Comments on: I Didn’t Think You Meant That Kind of Pink Slip

By: Nancy B

Nancy B — Tue, 09 Dec 2008 06:45:09 +0000

Some other things that are helping me search in this environment:

LinkedIn Groups – College, Past Companies, Interests and Local groups – there are some great people to network with both virtually and face to face… especially in the city and state based groups.

JibberJobber.com – or some other tracking software. I started out as a free member and got hooked… I love the companion blog… but having all of the ‘confidential’ postings stored has helped me from cross-submitting with multiple temp agencies.

indeed.com and jobirn.com – 2 very different search vehicles that can find posts on company boards directly or regional boards from across the land in the case of Indeed or give you a chance to live chat with recruiters and hiring managers in the case of Jobirn.

Great advice to focus on skills and not title! It’s amazing what opportunities you can find in other industries that require the same work… but under a different name!

By: Irene Koehler

Irene Koehler — Mon, 24 Nov 2008 20:19:40 +0000

@Napoleon – You are so right. Maintaining your contacts and building your network is important at all times, not just whether or not there happens to be a rumor of lay-offs at your company.

@Doc – No one is immune right now. There was a time when working for a larger company gave one a sense of security (whether or not security really existed). Today, with these very large companies facing significant reductions, we must all be attentive to managing our own careers.

@Kevin – Great point, attitude is key. You are no less a valuable resource just because the job was eliminated. Optimism when paired with a realistic plan will go a long way toward keeping you healthy and ready to jump back into the game when the right opportunity comes along.

By: Kevin Touhey

Kevin Touhey — Mon, 24 Nov 2008 20:06:48 +0000

It is very important to maintain an optimistic outlook during these times. You have to believe that things will get better, you have to find the silver lining. Maintaining high spirits and enriching your personal life during this hiatus will make you a better professional when you get back in the workforce.

By: iGoByDoc

iGoByDoc — Mon, 17 Nov 2008 16:12:54 +0000

Great post Irene!

It is very hard for folks to keep an optimistic attitude these days when no one feels safe from being cut from thier jobs.

With Citigroup cutting 50K people today and so many other companies doing the same, it is a scary time for the workforce at large.

No matter how large the company you work for is, or even if you run your own business, now is the time to get your network in order.

Another great post today from @dmscott from twitter today provides additional advice for the downsized.

Thanks for the great post, and I look forward to your follow up articles!

- Doc

By: Napoleon (P0_P0)

Napoleon (P0_P0) — Wed, 12 Nov 2008 11:01:42 +0000

I’m glad you posted this. Some places have a perennial rumor about layoffs and closures that ultimately turn out to be just hot air, but in this economic climate, who knows? I guess taking a proactive approach would be good. Start using LinkedIn right now! Looking to work for a specific company? LinkedIn has a cool feature: http://www.linkedin.com/companies. They’ll show you the career path for employees of certain companies. e.g lots of Apple employees worked at Sun before working for Apple. Cisco is a popular company to work for after leaving Apple. It shows Apple as well in the before and after, I believe this means that their title and/or position changed during their stint at Apple.