Comments on: Worried you might let laid off?

By: My Job Search & Social Networking « Chrystie’s Blog

My Job Search & Social Networking « Chrystie’s Blog — Tue, 13 Jan 2009 15:23:42 +0000

[...] http://www.rachel-levy.com/worried-you-might-let-laid-off/ [...]

By: Scott Kaufman

Scott Kaufman — Mon, 12 Jan 2009 16:38:11 +0000

The Ladders posted a job search PDF. Its got quite a lot of good basic info. Sharing encouraged:

“Please enjoy it, use it in good health, and yes, please do pass it along to your friends and family who are looking for some good advice on making the most out of their search for a new job. They can download the PDF for free here [http://bit.ly/llJ5]”

[I am skeptical of TheLadders' value but this PDF is excellent.]

By: Chrystie

Chrystie — Mon, 12 Jan 2009 15:58:34 +0000

I have to agree, I believe that keeping your resume up to date, keeping your contacts and past colleagues apprised of what you are doing through Linkedin and Facebook etc. has been very helpful. Within 2 hours of being laid off I had booked a phone interview already with a referral that came from one of my contacts.

By: Josh Fialkoff

Josh Fialkoff — Mon, 12 Jan 2009 03:24:38 +0000

Great ideas!
One tip I would add (as someone who has been laid off…) is to start looking at what transferable skills you have.
I think this is especially true in this recession, where it appears we are going through a major realignment of our economy.
Your industry may be one of those undergoing a permanent transition.
In 2006, I decided to get out of the TV news business (before I was laid off, in this case).
Being able to write a great VO/SOT (essentially a sound bite, here’s a definition) for the news is of little value in any other industry.
But, I realized I had many transferable skills, such as:

project management
communicating complex subjects quickly and succinctly
marketing information to a mass audience

Once I identified those transferable skills, I started to market myself with a new summary and new descriptions of my work experience.
It was still a hard sell, but over time I was able to transition into a new field.
I suggest finding and accentuating your transferable skills before you get laid off.
Find gaps in your knowledge and work on ways to fill those holes.
One thing I found was that hiring managers were skeptical of some of my transferable skills until I gained some hands-on experience showing how I could use them in another realm.
-Josh