Emergency Exit Only – Finding a New Job

“Fortune favors the prepared mind.” – Louis Pasteur

Sometimes, against all odds and due to no fault of your own, you find yourself either out of work or about to be out of work. Maybe your company has gone out of business or is taken over by another company. Sometimes a product line is eliminated or some other catastrophe has occurred.  Whatever the reason you are (or will be) out of work is really not important. What is important is that this unfortunate turn of events took you by surprise. You don’t have a “Plan B”. You are not ready to look for a job because you had no plans to make a career move. Your whole world has been turned upside down, now what? Continue Reading

Computer Sector Leads Job Cuts for May 2012

Job cuts increase in the month of May, leaving the computer industry hurting the most.

In May, the nation’s employers announced plans to cut 61,887 workers from their payrolls, the most since last September when layoffs totaled 115,730, according to the latest job-cut report released Thursday by global outplacement firm Challenger, Gray & Christmas, Inc.

The May job-cut total was up 53 percent from the 40,559 planned layoffs announced in April.  It was 67 percent higher May 2011, when employers announced job cuts totaling 37,135.  This marks the fourth year-over-year increase in monthly job cuts in 2012. Continue Reading

The Long Road Back – 5 Links for Starting Your Job Search

“It’s not about where you started, it’s about the journey” – Joey Trebif

Losing your job sucks. There’s just no other way to put it. Whether you are part of a downsizing, merger, “job mismatch” or plain old “going out of business”, there is no worse place to be than on the unemployment line. I’ve seen all of the variations of job loss from all different angles. And whether you are an observer or a participant, it is one of the more unpleasant facts of life. After it happens, it no longer matters how it happened, the end result is the same. How you react to your job loss will very much impact how quickly you will bounce back. Regardless, you will need and should allow for your “mourning” period. And then it’s time to look forward and not back. Become fully engrossed in your job hunt. Today’s post is about the long road back to a new job and a new beginning. Whatever your journey, you will end up in a better place than you where when you started. Continue Reading

How to Prepare for the Job Interview If You Have Been Fired From A Job

Carole Martin, The Interview Coach

1. Script Your Thoughts. Whether you were fired under unfair circumstances or for something you did that you regret, write down your thoughts on how you would explain the instance. Read your script aloud or use a tape recorder and practice until you like what you hear. Better yet, answer the question for someone else in a mock interview. Have him observe your interview technique–your body language, eye contact and comfort-level while discussing your experience. Feedback from someone else will help you improve your presentation.

2. Check with Your References. It is important to find out what your former employer will say, or not say, about you if called for a reference. What you say should be in sync with what your former employer will say. If you left the employer under agreeable terms, check with your former employer to find out what you can expect. Continue Reading

What To Do If Fired From Your 1st Job

Ken Sundheim, CEO of KAS Placement

Most of the time, when younger job applicants are fired from their first job, they feel that the firing was solely based on their inadequacy as business professionals. However, this is simply not the case in most circumstances.  This negative thinking can send many younger professionals into a job search funk that is simply not necessary and can last for much longer than the situation warrants.

Instead, the majority of recent college graduates who were just fired from their job have to consider the following 3 pieces of advice: Continue Reading

Losing Your Job and Weathering the Storm

“A man is but the product of his thoughts. What he thinks he becomes” -Mahatma Gandhi

A friend of mine recently lost his job (his company shut down, no severance and no benefits) and, while he was “fine” financially while he was working, he is in financial distress now that he is out of work. While unemployment benefits covers a part of the salary gap, there is still a gaping hole for most people. Short of filing for bankruptcy, which is more difficult in recent years and certainly an embarrassing and drastic step, there are some things that you can do to ease some of the financial pain. Looking for a new job is stressful and time consuming enough, you want to minimize the time spent on financial difficulties so that you have time to look for a job (which will also help your financial situation. Today’s post is focused both on, easing the financial pain and first steps in job search when losing your job. Continue Reading

Limited Shelf life – Is Your Job About to Expire?

“My son is now an “entrepreneur.” That’s what you’re called when you don’t have a job.” – Ted Turner

Have you ever watched someone’s job unravel and they don’t even know they are in trouble? I just watched this happen to someone that works in my company. This particular person started off okay, with good annual reviews. Then his boss left and in a matter of a year or so, he went from having an okay reputation to someone who was viewed as “on his way out”. I’m not sure if his old boss was covering for him or maybe his new boss just did not like him. The really sad part was that he had no clue that every day the front door was one step closer. Not that there was some type of official notice about this guy, you just got the feeling watching from a distance. Long story short, he was shown the front door yesterday. The guy was shocked (as most anyone would be if they had no clue – take a look at “I lost my job, now what?“) and, of course, not prepared. So what are the warning signs? How do you know if you are about to lose your job? I would argue that in most cases (except for down-sizing), the clues are there if you look close enough. What can you do? Continue Reading