Just been laid off? Advice from one who’s been there…
A good friend who lost their job a while back was moved by the outpouring of good feelings to the designers laid off recently by the Orlando Sentinel and other papers.
Erica Smith’s interactive map of
newspaper layoffs at PaperCuts.
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That friend suggested I post tips for dealing with layoffs. And that friend offered to write it for me.
The friend doesn’t want to be identified. So, anonymously, here are tips for coping with being laid off.
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Holy crap! I’m what?
Yes. You are fired, laid off, downsized.
What happens now?
Now, you will probably experience the five stages of grief:
1. Denial
2. Anger
3. Bargaining
4. Depression
5. AcceptanceIn the Denial stage, you probably are best equipped to use your time wisely. Search for new jobs, update your resume, apply for unemployment, make lists of options, make a new budget of your money. Soon, the anger stage will begin and…
The Anger stage is not the best time to make contacts. You don’t want to find yourself updating your cover letter to read: I had this great job once but the bastards fired me. Use this time to unwind a bit. Let friends buy you drinks. Call your parents and yell about your old boss. Write bad poetry. Do anything that allows you to just be angry.
The Bargaining stage isn’t as clearly defined here as if we were refering to, say, death. Bargaining, in my case, went something like this: I don’t need to work at a newspaper. I can do anything. I’ll even work at Starbucks just so long as I don’t have to move back home. On the other hand, I could move back home and go back to school. Or I could go back to school somewhere else. I could get out of the industry all together. JUST AS LONG AS I GET A JOB.
This might be a good time to try interviewing or having actual contact with employers. With your anger sated and your willingness to comprimise at its peak, you’re probably in prime interviewing form. The shift is from 9 p.m. to 5 a.m. but that’s probably going to change, although we’re not sure exactly when. Is that a problem for you? Heck no! You’ll take anything.
Depression is another stage where you probably should avoid contact with employers. It’s hard to look eager when you can’t smile. Spend a week or so feeling sorry for yourself. Order pizza, watch movies and sleep on your couch. Don’t shower for four days. When your pets or roomates start complaining it’s time to get up and accept your fate.
Yes, Acceptance. It will come. It will feel like forever, but it will come. How will you know? You’ll be able to tell strangers what happened. Like this:
So, what brings you to Hays, Kansas?
Well, I was working in Springfield, but I got fired. How’s the banana cream pie here?
So, emotionally, that’s the rundown. But what about the practical?
Being productive
Get out of your house for a couple of weeks, and I don’t mean take a walk. Go visit a nice friend or a sibling. Go anywhere you don’t feel totally at home.
This will keep you from laying around all day in a post-layoff daze. You’ll be more conscious of what you’re doing because it’s not your house you’re staying in. You’ll clean up after yourself an shower each day (mostly). This will keep you motivated at a time when you just want to feel sorry for yourself.
Unemployment
File for this. You are not above getting free money from the state. It’s a pittance, but it’ll make you feel better to force someone to owe you something. Plus, most states require that you make a certain number of job contacts per week. This will also keep you motivated and productive.
You want to know: Why you?
No, you really don’t. Any answer to that question will only lead to more questions, especially when the only real answer is: We have to save money, sorry. Don’t fuel your insecurities. Time heals all wounds.
Don’t burn bridges
Your editor didn’t want to lay you off. Seriously. Make him/her a reference. Even if you have to apologize for throwing that potted plant during your HR interview.
Helping someone who was laid off
Finally, a point for friends of the laid-off…
It’s nice to say, Let me know if there’s anything I can do to help. But here’s the real, honest truth: You can’t do anything. Except give money.
I swear to God. That’s the best present ever, because when it really comes down to it, that’s what’s lost the most during this event. But don’t just, like, give money. That’s rude. Buy your buddy a gift card.
And be smart about it. They don’t need to spend $50 bucks at Starbucks. They need food and an interview suit. Send ‘em to Target.
And drive them there. Gas is a bitch.
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Great advice. And timely.
Other resources for visual journalists laid off from their jobs:
Erica Smith’s Paper Cuts site.
Amy Martin, the L.A-based designer who helps redesign resumés for out-of-work designers.
August 7th, 2008 at 4:51 pm
fantastic advice. thank you charles and friend. wish i had this a month ago. really messed up a few of those tips. feels like i’m still dealing with 4 of those stages on top of my father’s death. i’ve been in a downward spiral that i’m finally think i’m getting out of. i love the last tip. so true. thank you.
August 7th, 2008 at 5:28 pm
Thanks! I was laid off a couple of months ago and can see myself going through every stage of the above mentiond. I think I hit rock bottom during the “bargaining” stage. I told myself, “I don’t need to do design. I think I’d like being a housekeeper!” It’s a good thing that phase passed quickly!
August 7th, 2008 at 8:58 pm
A friend of mine was laid off from her reporting job in April. She’s closing in on retirement but isn’t close enough yet.
Her response to the layoff: “I’m looking at this as an opportunity to try something else. I’m just going to look at this as a positive thing and not let it get me down.”
It’s tough to do but I think that attitude makes all the difference. Don’t let the bastards get you down! Keep you focus on the future and all the great stuff that is out there. People with journalism backgrounds are valuable. We work hard and fast and are creative and talented and there are employers who are begging for us.
And my friend? She now has a better job with better money and better hours. Not in journalism but she loves it.
Hang in there everyone!
August 7th, 2008 at 9:20 pm
Good tips Charles. I recently wrote a few posts sharing some of the things I learned from my experience of jumping out of newspapers and into other fields while still using the same skills I used as a journalist. Perhaps they can be of some help to people considering the same jump:
http://www.john-zhu.com/blog/how-to-voluntarily-become-an-ex-journalist/
August 8th, 2008 at 12:17 am
great stuff john. i always love reading your insights. just started reading part 1. thank you.
i feel the same way about your “do you hate journalism?” faq.
August 8th, 2008 at 12:40 am
Thanks Charles and friend! I know I’ve been going through the stages, but it helps to see it down in writing. Plus I totally agree about visiting people instead of being at home. I have been a lot more motivated about everything when I was at my parents versus my apartment.
August 8th, 2008 at 12:49 am
Charles has recommended some excellent books in his blogs. I’d recommend this one (which can be purchased cheap if you buy used), or if necessary, I can loan you my copy:
http://www.alibris.com/booksearch?wtit=I+want+to+do+something+else
August 8th, 2008 at 7:42 pm
My first reaction was anger. Denial came later…. I think anybody who has been fired or laid-off would be pissed off more than anything. If I recall, after I left the building and in a bit of rage, I gave my former employer two middle-finger-and-thumb-salutes.
August 9th, 2008 at 4:47 pm
thank you for being frank and open. i was just laid off and am not dealing well at all. i know that i will find a better job and be happier overall, but i just don’t see it right now. i am angry and it has been 4 days. i worked 20 years and never thought this would happen to me. i am not sure how a blog works, never had the time to find out.
August 9th, 2008 at 8:51 pm
Good advice!
Don’t forget to cancel your subscription to the paper. Just cause they fired you doesn’t mean they won’t come collecting.
Good luck to everyone.
August 9th, 2008 at 10:34 pm
Kellie, if I know who you are (and I have a sneaking suspicion I do), you have my condolences. And if I can help you, please let me know. Feel free to contact me. You could crank out work, you were always helpful, and you put up with my crap pretty well. That makes you OK in my book. You’ll find something a lot better than the gig you’re leaving.
By the way, blogs are fun, unless you stick your foot in your mouth on one (which I do routinely, at my blog).
I’m with Nicole. Dump your subscriptions, folks. Unless you’re not paying for them in the first place. Then dump it twice or thrice.
My downward spiral really started once I got back to Florida, just less than two months after I lost my gig in Dee-troit City. It took a long time to recover. Thanks to friends and family, I remained above room temperature. My recovery isn’t full, but it’s coming along.
August 17th, 2008 at 2:06 pm
My friend who was laid off by the Commercial Appeal in Memphis put her head in a gas oven.
Nice people, those folks.
Wish she could have read this first.
August 27th, 2008 at 8:57 pm
I was just laid off for the 1st time in my life today and it really hurt. I was there for less than 4 months. I was hired because a person was retiring in the office and I took her place. I left my other job of 8 years to work at the new office to be closer to my home and get more hours. I was laid off because 1 boss was retiring and the other wanted more days off. So I was let go. I am very sad and really upset at the way it was done. I was told to go home and leave the keys. I felt like dirt. Thanks for listening.
March 10th, 2009 at 1:26 am
Great article — I like the 5 stages. Sadly I think I might still be in denial :-)
I found that a great place for support when I got laid off was The Free Agents, a social network for those between jobs. Its a great place to informally meet other people, swap tips for saving money, and figure out what’s next. What I like best is that, by talking to other people that are looking for jobs in my industry, I’m able to keep a finger on the “pulse” of the sector — who’s hiring, where people are getting interviews, and what others think of the prospects going forward.
If you haven’t checked it out yet, its definitely a great start.