any openings, I'd love to be considered for them." In fact, check their websites to see if there are any job listings there.

3. As for the health insurance, start signing up on the Exchange for Obamacare. If you're unemployed, you may not have to pay anything.

4.. If you can't afford the new place, don't move. Stay put. Call the new place and ask if you can push your move in date out a couple of months. Can you stay on where you are? Can you put your stuff in storage and rent a room for awhile, or sublease, or house/pet sit, or couch surf? I'd move in with my Mom in a heartbeat if it was feasible.

5. Just to reiterate about unemployment insurance. On your last day, be sure to hit their website and get signed up. You'll get an appointment to come down in person. You'll present your separation letter, and they'll wish you luck in your job search.

Good Luck to you!
posted by Ruthless Bunny at 12:45 PM on March 29, 2016 [2 favorites]


Response by poster: Just to clarify, I am being kicked out of my current apartment at the end of the month anyway, so I have to move somewhere. (See my question history if you'd like -- I have no way to get out of moving, sadly.) I like the city I live in now and would like to stay here. Moving back in with my folks means moving across country and to a much less desirable city. So, I'd rather stay here. My only concern is just that my apartment is on the expensive side and more of a luxury apartment than one that simply will do, you know? When I signed the lease, I had a well-paying job.
posted by AspirinPill at 1:00 PM on March 29, 2016


If the apartment is big enough, a roommate could offset the cost of the rental for a little while. Maybe you could mention up front that it would be a short term/temporary roommate situation so that you have an out nine months down the road if you want to live solo or move out.

If you love what you're doing for freelance, stepping up what you're already doing with your newly free day time can only help you out, and definitely reaching out to your existing contacts is a good way to expand.

Maybe spend some time cleaning up or even totally revamping your online portfolio, website, social media profiles, etc. and make sure everything reflects your status as professional provider of freelance services would also do some good, if only because it will feel more like a fresh start when you're searching for new opportunities.

And yes, cram as many doctors appointments in there as you can before your health insurance runs out. Can't put a price on good health!
posted by helloimjennsco at 1:10 PM on March 29, 2016


You are bundling shame into a layoff. That will not serve you well.

Let your contacts know that you are available. People get laid off and then they look for new work. There is nothing sketchy about it.
posted by 26.2 at 1:13 PM on March 29, 2016 [7 favorites]


#3- What should I do before then? I scheduled a physical with my primary doctor and a skin check with a dermatologist since I haven't had one in a while. Anything else I should do before my health insurance runs out?

You are planning to get new insurance, right? I was laid off years ago and hadn't budgeted for healthcare because I thought I was perfectly healthy. My layoff was reversed so I ended up staying on my plan, but two months later I ended up in the hospital. My bills were beyond horrific. Had I not had insurance, I would have been paying that down for years.
posted by mochapickle at 1:21 PM on March 29, 2016 [1 favorite]


I have hired and worked with a lot of freelancers in my career. You don't need to qualify your sudden additional availability or interest in full time work. In my experience, I have received lots of inquiries for more work and I always do what I can to accomodate. Clients fall through all of the time, business go out of business all of the time, seasons change, and all that jazz. Here is a potential script:

For clients with whom you'd like to do more freelance work:
"Hello, client! I am writing today to let you know that I will have an increase in bandwidth coming up. I really enjoy working with you and wanted to let you know in advance that I'll have more time soon. Previously I have had limits on my availability, so if you have more work that we could do together, I am glad that I'll be able to make more time. I wanted to extend the courtesy of letting you know, before I seek to fill any of that extra time up with other opportunities. No matter what I will continue to remain available to you at the same amount as I have been along, but hope to do more work for you in the future if the opportunity arises."

For clients with whom you think you might like to get a full time job:
"Hello, client! I have really enjoyed freelancing with you and your company and have been thinking about landing some place doing this sort of work full time. Do you think there are any opportunities for full time work now, or in the near future?"

If you think you have experienced multiple layoffs because of something about your own performance (you use the words "shady" and "desperate" a lot - which suggests you are internalizing), you should examine that in due course. But do that AFTER you have pursued new work! Here are some things that you should examine:

- Do you tend to do your due diligence when accepting jobs? Are you too forgiving of potential warning signs that a company might not be solvent for long?
- Do you get repeatedly dinged or criticized for certain behaviors in performance reviews?

Honestly, if your company is out of money, it hardly sounds like this was within your control at all. I would strongly recommend you spend your energy on being kind to yourself, giving yourself as many pep talks as you can, and working your network with confidence so you can land on your feet and feel better!

Good luck, I'm sorry this is happening to you.
posted by pazazygeek at 1:51 PM on March 29, 2016 [4 favorites]


For the lease aspect, only try this if it won't stress you out too much. You can ask the company you signed the lease with if they'll let you out (with your deposit etc given back to you), provided you find a subletter/someone else to take the apartment before your move in date. If you let them know that you lost their job, they might want to do this anyway, as you being unemployed increases the risk that you might not pay your rent every month.

Portland seems to be a pretty good rental market, so it might not be too hard to find someone else, and you still have a month before your move-in date. Then, you can try to find either a cheaper apartment/sublet or a roomshare until your work situation stabilizes. This is what I would do, as having a somewhat luxurious apartment that's burning my savings would majorly stress me out.
posted by permiechickie at 4:21 PM on March 29, 2016 [1 favorite]


If your medical coverage includes dental, make a dentist appointment. Eye exam, too.
posted by Iris Gambol at 5:31 PM on March 29, 2016


I've been there (company ran out of money, laid off my entire department) - and there's lots of good advice above. Layoffs stink, but people understand and generally want to help if they can. Do reach out to your freelance clients and say you now have more time and would love to take on more projects with them. If you see any interesting positions available on their websites, ask!

Above all, be kind to yourself. Use this time to take care of yourself - exercise, pick up that meditation habit you've been considering, etc - and reconnect with friends. I used my layoff time to have lots of coffee with people I hadn't seen in awhile. For professional contacts - former colleagues, people I'd met through industry events, etc - I picked their brains about networks, types of companies I may want to work with, new opportunities elsewhere, etc. It was great to build these relationships (and see my friends!) - and in the time since, they have opened new doors.

And yes, while you're still on the good company insurance, get a checkup, dental exam, eye exam, restock prescriptions, etc! I went with the cheapest insurance I could in between jobs.
posted by writermcwriterson at 11:01 AM on March 30, 2016


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