A good friend of mine texted me out of the blue:

“Hey, I was laid off just now. If you see anything out there, please keep me in mind.”

I immediately called her … “What’s up?”

She had just received a glowing performance review in April and was invited to the leadership meeting in Amsterdam this July. She’d returned from a work trip to Germany and was heading to Australia the following week.

Then Friday morning, she was called into an urgent meeting with her boss and two HR reps and let go immediately. Her company’s revenue wasn’t going to meet Wall Street targets this quarter.

She was shocked. So was I.

But she was also surprisingly calm.

“Well, I’m just going to get myself out there and find another job. I will be fine.”

I love her attitude. I love her positivity.

Here’s what I told her to do right away (and what I recommend to anyone who finds themselves suddenly in this position):

1. Close things professionally: Send your boss a summary of everything in progress. Don’t leave people in the dark**—** this helps you leave on a strong, respectful note.
2. Say thank you: Send a message to your team. Tell them how much you appreciated working with them. People remember kindness and leadership in moments like this.
3. Activate your network: Reach out to former colleagues, industry friends, and recruiters. Let people know you’re looking.
4. Take care of yourself: Go out for a nice dinner. Join a gym, sleep in, take a breath. Work on things you’ve always put off. If not now, when?
5. Keep moving: Finding the next job takes time in this market. Expect ups and downs. If the downs hit hard, reach out to someone you trust and talk it through.

Many of us have been there. And if you’re there now, I get it.

Pick yourself back up. Keep walking. A door, or maybe a window, will open. It might not look exactly like you imagined, but in time, the path will reveal itself.

If you’re still employed, even if the job is frustrating or far from perfect, remember to take care of yourself, too.

Need to talk through your situation? Feel free to reach out.

I KNOW how hard it can be. I KNOW…

Cheers,

Pam