By Brenda L. Peterson, The Layoff Lady

Beginnings and endings often make us think. When relationships, jobs, or projects end, we often reflect on recent events and our desired future state. Likewise, as we prepare to begin a new month, season, or year, we often set goals.

Many times, people jump to old standby goals like “lose weight” or “get a better job” without taking time to reflect on why that goal is meaningful to them. I also think that is why a lot of new years resolutions and other hastily made goals fail. Turns out, it’s perhaps even more important to figure out what matters to you and why.  This often skipped step is how we discover a deeper seated motivation, which can help us to actually make those goals into new habits.   

When you’re setting personal goals, and you want to make sure they stick, identifying your values is a great place to start.

When thinking about the life you want to live, it's essential to start with what is truly important to you. Identifying those guiding principles will help you decide how you budget your money, how you want to spend your time, and what type of work is right for you.

​Finding the words to express your values can help you live in alignment and increase your overall wellbeing—as well as give you the much-needed motivation to progress towards goals that support your values. 

I find it challenging to think of the right words to articulate what I value. While there are many lists online you can use as a starting point, I prefer using the think2perform Online Values Exercise.

This free online assessment includes 51 named value cards and four rounds of reviewing the cards. The total time to complete this activity is about 15 minutes, and perhaps more depending on how much contemplation time you need. In the end, you'll have five value cards that name and start to describe key areas that matter to you. 
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Recently, when I retook the values assessment, I identified these as my top 5 values:

After you identify your top five values, think about how you live those values in your everyday life and even how they play out in your career. As I took the assessment this time, I found that I liked some of the value names, like autonomy and helping others, as well as parts of the value descriptions from other cards. ​I realized how important it was for me to personalize my values to make them truly my own.

Fine Tuning Value Names

For one, I work in the field of Learning and Development, and previous job titles I have had included the word “training” in the title. For me, the idea of education resonated with me, but the word "education" was not quite right.

When I thought more about what matters to me, I landed on the word "learning." For me, "education" has the connotation that I need to take a class in order to learn. I'm a firm believer that learning comes from all directions all the time.

Fine Tuning Value Descriptions

I also took more time personalizing the descriptions. While I chose the word "relationships" to label one of my values, I incorporated details from descriptions for related terms like "family" and "community." I also included details that help inform how specifically I want to be sure to live those values. I included one line about different types of individual and groups, and what might bring us together, including this line: "Seeking out groups and individuals that align with my priorities, preferences, and interests." 

While I kept the word "health" as the value that mattered to me, I decided to update the standard description of “placing importance on physical and emotional wellbeing.” Instead, I thought about what health means to me and how I can live that value. My description for health included these details: "Leveraging habits and routines that maximize my energy and support my overall wellbeing. Prioritizing my physical, mental, and emotional wellbeing by focusing on nutrition, movement, and self-care. Honoring my need for social and alone time.”

I have completed this values exercise multiple times, and I find it comforting that the tend to be relatively stable, but always evolve as I do. I notice that my results change a bit depending on what personal challenges I've faced since my last assessment.

The words that have remained in my top five consistently over time are autonomy, relationships, and health. When life has felt unpredictable, words like stability, security, and safety have moved up. Similarly, since work is such an important part of my life, there are always words directly related to what I do for a living. In this case, learning and helping others round out my top five, and represent not only my work, but my general approach to the world. 

Do you take time to think about and name your personal values? How do you go about that process? Share your thoughts in the comments. 

It starts like any other day. Then, it takes an ominous turn. 
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Whether you were invited to an ambiguously titled last minute meeting, received an awkward message in your personal email notifying you of your last day, or are perp walked to HR on your first day back from vacation, you are now among the newly unemployed. 

​Welcome to the suck.

Even if there were buyout rumors, a quarter with low sales, or a new company direction, being part of a reduction in force (RIF) is still surreal when it happens to you. It's hard to know what to do with yourself when you find yourself unexpectedly out of the job. It's time to redirect your attention.

Along with your new focus areas, your overall guiding principle is not to do anything counterproductive (or downright dumb) as you figure out your post-layoff next steps.

Your Never-Do List

Here are the career-limiting moves that will make your life harder. Instead of springing into action, stop, think, and then just don't do the following:

• Talk trash about your former employer or layoff publicly.
• Spew your unfiltered anger, sadness, fear, or hurt all over the interwebs.
• Post on social media about how desperate you are for paid work.
• Apply for all the jobs motivated solely by panic.
• Take any old job.

Your Think-Before-You-Consider-Doing List 

Here are a few things you may want to do at some point, but that require thought and a plan before you move forward. At the very least, sleep on it before you do any of the following:

• Contact recruiters, hiring managers, or colleagues about job openings before thinking about what you really want to do next.
• Make big life decisions with long-term consequences (like a cross-country move, selling your house, or getting rid of your car).
• Act on anyone else's advice without thinking about what is right for you (including a cross-country move, selling your house, or getting rid of your car).

Now that you are at least somewhat inoculated against creating utter chaos for yourself, let's get back to those top three focus areas. 

Losing your job can be an emotional roller coaster. An unplanned job change is a stressful life event on par with getting divorced or going to prison. ​Just like dealing with a death in the family, you’re dealing with the death of the future you thought you had. Losing that imagined future is a significant loss that needs to be addressed.
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Figure out how you will cope with these changes. While distracting yourself from the unpleasant parts of the process is natural, building healthier coping mechanisms, like prioritizing self-care, is better for your long-term success.  

While you can get away with avoiding your feelings for a while, eventually, you need to acknowledge each one so you can move on. If you don’t work through those difficult emotions, your ignored feelings will come out sideways at just the wrong time. It is better to work through your grief privately than to fall apart during an interview or snap at someone who is trying to help you.

Disclaimer: 

While I know quite a bit based on my previous work experience supporting financial coaches, my own research, and my personal life experiences, I do not currently hold a license or certification to give financial advice. Therefore, the information provided here is educational information provided as guidance.

I hope you can glean value from my lessons learned. Feel free to take my recommendations or not—but whatever you do, double-check my information (and everyone's facts, for that matter). This is your life, and you will care more about your finances and health care than anyone else. With that, read on. 

Although your paychecks will eventually stop, you will receive your final paycheck, possibly vacation time that you have earned and, hopefully, a lovely parting gift from your former employer in the form of a severance package. Severance could be equivalent to a set number of weeks of pay or include an additional lump sum, continuation of some benefits, and job placement services. In most cases, employers do not have to give you any type of severance.

If you are eligible for a severance package, you will need to sign something before receiving that money. Once you sign, any thoughts you might have about legal action regarding your employment with the organization are pretty much over. Read the agreement given to you, consider having a lawyer look it over, and ask for clarifications (and any revisions) before signing it. After that, there is typically a waiting period before you receive that money. I also encourage you not just to sign whatever paper they put in front of you. Make sure you advocate for yourself. 

After a layoff, most people will be eligible for unemployment insurance income, or UI. I encourage you to apply for unemployment payments. The money used to make unemployment payments comes from the payroll taxes that employers pay. That money is intended to help people who have been laid off to pay their bills as they search for something new.

Unemployment payments are administered at the state level and vary by state. After you apply, there may be a waiting period before you receive a payment. Your state will also outline the amount of each payment you will receive, the number of payments you are eligible to receive, and additional factors impacting your payments. You may also qualify for job search support services and even programs to help you upgrade your skills. 
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In short, apply for unemployment income right away. In most cases, there is not a good reason for most people to forgo unemployment payments. 

​Since many people rely on their employers for health insurance coverage, consider how you’ll cover healthcare costs. If you have a  spouse, domestic partner, or parent who can bring you onto their health insurance, that may be your best option. Check with the other person’s employer and let them know you no longer have health insurance through your employer because of a layoff. Their employer can talk you through your next steps and cost changes.  

If that's not an option, consider COBRA coverage through your former employer. This means you could stay with your previous health insurance, but now you'd pay the whole premium cost. Brace yourself when you see your new premium amount because it is usually A LOT more than you spent as an employee.

Another option is going on the insurance exchanges at Healthcare.gov to find coverage. You may even be eligible for a subsidy to offset the cost. Alternatively, for less expensive coverage intended to cover a big expensive medical issue should it happen, short-term health care insurance may be a good interim option. Do your research and determine what makes the most sense for you and your household.

Next, plan to launch your search for a new job. Start by thinking about what kind of job you want. Write down job titles, possible employers, and your target salary range. Update your resume to include details about your last position and showcase your unique skillset as it aligns with your target job.

From here, start letting people know your new status of being “in transition” and ask for help. They might be able to introduce you to a valuable business contact, keep an eye out for job openings that meet your needs, and introduce you to a hiring manager looking for someone just like you.

If you've recently been laid off, check out my book Seven Lessons From Seven Layoffs: A Guide. You can even buy the eBook to get help right now.
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In this book, I cover seven lessons from my seven experiences with unplanned job losses. I include my personal stories alongside practical advice for navigating this tumultuous time. 
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You'll learn strategies for managing your mindset, finding the next right job for you, shaping your career story, and overcoming setbacks.

by Brenda L. Peterson, The Layoff Lady

Of my seven total layoffs, three began with my role being eliminated in the fall and ended with me starting a new job well into the new year. Being in a career transition always has rough patches. Being in a career transition during the holidays—especially the week before Christmas through the first full work week of January—is soul-sucking.

I’ve read several articles touting the benefits of job searching during the holidays--and I mean a lot, a lot of them. (No one else will be applying! You’ll get a leg up on other applicants! Tons of people are trying to fill positions before the year's end!) 

I'm sure somebody somewhere found the role of a lifetime the day after Christmas interviewing with the one HR rep who was out of vacation and stuck working. I am not that person. I'm also not going to make the mistake of trying to be that person ever again.

Not even considering each organization's busy season, making progress on finding a new job in December is challenging. In addition to whatever year-end tasks need to happen, people are also focusing on holiday parties and family commitments, and sometimes using their vacation so they don't lose it. Consequently, focusing on getting people through the hiring process ranks lower on the priority list. 

Here is my advice to job seekers at the end of the year. Take a break from pounding pavement on your job search, and just breathe. Stop applying for a week or two. This break will do you good. 

Instead, take some time for you. Go do a few things you enjoy but don't always get to while you are gainfully employed. Go to a noon yoga class. Get together with friends for lunch. Read a novel with no obvious professional development benefit. Go to a matinee. Visit a museum. Call a friend and talk on the phone. Take a road trip. Walk around the mall on a weekday. Buy fancy coffee in a café and people watch. Whatever it is, do some things that bring you joy.

Just like we all need vacation time to recuperate from our day jobs and be able to do good work, we also need to take a break from a job search so we can have the mental space to regroup. If you want to do something for your job search, revisit what you want in a new role and ensure your goals are still the right ones. Then, you can move forward and have more success in the new year.

By Brenda L. Peterson, The Layoff Lady

Whether you're gainfully employed or looking for a new role, continuing to learn and grow is a valuable career resilience strategy. ​While you can certainly pursue college degrees or certifications, there are many informal ways to increase your knowledge. Here are three of my favorite ways to continue learning and growing.

Staying current on industry trends can be a challenge. One way to learn a little bit at a time is using social media. I use LinkedIn to learn a little at a time on topics that matter to me. Follow thought leaders and regularly read their posts to learn more about emerging trends and technologies. In addition, follow companies to stay current on their new products and positions in the marketplace. You can also follow hashtags for keywords you like to learn about. 

Here are a few topics I consistently learn about from social media posts: 

• I follow CliftonStrengths to learn about the 34 strength themes and how to leverage strengths in different work situations.
• I follow Christopher Voss to learn more about negotiation strategies.
• I follow Remit Sethi to learn about financial wellbeing.
• I follow the hashtag #careerwellbeing to find articles on best practices.

Webinars are an excellent way to learn about a topic in more detail, usually over the course of 30-60 minutes. In a webinar, you can hear a speaker lead you through content, highlight important points, and string those ideas together into a more cohesive whole. In addition, you may also have the opportunity to interact with other webinar attendees. Webinars may focus on presenting content, answering questions from live attendees, or getting the group to share ideas on a specific topic.

Here are a few webinars I have attended and what I took away from each: 

• I attended Kassy LaBorie's Virtual Training Hero Hangout monthly webinar to meet other trainers and learn virtual facilitation best practices. 
• I attended The Association for Talent Development - Nebraska Chapter's monthly Learning Leaders Monthly Meeting to chat with colleagues about each person’s challenges and possible approaches.
• I attended virtual meetings of The White Box Club to learn tips and tricks about managing my mindset during my career transition.
• I attended a Fredrickson Roundtable for Learning Leaders meeting to learn about a specific organization's process for designing and implementing a company-wide educational program.

Professional organizations are a great way to learn more about a wide variety of topics. For one, you can attend regularly scheduled meetings, which typically have an educational component, to learn industry-specific content. Most groups have a social component, whether it is networking time during meetings or separate events that focus on getting to know other members.

​There are also volunteer opportunities, from helping check people in at a monthly meeting, being on an event-specific committee, and taking on a leadership role. These opportunities provide multiple ways to learn from a structured event or learn by doing. 

Here are a few professional organizations I have been a part of and ways I have learned content and skills:
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• I attended a monthly meeting of The Omaha Organizational Development Network to learn how to boost team performance using positive intelligence. 
• I designed and delivered a breakout session for the PACT MN ExcellenceShare event to teach people how to build their professional networks using LinkedIn.
• I developed relationships with presenters, coordinated virtual events, and produced one-hour learning sessions for people in career transition for The White Box Club. 
• I planned, organized, and facilitated Career Development Special Interest Group meetings for The Association for Talent Development - Nebraska Chapter to share career resilience strategies for members.