Earlier this week I asked How did you lose your job? Today I want to share what I did when I got laid off.
After the phone call I was taken to lunch by the new CEO (who I had replaced 18 months earlier, and who was coming back to replace me). He shared ideas on what I should do for my job search. The rest of the day was a blur, except I remember having a staff meeting with my team where this new CEO was announcing I was being let go – I remember feeling sorry for them because I knew more layoffs were coming the next week. They would feel sorry for me that day but they had no idea they were following in my footsteps.
That evening I was driving home. Amongst all of the emotions I felt, I remember feeling a distinct feeling of peace… it was finally over! I could move on, and I was no longer trapped in a job that was not good for me.
I stayed for a week to help “transition,” which was a joke. That’s like breaking up with someone but asking them to hang out for a week – it is just weird. I spent a lot of time looking for my six-year-old resume, and then giving up and just making a new one.
The first six weeks of my job search I did all the wrong things. I spent way too much time on the Internet, surfing around Monster and looking for company job boards.
I intentionally avoided any face-to-face networking, and spent too much time secluded. I was a pretty smart guy and figured the job search wouldn’t be too hard.
I also didn’t want to read any books on job search (too much time learning how to do something I wouldn’t have to do more than once in my life, right?). Instead of learning from books and blogs, I just DID my job search. Granted, I did all the wrong things, but at least I didn’t waste my team reading 🙂
You can read more about what I did, and what I think you should do in the first 30 days of a job search, here.
