Anyone experience a job loss before?

shouldbeworkin

I was laid off today.  I feel like a broken record, but I'm actually ok with it.  I didn't love my job, but was never going to leave the security and compensation.  So, now I feel like I can look for a better opportunity, which is exciting to me.  Still a little depressing, but exciting.

Anyway, just curious how you dealt with it.  How long were you in a funk?  How did you shake it?  How did you figure out what to do with your severance to make it last?  (can you tell I need some reassurance here?) 

 Also, if anyone works in financial services compliance/law, PM me please!  ;-)

jen1234

Hey, I got laid off today also...wonder if we work for the same company...

 I dont have any advice to give you...as I'm still trying to figure things out myself.  But i'm sure that everythign will work out...as i always say...and try to remember...everythign happens for a reason.

Hang in there.

 

Pesky

Yep, been there, done that.  I got laid off about 3 years ago as a result of a merger.  I got a nice severance package and fortunately we had cheap rent then.  Anyway, as part of my layoff, they paid for an employment service to help you.  They weren't exactly geared towards my area at all so I didn't find them very helpful but I did shamelessly use their computers, printers and such to send out a bunch of resumes.  I checked all the regular job sites (monster, hot jobs, career builder, etc.) and put out word among my friends in my specialty that I was looking.  I also contacted and utilized a few headhunters and within a few months, had two decent offers.  In terms of a funk, yeah, it happens and it's really tough when you aren't getting responses or aren't getting past the first level.  But you just need to keep reminding yourself that things happen for a reason and that something better is coming.  And quite frankly, some days I indulged, sat around in my pjs and watched mindless tv.  But I tried to treat my job searching as a job itself that required a minimum 2-4 hrs a day.  As far as making my severance last, I cut back on spending a LOT.  And some savings were natural -- I didn't use as much gas since I didn't have to go anywhere, I didn't have as much dry cleaning since I wasn't using my work clothes as often, and I had more time to cook so we ate out far less.  I also ate a lot of mac 'n cheese and PB sandwiches, but I think I went a little overboard there.  It'll all work out and I would say in this economy, you should be prepared for it to take 6 mos to 1 yr to find something else.  If you find something before then, kudos!!!  GL!!!

MrsSledge

I sent you a PM

Angela814

Yes.  I was laid off almost a month ago.  I got one month of severance pay so that will last until the end of November.  I guess I need to apply for unemployment now.

I loved my job.  It was my dream job, and I had a really hard time with being let go.  Things had gotten really slow, so I wasn't completely surprised, but I was so disappointed that I didn't have the opportunity to get as much experience in the field as I'd hoped.  The good thing about the job was that I met a lot of great people for networking.  I'm now interviewing for two different big companies that I never would have had an opportunity with if it hadn't been for my last position.

I feel like I'm still in a funk.  DD is still in daycare 3 days/week so that her schedule isn't effected too much.  It took her a long time to adjust to the new daycare, and I don't want to make things too difficult for her.  So when she's not with me, I just seem to have no idea what to do with myself.  The career opportunities for me are so limited in Wisconsin, and I don't want to take a step back and do a non-career move.  I tend to sit around a lot during the week and then do a ton of stuff (cleaning, baking, etc) on the weekend.  It just feels wrong to be doing that during the week still and makes me realize even more that I lost my job.  I'm one of those people who gets a lot done if I have a lot going on at once and who does next to nothing if I don't have much to do.  When I clean, I clean 3 rooms at a time because I get bored just doing one.

As far as money, we're spending less just by cutting out things we didn't need (all my shopping trips for instance).  DH has the opportunity to get time and a half through overtime, so he might need to do that a little more.  I offered to get a part time job in the evenings, but apparently the little pay isn't worth it.  He says he'll just do the overtime.

What's funny is that at my prior job (non-career job), they did a few rounds of lay offs, and I always kind of hoped one of them would be me.  I thought I wanted to SAH so much, and I've found that I'm really no good at SAH. Plus I got a taste of having a real career, and I've found that I really want that again.  I haven't wanted it since college, so I'm happy in some ways to get my drive back.

So this got really long and rambling, but hopefully something I said helped.  Good luck with your job search!

Bella427

I got laid off in 2001 and DH got laid off 3 weeks ago.  Maybe you could use your severance check to pay ahead on your lease or mortgage?  That's what I did last time.  DH didn't get any severance this time though.  Sign up for unemployment immediately.  It took 3 weeks to get our first check.  Think of this as a natural grieving process.  You'll probably go through denial, anger, acceptance, etc. and be in a different mood multiple times per day.  We withdrew DD from daycare and now DH is a SAHD while he searches for something else.  At least we aren't paying for daycare anymore and hopefully we can find a spot for her again when we need it... Hang in there!  And feel free to vent on here. 

ali-1411

I was laid off two years ago, my position was outsourced to India.

I was very lucky in that the company gave us two months notice, and a very decent severance package.  I was actually able to find a job pretty quick, so I didn't even miss a paycheck.  Of course the economy was a lot different two years ago....

Honestly - just don't let yourself get into a funk.  My uncle was out of work for 6 months one time...he said the best thing he did for himself was to get up and get ready every morning, like he was going to work.  Then he'd spend the day at the library looking for a job - online, newspapers, whatever.  But just getting up and getting ready every day kept him motivated.

socialworkerbee

I've had two job losses.  For the first, the company closed down and honestly, I didn't feel a funk at all - it had been really stressful and poorly run and I was younger and getting ready to move on anyway.  I had no severance but got unemployment (which is fairly generous in Massachusetts). 

The second time, it was unexpected and very difficult for me to deal with.  Again, no severance but I still received unemployment.  Honestly, my days were pretty much filled up with job search and I tried to exercise more.  But it was tough and I ended up on an anti-depressant to deal with my depressed mood and more importantly, my anxiety about finding a new job (it took 6 months).  The bright side was that I found a job that was a better fit for my skills and interests, gave me a great opportunity to learn and grow, and a pay increase - so it worked out in the end.  Best wishes.