When you get laid off

Chris Brogran recently wrote about getting laid off. It is in his newsletter so you have to scroll down.

He says two things that I thought were helpful:

Accept that your layoff has to do with the economy..not you.
Accept that you are still valuable and no less useful than you were last week.

(I'm paraphrasing..sorry Chris)

Short term questions he asks you to think about include: what skills do you have that people would pay for and who do you know who might have job leads?

Long term questions
What is your pie in the sky dream for your future? Can you get there with your current skills ( and if not, what is one step you can take towards that dream?)
Who is doing what I want to do? Can they give me a start? ( or what advice would they offer me)

Chris is heavy into social media..so if you read him, beware they he will suggest Twitter, Facebook and blogs. Don't get discouraged if you are not using those tools. His questions are worth thinking about.

Notice how often he suggests connecting and networking with others.  Most job leads are found through connections.  What can you do to make the most of your current network? What can you do to expand your network?

And finally, what do you need to do to take care of yourself.  Job searching is tough, emotionally draining work....remember to be kind to yourself.

Ever thought of going into business for yourself?

This tip comes from a SE region networking meeting ( I can't remember who shared it! Sorry!)

The WI Women's Business Initiative provides loans to start up a small business.  In looking at their website, I was impressed by how much training and assistance they provide in addition to micro loans.

It looks like the educational programs are in central and south Wisconsin...but they have quite a few resources on line as well. 

If you have ever though about running your own business this looks like a compreheniive resource to help you assess your skills, develop a business plan and provides loans.