What to Do When You've Been Let Go

Getting fired is the opposite of fun. Here's how to rebound.

Losing a job can be a traumatic experience. You’ll go through a cycle of feelings much like the emotions you would feel after any other traumatic event. Feelings of shock, anger, rejection, and despair are normal, but try not to get stuck too long in any one of them.

Many companies provide packages to employees whom they are letting go as part of a downsizing or layoff. The longer you have been with an employer and the more seniority you have, the more you will be able to negotiate your severance package. (If you are being fired for cause, you will have much less negotiation power, if any.) Typical items in a severance package include continuation of salary and benefits for a specified period of time, reference letters, and outplacement services.

Take a serious look at your finances. Put together a budget and figure out how much time you’ll have before you need an income again. Often, people avoid doing this because they are afraid of what they will find. However, when my clients actually do their budgets and learn the truth rather than worry about it, they calm down and deal with the reality. Sometimes they are pleasantly surprised.

If you want to find another job quickly, begin working with your outplacement counselor, if you have one. Get your résumé together. Start networking. And don’t forget to give yourself a little emotional space to process whatever it is you are going through. Seek support from friends, former coworkers, or other professionals to help you get through it. Losing your job is definitely going to trigger insecurities and fears, but that doesn’t mean you won’t find another job—and possibly a better one than you had before.