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Ask the Reader: What Would You Do if You Got Laid-Off?

by Josh on March 25, 2009 · Comments

If you’ve taken a look outside your cubicle lately you’ve probably noticed that the sky has not only fallen for many engineers, but has also nearly imploded due to the increasing supply of talent. What to do.

It’s really easy to get down about this even if you still have a job, but it’s also a good time to explore some options. This may be a little late for some, but perhaps we can shoot some ideas out to people who have gotten the axe with little time to spare.

So what are your ideas? your suggestions? for those who have or are just about to get the ol’ Sayonara?

Photograph by Anna Knott (Model: Keith Gallagher)

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Comments

Tagged as: engineering, job loss, laid-off, solidworks jobs

  • daniel
    Besides the obvious networking, update resume, and getting back into the corporate rat race, I'm surprised no one has mentioned making it on your own as an entrepreneur? Forbes has a recent article on exactly this topic:

    http://www.forbes.com/2009/01/08/mitra-laidoff-...

    Or be like Josh and start a cool blog! =)
  • Daniel! Love it man! I bookmarked that yesterday to link here if no one mentioned it!! Awesome. Everyone check this out FOR SURE. It may give you some ideas.

    For blogging after getting laid-off, I'd suggest something that could at least bring in a little cash :) - see thekeywordacademy.com - takes a little bit 4-6 months but it's definitely possible to make some cash off blogs.
  • Wow! Great comments already by Adrian, Josh via Mike Puckett and Jeff. I find all of them to be valid and very useful (will print and save for reference if need be).

    Jeff's comment about networking are very true. Another source valuable source of networking can be the vendors you deal with. Since most vendors deal with a wide range of industries just asking your contact about other companies can give you some leads.

    Our local SWUG has always been great source of knowledge for me in discovering what other local companies are doing and how well things are going.
  • I would be racking my brains to find areas where my skills are in demand and getting re-educated if necessary. Theres bound to be areas that are still in demand, perhaps even within the niches we are most comfortable with.

    Learn how to market yourself through your blog or website, not just as an entrepreneur but as a potential employee. The tools available for personal marketing nowadays are tremendously powerful.
  • Mike Puckett gives 7 in a post he put up right after this one! Great suggestions Mike!

    1. Update your resume. Don't be afraid to leave off the high school job at Mc Donald's in favor of making your resume more streamlined.

    2. Join LinkedIn and network with other SolidWorks users. You can meet lots of industry people and directly connect with them.

    3. Attend a SolidWorks User Group meeting. Many times there are cad managers looking to hire from dedicated talent pools such as user groups.

    4. Contact a recruiter. Companies like pro-source are actively placing SolidWorks Users in temp to permanent jobs.

    5. Brush up on your skills. You local VAR will be a great resource to get more training, and starting April 6th will be offering free SolidWorks training.

    6. Read the blogs. Staying at the cutting edge of whats happening in the industry will make you a more attractive job applicant.

    7. Join Twitter. In a strange time-line of events, I applied for my job at SolidWorks based on a 'Tweet'.
  • Network, network, network.
    Just like you mention in your reply, LinkedIn, User groups and local VARs can be great resources, as well as recruiters. Also, open your mind to moving, even if temporarily. Times like these call for sacrifices you normally wouldn't make.
  • and what you think is a sacrifice could end up being the best thing that ever happened. After Maggie and I got laid off 6 years ago after the dot com thing, we ended up over in Switzerland for 6 months. You just never know. but it all came out of starting to make calls to my network of friends immediately after the lay-off happened.
  • C Ives
    And plan on updating your resume for each job - make the resume more closely match the job description so that the computer or person scanning can tell that its worth looking at. Also bullet points are good. The person looking at your resume has lots to look at and can only skim.
  • Facebook User
    Updating your CV and tailoring it to suit a particular position is a very good point and I found networking helped me out more than anything else.
    I also totally agree and relate with Jeff's point on being prepared for sacrifices. I was made redundant about five years ago and it initially made me have to take a small step backwards, but later presented me with opportunities to take giant leaps forward. It's important to maintain a positive and driven outlook as well as keeping an open mind.
  • Schmalls
    I would most likely do freelance web programming full time. Maybe start working on the "next big thing" on the internet. Other than that, I just don't plan on getting laid off to begin with.
  • You may also want to check this out from Product Design Hub - 5 successful practices

    It's targeted toward new grads, but it's just as important, if not more for those already in the workforce, lookinf or just getting laid-off.
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