Losing your job can take a toll on your emotional and physical wellbeing. There is a grieving process that most people go through after a layoff. It is completely normal to experience anger and denial and giddiness - and every other emotion. You will definitely have good days and bad days. However, this also is a great opportunity to step back and evaluate what you have done in the past, and what you would like to do in the future. It is a time to take inventory of what worked and what didn’t work for you. It is a time to reconnect with your purpose and values. It is a time to consider what the right next step is.

1. Re-Launch You:
Liftoff after Layoff
Catherine Morgan
Career Transition and Entrepreneur Coach
Point A to Point B Transitions Inc.
March 8, 2012

2. You are not alone
• Congratulations for getting here today
• Tales from the front

3. Some people feel relief
• I always ask if congratulations or condolences
are in order
– But you might feel guilty if you do feel relieved

4. What we will cover today
1. Reframing Transition
2. The New Normal
3. The Rollercoaster
4. How to Have an Easier Transition

5. Reframing Transition

6. Transition as a time to evaluate
• I encourage you to think of this as a time
to evaluate:
– What did you like?
– What would you change?
– What have you always wanted to try?
– What is on your life list that you have been
meaning to do?

7. You might say…
• My life sucks 

8. I might say…
• Probably only some parts of your life suck

9. Exercise: Wheel of Life
(not my creation but very helpful)
Career Health
Finances Spirituality
Relationships Creativity
Social life Family

10. Transition as a time of opportunity
• This could be a time to:
– Get back on track
– Find work that fits around your life
– Find work that is more aligned with your values

11. What I call transition
“The squishy rich primordial stew
of infinite possibility”
~ Catherine Morgan

12. The New Normal

13. The world of work has changed
• We are all self-employed
• We must take responsibility for
our own training
• We must maintain our network

14. What is your right next choice?
• What is your overhead like?
• What obligations do you have coming up?
• What is your financial situation?

15. Has your job paradigm shifted?
• Will corporate rehire for your position?
– Or will it typically be outsourced going forward?

16. New possibility – job portfolio
• Some of you will look for traditional
full-time work
• Some people either by choice or necessity
will opt to have a “job portfolio”
– Several part-time jobs
– Primary job and a side project
– Freelance work
– Freelance work and their own business

17. If you want to freelance
• Do you pitch your own projects?
• Go through another company?

18. Self-assessment
• What have you always wanted to do?
– If you don’t know, check out
Do More Great Work
by Michael Bungay Stanier
• Thinking about starting a business?
– Read The Entrepreneur Equation
By Carol Roth

19. Exercise: Likes and Dislikes
What I liked about my prior job(s) What I would change in my next job

20. Connecting to your values
• Not all of us are money motivated
– But there is nothing wrong if you are
• Did your work leave you feeling hollow?
– I helped Deloitte make a lot of money but…
• Have you been walking around thinking,
“Is this all there is?”
• What do you want your legacy to be?

21. The benefits of being clear
• There are huge benefits to being clear on
exactly what you are looking for
– You can use it as a lens through which you can
evaluate opportunities
• But leave the door open for something that
might be even better

22. The Rollercoaster

23. There are emotional ups and downs
• You will have good days and bad days
– I told one client that I would be more worried if
she wasn’t depressed sometimes
• But you also may feel guilty about enjoying
your time off

24. Not unlike the Five Stages of Grief
• The Kübler-Ross model, commonly known as
The Five Stages of Grief
– Denial
– Anger
– Bargaining
– Depression
– Acceptance

25. How to stay out of the dips
• Do something every day to move your job
search forward
– It can be something very small or a few very
small actions
– The trick is to feel like you are making progress

26. Volunteer, shadow, or intern
• To learn new skills
• To have stories to tell in interviews
• To explore different possibilities and
next steps

27. Go on informational interviews
• To find out what doing that job might be like
• To build your network

28. Start a blog
• To establish yourself as an expert or
thought leader
• To keep yourself relevant
• To get Google juice and LinkedIn credit
– Google and LinkedIn are the new
background checks

29. Stay scheduled
• Spending too much time in your own head
is not good
• Work expands to the amount of time allotted
• If you keep things in your schedule you will
get more done (Trust me on this!)
– Remember that old saying, “If you want to get
something done, ask a busy person.”

30. Consider teaching for free
• Teaching is a great way to:
– Establish yourself as an expert
– Keep your skills sharp
– Build connections
– (Read 6 Big Ways Teaching for Free Pays Off)

31. Play catch up
• Catch up on the things you have wanted to do
but didn’t have the time
– Learn a new business skill
– Paint a room
– Organize your garage, basement, office, or closet
– Learn to cook
– Start eating healthily
– Begin (or continue) exercising regularly

32. Fill the well
• Take an art course
• Learn a language
• Go on a road trip

33. Small things, big differences
• Sometimes small things can make you happy
and feel abundant
– Julia Cameron and fresh fruit from
The Artist’s Way

34. BUT keep looking for a job
• Projects can distract
– They make you feel like you are doing something
• Is looking for a job a full-time job?

35. How to Have an
Easier Transition

36. For an easier time with your search
• Get a buddy
• Join some groups (like this one)
• Hire a coach

37. Useful tools and techniques
• I recommend using Google Chrome for online
job applications
• Become a connector
– I keep hearing that 85% of jobs don’t get posted
– But you can’t ignore online postings
• Check out Indeed.com (a consolidator job site)

38. My best advice for job search
• Don’t do your own resume
– It’s impossible to strike the right tone and balance
• Don’t let your spouse or partner coach you
– Even if they are an expert
• Accountability is king
– Make sure you are accountable to someone
(or preferably several people)

39. My best advice on how to thrive
• Evaluate all of your options
• Make the most of this time
– Use it to catch up on all the things you have been
meaning to do
• Reconnect with friends and family
• Help someone else
• Be extra kind to yourself
– Transition is stressful and exhausting

40. Questions?
Catherine Morgan
Career Transition and Entrepreneur Coach
Point A to Point B Transitions Inc.
877.672.5333
Catherine@PointAtoPointBTransitions.com
Twitter @PointA_PointB