I Didn’t Think You Meant *That* Kind of Pink Slip
You’ve been laid-off. It sucks. It wasn’t your fault, but it’s so hard not to take it personally. Why was it you and not that other guy - you know, the one who is always surfing the net and listening to his iPod at work? It can feel like there is no justice, no reward for your hard work and loyalty. There’s no way around it, it just sucks. While it is tempting (oh boy, is it ever tempting) to focus on the negative, it’s time for a concrete action plan to move forward. We all know that it is critical to get one’s finances and resume in order right away. In addition to these top priorities, there are many other items which should quickly make their way onto your to-do list…
What to Do Right Away (aka NOW):
Tell your immediate family and close friends
Be honest with facts and feelings. They care and want to be allowed to support you.
Review which related information from your current, about-to-be-former, employer you’ll want to have on hand
Recommendations from co-workers, bosses, clients, etc.
Contact information from these same people. You may want and need to keep in touch or use them as references for your next gig.
Keep copies of work products to illustrate your skills to potential employers. (It’s important to be mindful of any relevant workplace policies or NDAs which may restrict this).
Health insurance
If you and/or your family are currently covered by an employer-sponsored health plan, be sure to find out how you will receive information about COBRA coverage. Although maintaining this is an expense, it will provide peace of mind as it continues your health coverage while you are out of work.
What to Do Next (after you’ve taken care of all of the above, but within a couple of days of receiving the bad news):
Tell everyone - your extended family, formal connections (such as those on LinkedIn) and informal connections (other soccer/band/carpool parents)
The more people who know what you’re looking for, the more eyes and ears you have poised to identify potential opportunities.
Ask for what you need. They care, but they’re not mind-readers. They will want to help you however they can. Let them. Wouldn’t you do the same for them? Be specific when letting others know how they can help. Babysitting? A meal? Someone to help you prep for an interview? A friendly, non-judgmental ear to simply listen?
Stay healthy. Stay connected.
All those things your mother told you still apply, in fact, now more than ever - Eat well, sleep well. Get out of the house; take a walk, visit with friends, find reasons to smile.
Blogging Between Hot Flashes
We’re all different. Different experiences, different perspectives. We’re at different points in our lives. As the kids I know say, it’s all good.
I’m not young or, rather, not as young as most of the tech-online-wired crowd. At times, my body reminds me that I’m aging, but I definitely don’t feel old (whatever ‘old’ is exactly). I didn’t grow up reading blogs or surfing the net. My first exposure to email was at work years after finishing college. While there, I took one course in programming, which involved a tall stack of punch cards and a card reader half the size of my current SUV. I typed all of my college papers, consuming mass quantities of carbon paper and White-Out along the way. And, by typing, I mean using a typewriter.
Do I belong in the blogosphere? Do I - and my generation-mates - belong online using twitter and connecting with people through social networking? Damn straight, we do. I’m saying that to you young kids and to my peers. Let’s get over ourselves and recognize that we can all learn from one another.
At this point, I’m becoming accustomed to the vexed looks, complete with raised eyebrows and rolling eyes. (Even online, I can sense when someone is rolling their eyes. I’m that good.) Truth be told, this reaction isn’t limited to younger people. There are plenty my age who believe all of these “tech toys” are strictly timewasters aimed at the younger and easily-distracted generation. This I attribute to a mix of tech intimidation and lack of practical information about basic online tools (all understandable) and a bit of prejudice (not OK). I also hear many in the younger crowd dismissing the desire and capacity of older generations to venture into the virtual world. For this, I have a more difficult time finding a justifiable explanation.
Over at TechCrunch, there is a “spirited” discussion going on regarding a new site called Boomerator, which is aimed at the Baby Boomer generation. What is most interesting - and concerning - are many of the posted comments. Several reflect a perception that “older” people can’t or won’t use the site due to their failing eyesight, reluctance to go online or tolerance to interact with a multigenerational audience. Are these characteristics accurate for some Boomers? You bet. The entire generation? Absolutely not. No sooner would I characterize all twenty-somethings as having or lacking certain values, perspectives or challenges than I would any other group or generation.
Practice Safe Networking
When I was a kid, our parents seldom knew our whereabouts as we were free to roam the neighborhood on our own. Sometimes, a bunch of us gathered to play at John and Robin’s house on the swing-set. Sometimes, we headed over to Bobby’s house to play baseball. Often, we bounced from one house to another stirring up whatever minor mischief we could manage (which generally involved kids, a ball and mud). All that mattered was that when our respective mothers stood in their front yards and loudly called our names at dinner time, we knew to appear immediately. As I think back to that time, I used to marvel at the independence we had at such a young age. At second glance, though, I realize we weren’t on our own at all. There was a parent in every home keeping a watchful eye over all, unbeknownst to us. The Woodbine Street parent network was on the job 24/7. The network didn’t have any meetings or rules, but I’m certain the expectations were well understood - your kids are our kids and we’ll watch over them.
Long gone are the days when we personally knew all of our neighbors, let alone our business contacts. Even the smallest businesses regularly deal with customers and vendors they have never met. With the advent of LinkedIn, Facebook, Twitter and an endless list of other networks, our connections are global. We regularly interact with people we’ve never met and will probably never meet. Still, there can be great value in these relationships creating opportunities which wouldn’t have otherwise existed.
It is very easy to get comfortable with our virtual connections, those we know through online or long-distance communications. Often, we more quickly find ourselves on familiar terms with people we know virtually than we would with those we’ve met in person.
I recently became acquainted with a local professional (to remain anonymous) based upon a referral from someone I trust. She felt there was synergy in our interests and we might provide meaningful assistance to one another; a perfect basis for an introduction. Over a short period of time, my contacts from the local professional went from infrequent to frequent, and from business-focused to unfocused and off-topic. After a quick gut-check, I knew it was time to terminate these interactions. While I cannot say precisely where the line is drawn with regard to comfortable interactions, I sure know when it’s been crossed. As with any relationship, when someone starts to make you feel uncomfortable for any reason, even when you feel you had initially found an affinity though virtual interactions, you have to change course immediately.
Top 10 Tips to Totally Suck at Networking Events
1. Arrive late, leave early
Hey, you’re a busy person. Who has time to leave the office early enough to allow for traffic? Plus, we all know that the “best” people arrive fashionably late, right?
How about a different approach…leave yourself plenty of time to arrive relaxed and ready to meet others. Offer to help set-up; this is a wonderful opportunity to meet those who’ve worked hard to organize the event. They likely know many in the group and are well-connected themselves. And, plan to stay for the entire time. Not only does this let others that it is important for you to be there, you will probably meet more people, the longer you’re there.
2. Forget to prepare
You: Have you thought about what short snippets of information about yourself you’d like to share with others? If it is a sales pitch, stop right there. If it is a long, rambling history of your professional and academic background, stop right there. Interesting, sharp, crisp and with a hook that leads someone to want to know more about you – that’s what you’re after.
Them: Many events publicize the list of attendees ahead of time. Take some time to review the list and figure out who you’d like to meet. Check them out on LinkedIn; maybe get in touch in advance of the event and let them know how much you’re looking forward to meeting them.
The Group: Some events are about lead exchange, some pure networking. Review the theme/purpose of the event to be sure your approach is aligned with the overall event goals.
3. Talk about the rude customer who really ticked you off today
Someone was mean to you today? The boss chewed you out about the stupid project again? Bet that put you in a happy mood and ready to meet new people!
First, breathe. Second, breathe. Third, breathe and get over it (at least, for the next few hours). And, by all means, don’t talk about it with those you’re meeting for the first time. They don’t know you and this interaction represents their total experience with you. How will they know if being tied up in knots is an everyday thing for you or if today is different? Focus on the opportunity to meet new people and smile! I know you know what a big difference a smile can make, so dig deep and show them your genuine warmth and interest.
Multiple Personalities
Melanie, a good friend of mine, has multiple personalities. At least, it might appear this way if all you knew about her was what you found online. Even though I’ve known her for years, a simple online search yielded results which surprised me. Several of the sites listed in the search engine results included information about Melanie, but each gave a vastly different picture of who she is. It made me want to ask, “Will the real Melanie please stand up?”
First, I headed over to her company’s website, where Melanie is listed as one of the top executives. Her photo is professionally done; listed are details such as her job title, key areas of responsibility and where she received her two college degrees. The information on the company website is well written and crisp; leaving no doubt that she is a highly qualified and well respected executive.
Next, I took a peek at Melanie’s profile on LinkedIn (www.linkedin.com) gives a more complete picture of her professional background including where she’s worked in the past, her areas of expertise and interest. In addition, in viewing her LinkedIn profile, I am able to see other professionals with whom Melanie has a connection, which gives me a more complete picture of who she is. Included in her connections are current and prior bosses, coworkers, clients and vendors.
While there were other sites listed as having information about Melanie, I selected Facebook (www.facebook.com) as my last stop in the “Discover Melanie Online” tour. On her Facebook page, I found all sorts of photos – Melanie on vacation with her husband (including some where she was showing off her new swimsuit), Melanie engaged in various sports competitions, Melanie having drinks and acting silly with her college friends, etc. Visible were personal notes she and her friends had written to each other, links to her favorite bands’ latest videos and a place to rate how “hot” she is as compared to her friends.
If I ignore bad publicity, does that mean it isn’t there?
Big companies, small businesses - we all work very hard to deliver an extraordinary product or service to our customers. We want happy customers and employees and will generally do (almost) anything to keep them happy. Despite our best efforts, there will be times when someone is dissatisfied and complains. These days, they don’t always complain directly to us. If they are really ticked off, they head straight to the nearest computer to share their thoughts with a virtually limitless audience. Between blogs, websites, social networks, chat rooms and videos, their options are numerous.
Can we prevent them from doing this? Can we make the bad publicity go away? In almost all cases, the answers are - No and No. What does set us apart is how we respond to the criticism. Integral to determining a response while simultaneously reinforcing the brand is understanding your target audience. What is important to them? What about this company attracts them? Which communication mediums do they use?
An absolutely fabulous example of a big company taking a lemon and making lemonade is EA Sports, creators of video games. A fan of the Tiger Woods video game posted a video on YouTube showing a glitch in the game as the graphics showed the golf pro standing in water at one point. Uh-oh! While I’d imagine that, behind closed doors, there were discussions about who did or didn’t do what which led to such an oops, what came out to the public was nothing short of brilliant.
Mighty impressive! They understood their audience, showed that they have a sense of humor about themselves and successfully turned that uh-oh moment into an viral marketing opportunity. Of course, we don’t all have Tiger Woods at our disposal nor do we have the budget to pull this off, but it is a great illustration of the value of carefully considering the message and the audience before we rush to defend ourselves.