Sudden job loss can be difficult and stressful-to both the person let go and his or her family as well. In Upsizing in a Downsizing World, author Jeannette Chau describes her personal journey from job loss to employment, providing useful job search advice she learned along the way. Upsizing in a Downsizing World follows the entire process, from the moment of downsizing to landing a job again. Chau describes her experiences and discusses the important lessons she learned, including; telling family; handling the job loss emotionally; dealing with finances; putting out a resume; utilizing networking; creating a personal brand; employing social media; learning the art of interviewing; changing careers; going back to school; maintaining perseverance. Chau provides a thoughtful look at the many tools, choices, and opportunities available to one after experiencing job loss, and she gives encouragement and empathy to those who face the same situation.
UPSIZING IN A DOWNSIZING WORLD
Lessons learned and tips to get you back on your feet after job lossBy Jeannette ChauiUniverse, Inc.
Copyright © 2011 Jeannette Chau
All right reserved.ISBN: 978-1-4620-6424-3Contents
Preface.............................................................ix1. Downsized........................................................12. Telling the Family...............................................73. The Early Stages.................................................104. Career Transition Firms..........................................145. Financials.......................................................176. Employment Lawyers—Do You Have a Case?.....................237. The Toolbox......................................................268. Putting Out the Resume...........................................289. Networking.......................................................3110. Creating a Personal Brand.......................................3411. Social Media....................................................3712. Interviewing....................................................4113. Newspaper Ads...................................................4614. Take Heart......................................................4815. Recruiters......................................................5016. Job Boards......................................................5317. Networking Groups...............................................5518. Entrepreneurship................................................5719. Consulting......................................................6020. Franchising.....................................................6221. Changing Careers................................................6622. Going Back to School............................................7123. Economy Nosedives...............................................7424. Stress..........................................................7725. The Downsizings Continue........................................8226. Age.............................................................8427. It's Just Business..............................................8728. Soldiering On...................................................9029. Another D Word..................................................9530. The Hurt Never Goes Away........................................9831. Perseverance....................................................10032. I've Landed.....................................................10233. A Commentary on Downsizing Today................................105Tool 1: The Resume..................................................117Tool 2: The Cover Letter............................................119Tool 3: Your References List........................................121Tool 4: The Business Card...........................................123Tool 5: The 90-Second Intro.........................................125Tool 6: Your Marketing Profile......................................127Tool 7: Follow-Ups..................................................129Tool 8: Tracking Forms..............................................130Tool 9: Job Sources.................................................132Note from the Author................................................135Endnotes............................................................137
Chapter One
DOWNSIZED
Downsized. Restructured. Re-engineered. Laid off. What words these are. These words are designed to make it seem less nasty, that it was just business. These words really mean you have been let go from the company, and you don't have a job anymore.
It happened to me. I didn't think it would. Oh, I knew the possibilities were there. I had survived numerous downsizings at my company before, both large, companywide significant ones and smaller, departmental ones. Always, it was someone else. I was valuable, or so I thought, so if they had to let someone go, it wouldn't be me.
I knew there were people—some who I personally knew—who were good people but happened to be in the wrong place at the wrong time and got caught up in the downsizings.
I remember a time when two perfectly fine employees transferred into the group next to mine. When the order came from up top that all groups were to trim by 10 percent, they were the first ones picked. Last in, first out. Gone.
Then there were the smaller downsizings. Not a large, company directed one, but departmental ones that needed to trim just by one or two employees in a few areas. Tim, a wonderful gentleman with approximately thirty years of service, who had dedicated his entire career and life to the company, who was known for his depth of knowledge, who had worked long, hard hours when required and was well respected by his employees ... he was let go. Someone who had been working for him told me that they just came in one day, said thank-you very much for your years of dedicated service, and walked him out the door. Gone.
Being immediately escorted out once you are informed you are being let go is common practice in many large companies. It is to prevent employees from taking proprietary information or items as they leave—and to minimize disruption in the office.
Tim was apparently angered by it after all the years he had put in. He was bitter that—despite all his hard work for the company and his accomplishments—they had dismissed him so abruptly. He felt that he was due better treatment. He felt that he was denied a happy, farewell retirement.
I felt it too. I was a lot further away from retirement—still several years before my fifty-fifth birthday. Being told that they no longer require your services is bitter. I was allowed some time to pack my personal belongings, hand over my laptop, Blackberry, keys, employee ID, security pass cards, and then I was escorted from the building—out of the building and the company that I had been with for twenty years. I had worked for the company for my entire career. I had applied during my final year at university and had been so happy to land the job. I had turned down an offer at another company just to be there. I had built my career around that company—and it had defined me. I walked out of the world that I had known for most of my adult life. What was next? I did not know. It was a void, an unknown.
Why am I writing this? For many years, I have written in a personal journal every few days to reflect on things, to help focus on my goals, to motivate myself, or to sort out my thoughts. Benjamin Franklin reflected on thirteen virtues every night to determine ways to improve himself.
This is a journal of my feelings and experiences—and a guide for the many of those out there who are going through, or will go through, what I have. It helped me to jot down my feelings and gives me a feeling of satisfaction that I might help someone else who suddenly loses his or her job but has not had the same support that I have had. Many people feel lost and cut adrift when forced to experience downsizing.
I was lucky. I worked for a large corporation that had a policy of providing the services of an external career transitions company for a period of time. Many companies employed this firm for varying lengths of time for their recently terminated personnel. The firm would have a consultant present who would come into the office immediately after the boss delivered the news, comfort the employee, give him or her a business card with their company's contact information, and let him or her know they would help them to find a new job.
It happened so fast. In my case, I had a meeting scheduled with my boss for eleven o'clock that morning to update him on a report I was developing—or so I was told. Around 10:30, he popped by my office cubicle and said gruffly, "I'm ready whenever you are. I have some time now."
"Sure!" I responded, and he left. I sent my drafts to the printer and quickly gathered up my materials. I picked up my printouts and brought them back to my desk to arrange and staple them. On the way back, I saw our HR director standing at the administrative assistant's desk. I had a good relationship with her; we had worked together in the past and had become work friends.
"Hi there," I called out. "Down for a meeting?"
"Uh, yes," she replied.
"I'd like to talk to you afterwards. Maybe we can get together for lunch?"
"Uh, maybe," she replied somewhat sheepishly, with a glance at the administrative assistant. I was oblivious, thinking she was worried about time constraints, and left it at that. I needed to get to my meeting. She must have known that I was being let go—and that I would not be there by lunchtime.
Not wanting to take too long, I gathered my things and walked briskly to my boss's office. I was buoyed in anticipation since I felt I had done a good job in designing the format of the report—even though the raw data was not firm and I was still in the process of obtaining more accurate, up-to-date values.
When I passed a senior manager in the corridor, I chirped, "Hi! How's it going?"
I had dealt with him on a regular basis and we had a good working relationship.
With a smile, he responded, "Great. Just great."
Little did I know that he was likely headed back to his office after having just let go one of his people who were located down the same hall as he was coming from. I learned later that several of his personnel had been let go that day. Many of those were liked by others, including myself. They were good people, and it still saddens me to know that they were affected as well—though in some way, it made me feel better that we were let go together. They were not bad employees and I hoped that I was thought of as one of the good ones too. Many felt their loss and spoke well of them and it helped to lessen the blow.
As for the manager, I knew him to be hard-edged, demanding, and goal oriented. He had completed his task. Now he would be able to make his numbers.
I hurried down the corridor to my fate. I went to my director's office and sat down, putting the reports on his desk. His stony look may have been due to tension or grimness. He said, "I'll get directly to the point. As you know, the business unit did not do well last year."
He kept glancing down at some sheets of paper in front of him. Were they notes on what to say, perhaps? At this point, I do not recall exactly what else he said. When it registered, I realized what was happening. He said it was a business decision, dozens of others were also being let go and I was not the only one.
"How many?" I had asked.
"Dozens," he had replied, declining to give me an exact number.
He told me that a consultant was waiting outside his office to talk to me. Tears welled up in my eyes. Sadness overcame me as I realized that my career there was over. He handed me a large envelope and told me to read the enclosed information.
I pulled myself together, and from a sense of responsibility, knowing that I was going to be gone forever and wouldn't be there to explain to him my report and what I had done, and from a sense of pride, to show him that I had done a good job, I said sadly "Well, shall I go over the reports then and I'll show you what I've done?"
"No. Take this time for you. This is about you now. Would you like to speak to the consultant now? She's very good and experienced and will help you." I could tell that he wanted to leave, escape and not have to face me any longer. He wanted to hand me over and be done with his responsibility.
I nodded silently, the tears beginning to flow as I tried to hold them back. He left hastily after introducing her and shut the door so we could talk.
She spoke warmly and kindly as she could see I was upset. I put on a brave face as she explained things. She gave me her card and a folder with information on their services. Having been with the company for so many years, I already knew what the next procedure was. I had to hand in all my company-issued items—cell phone/Blackberry, laptop, employee ID, security access cards, and keys. To protect proprietary company information and belongings, an administrative assistant often escorts the terminated employee from the building. It is usually a third party who had no involvement in the decision—likely so no anger is taken out on that person.
In some cases, once everything is turned over, employees are allowed to take their coat or purse before being escorted out. In some cases, you are allowed to go back to your desk and take your personal belongings. In other cases, they will pack your personal belongings and ship them to you. They offered to allow me to get my personal belongings during off hours—accompanied by the administrative assistant, of course. I went back to my desk, looked around, and decided to take my things. I didn't want to have to come back—plus I did not have much. I had changed cubicles recently and had purged many items. I knew exactly what I had and did not keep many personal items at the office.
My biggest challenges were some of my personal files that I kept on the computer. My personal phone directory and calendar were integrated with my work ones through the Blackberry. I had personal appointments and contacts listed. I needed to make copies.
There are many reactions to being let go: anger, grief, shock, and numbness. In this situation, professionalism is the best course. Anger and loud displays of emotion or physical acts gain you nothing—except to be talked about later as part of the office gossip. You want to leave with dignity.
I cried. I couldn't help it, but I held myself together and went bravely down the elevator. I thanked the administrative assistant for everything she had done over the years. She was blameless but had been put in an awkward position. She didn't know what to say other than to wish me well and to let me know that I could contact her if there was anything I had forgotten. No doubt, she had others to escort after me—many others were laid off that day. I might not have even been her first that day.
I later learned that two administrative assistants had been let go from our downtown office. The majority of our business unit had moved to a more suburban location two years earlier, about an hour from the downtown core. There were plans for consolidating the rest of the group there. Since the VP of operations and his directors were moving to the suburban location, they got rid of their administrative assistants and transferred their workload to the ones at the suburban office.
The remaining administrative assistants at the suburban office were quite stressed by the additional workload. The survivors of the downsizing were faced with double the work. There was nothing wrong with the administrative assistants who had been let go. They were just in the wrong place at the wrong time.
I went to my car, put everything in, wiped my eyes so that I could see clearly, and drove home.
Lessons Learned:
• Don't leave personal files on a company computer. If you are downsized suddenly, you might lose access to them and other information you may need—or leave behind personal or financial information that you might not want others to see.
• Go the way you want to be remembered. Maintain your professionalism. You don't need to thank your boss—after all, he or she just let you go—unless you felt that it was something beyond their control and you had a good relationship with him or her. However, you should maintain your dignity. Ask any questions you may have and accept as well as you can what has happened. It does no good to get angry, upset, or loudly emotional. They will not change their minds.
• Be attuned to the warning signs. Remember that no one is immune. Yes, it could happen to you.
Chapter Two
TELLING THE FAMILY
When I arrived home, I just sat on the living room sofa. I knew I had to call my husband and let him know, but I just sat there, numb, not really thinking or moving.
I dialed my husband's office and he answered immediately, likely knowing something was wrong. His phone display would have shown that I was calling from home when I should have been at the office. It may have been a problem with one of the kids, and I might have had to go home.
"What's wrong?" he asked.
"I was let go today."
"Oh." There was a long silence as he took the news in. "Are you okay? Do you want me to come home?"
"No. I'm okay." I felt a deep sadness and heaviness. There, I had said it. I had been let go.
"No, I can come home. Just give me a few minutes to wrap up some things, and I'll come home right away."
"No, there's no need. You can't do anything so you might as well stay at the office. I'm fine."
My husband knew that I was a pretty practical person. He always had a ton of things to do at the office and could not really leave. He was always working late or to the last minute. He was torn but knew that I was right. He couldn't change or do anything. He, too, was quite familiar with living in a world of ongoing downsizings and knew that I would have received a severance package, so we would be fine financially for the time-being. It would just be the emotional impact and having to deal with finding another job that I would have to go through.
"Are you sure? I can come home. Yes, I will come home."
"No, don't bother," I replied more firmly. I didn't want to have him home and have to deal with him as well. I had my own emotions to deal with. I wanted to be alone. I didn't want to have the burden of having him sitting here when I knew he had a lot of work to do. I was in shock and wanted to retreat into my shell. I just wanted to crawl into my hole and not face the world. I didn't want to talk about it, relive it, or experience the pain. I wanted to be alone with my numbness, my ending.
"Are you sure?" he asked with a touch of uncertainty. He sensed that I didn't want him to come home.
"Yes."
"Okay. You can call me if you need me. I'll come home early."
And that was that. It was over. He knew. I had been let go.
He did come home early. I appreciated the gesture.
When my twelve-year-old daughter came home from school, I said, "I was let go from work today. They had a downsizing and a number of people were let go, including me."
"You mean you're not working there anymore?"
"Yes."
"Does that mean you'll be home every day? Are you going to look for another job?"
(Continues...)
Excerpted from UPSIZING IN A DOWNSIZING WORLDby Jeannette Chau Copyright © 2011 by Jeannette Chau. Excerpted by permission of iUniverse, Inc.. All rights reserved. No part of this excerpt may be reproduced or reprinted without permission in writing from the publisher.
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