to live the same lifestyle is one of the mistakes experts caution professionals to avoid. Psychologist Carole Kanchier, Ph.D., principal of Questers, a career management consulting firm, and Frank Traditi, co-founder of Get Hired Now L.L.C., a career coaching firm in Carson City, Nevada, and co-author of Get Hired Now!: A 28-Day Program for Landing the Job You Want (Bay Tree Publishing; $17.95) offer these additional tips:
Don’t wait to be laid off. A lot of people are faced with the signs of a layoff but get scared into waiting for it, says Kanchier. Be proactive; you are the manager of your career and you should always have a backup plan. Now is the time to determine what else you can do, like moving to another department, getting additional education, or changing occupations. And if you’re exploring career options in another field with specific entrance requirements (like teaching), execute those now.
Don’t lash out at the messenger. Do your best to keep emotions to a minimum. Don’t express any threats during the meeting, such as your intent to sue the company. Comments like this can create a volatile situation, and you may be seen as burning bridges, says Traditi.
Don’t isolate yourself. You may not feel like talking with friends and family, but it’s critical to stay connected. It’s also an opportunity to renew professional relationships you’ve allowed to languish (for help, see “How Networking Really Works” and “Networking: A Lifelong Process” both on BlackEnterprise.com).
Don’t automatically accept the first job offer. Ordinarily, people don’t just rush into the first job they come across, says Kanchier. Take the time to process the change and get to know yourself. Evaluate your skills, your abilities, your needs, and your purpose. You may very well be in a position to get the job you really want. You don’t have to settle.