Tag Archives: Lay Offs

The Sky is Not Falling

December 11, 2012 by Joyce Richman
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You’re rocking along, loving life, your job, your co-workers and ka-bam, you read the morning paper and find out your company’s been sold to a competitor. You bolt from the house, hair on fire, tear into work, the place is spinning, phones are ringing, rumors flying, and the sky is falling. After frantically searching for someone who ought to know you corner your boss who tells you, eyes averted, (long pause)… don’t worry. Yes! Momentary reprieve. I’m safe. Continue reading →

You Get to Decide

December 4, 2012 by Joyce Richman
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“I love this company. The people are great and I really like what I do. Everyone is friendly, smart, and considerate. And I’m worried sick. Why? I think our jobs are going to be outsourced and no one’s going to tell us until the day the doors close.” What are your options? “I don’t have any because it hasn’t happened yet, so I can’t do anything. I’m sure something bad is around the corner and Continue reading →

Question from a reader: Left after layoffs

August 30, 2011 by Joyce Richman
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Q: “I like what I do but after three years and living through three downsizings I still don’t feel like I fit in or belong here. My prior experience and the way I carry myself professionally have made me unpopular. Being popular is not my goal but I feel like I’m not able to contribute fully when I feel so isolated. Help! My work life is becoming the pits.” A: This reader describes several concerns at Continue reading →

Putting Your Best Foot Forward: Interviews

March 1, 2011 by Joyce Richman
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We’re getting calls and emails from readers who have questions and concerns about layoffs. Here’s a sampling: “With all this talk about layoffs, I’m so worried I can’t concentrate on my job. What can I do?” The last thing you want to do is worry yourself out of a job. Change your unrealized fear from something you can’t control to something you can. Put together an employment emergency kit. Fill it with a financial plan, Continue reading →

Lonely Layoff? Get Moving!

November 4, 2009 by Joyce Richman
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It’s easy to get stuck between lonely and cranky when you lose your job, particularly when your neighbors and friends still have a job to go to. You know you have to get on with life and start interviewing, but you’re having a tough time getting off the couch and putting on your shoes. If that’s your situation and you have the energy to read this column, I have some ways to remedy your situation. Begin Continue reading →

Rejoining Your Life After an Unexpected Layoff

November 4, 2009 by Joyce Richman
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I bet you know him. He goes to work early and stays late. He’s known as a company man. He’s dedicated, loyal, with a work ethic that challenges the most diligent. His only fear is failing health even though he’s never taken a sick day. (He’s never had a day that he stayed out sick. He’s had several sick days.) He’s just been laid off and never saw it coming. He was starting to think Continue reading →

Economic Shifts and Challenges

September 24, 2009 by Joyce Richman
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Like it or not, employed or not, you’re in the middle of the busiest business intersection you’re likely to experience. It’s hard to know whether to wait for traffic to clear, cross against it, or jump in and go with the flow. One thing’s for sure, you can’t stay in one place for long, so what do you do? Let’s look at the possibilities. Wait for traffic to clear: The last time the economy went south Continue reading →

A Cautionary Tale

July 9, 2009 by Joyce Richman
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I typically dedicate this column to active job seekers, providing strategies, techniques, and best practices to enable them to reach the kind of outcomes that will be personally and professionally satisfying. I got a call last week from Alex (not even close to his real name) who asked that I tell you his story. It’s not about how he’s looking for a job. It’s about why. Alex was fired four weeks ago. He wants to Continue reading →

Surviving the Lay-off

June 5, 2009 by Joyce Richman
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You’re in the job market and you’ve got lots of company. Some of you burned out in your last job and you chose to leave because you couldn’t continue in a position or at a place that buried the best in you and brought out the worst. You need a job. You may be lay- off casualties, caught in the convergence of economic conditions, world events, and outsourcing realities. No matter the cause the outcome’s Continue reading →

Networking Success

May 25, 2009 by Joyce Richman
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He wanted to meet so we could discuss his job search. He said it wasn’t going anywhere and he needed help re-starting it. And, he said he just needed to vent.           “Joyce, I’m not getting any replies to my resume. I must have mailed 300 copies and I haven’t gotten one nibble in response.  Please review it and tell me what’s missing.”           He handed it to me, I glanced at it and told Continue reading →

Fearing the Lay-off

May 19, 2009 by Joyce Richman
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I know it’s tough to be laid off, and scary to be without a paycheck. The market’s tight and the competition’s stiff. It’s hard on the person getting the news and the family that has to deal with the aftermath. I’m a layoff “survivor”. That means I’ve lived through several organizational cut backs, deep and shallow, and I’m still here, working, until they cut me loose. Before you tell me how lucky I am, and Continue reading →

Getting Back on Your Feet

May 18, 2009 by Joyce Richman
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Are you feeling a little unglued? If you’ve been looking for a job and you can’t find your car keys, you may have a few gremlins messing with your mind. Let’s take a look at what they’re up to and what you can do about them. The Fear gremlin can keep you stuck to the place you’re standing, particularly if you haven’t had much experience job hunting. The Anger gremlin can fight your desire to Continue reading →

Learning from First Time Failure

May 12, 2009 by Joyce Richman
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We had just begun talking when my client started to cry. “This is hard for me”, she said. “It’s the first time I can remember failing, totally, publicly, and despite my best efforts, not keep it from happening. I’ve tried so hard. I’m exhausted from the effort of trying.” “I took this job for two foolish reasons. First, I accepted it because I was flattered.  I was ‘perfect for the position’, they said. ‘Exactly the Continue reading →

Overcoming Obstacles with Self-Confidence, Focus, Networking and a Positive Attitude

February 21, 2009 by Joyce Richman
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A recent caller wanted to know if she could blame the economy for her inability to find work. I told her that if it made her feel better to do so, please, be my guest. She said that it didn’t. She wanted to somehow get past the fact that there were so few jobs and so many people looking for them. “I’m not a spendthrift,” she said. “I have bills to pay and no way Continue reading →

Take Time to Evaluate the Well-being of Your Employees

January 24, 2009 by Joyce Richman
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According to formal and informal workplace surveys employees are staying where they are, not because of loyalty to their bosses or love of their work. They’re staying because they’re concerned if they initiate a search: They’ll be found out and dismissed, before they are able to find work. An aggressive and talented field of job seekers can easily replace them. There aren’t any jobs out there that are more secure, satisfying, or promising than the Continue reading →

No Work, No Income

January 24, 2009 by Joyce Richman
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Outplacement. Downsizing. Rightsizing. Realignment. Reorganizing. Call it what you want, it means the same thing to the person being affected: No work, no income. It’s not what the company wanted. Management wanted great products, productivity, and profitability. It’s not what the employees wanted. They wanted certainty, security, a financial stake in the future. No work. No income. She and He have lost their jobs and are at a loss to know how to reconcile their Continue reading →

Handling Lay Offs & Being Fired on Your Resume

January 24, 2009 by Joyce Richman
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Whether you’ve been fired, laid off, or asked to leave your job without knowing why, you’re left with bigger problems than having nothing to do on Monday. The following questions address those concerns: Q: I was fired from my last job. Do I need to indicate that on my resume? A: A resume is a condensed version of your work history that lists the companies you’ve worked, the positions you’ve held, and the jobs that Continue reading →

Advice for Children of Laid Off Parents

January 24, 2009 by Joyce Richman
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OK, children, listen up. Your mom’s been laid off. That’s right, she’s lost her job and she’s concerned. She loves you and she’s going to continue to provide for you. You just need to give her time and space to figure out what she’s going to do next, so life can get back to normal. You can lend a hand. Support can be financial and it can be emotional. You may be too young to Continue reading →