I recently went to a recognition dinner and noticed something very interesting.

A large portion of the recipients of the awards had not been with the organization for a long time and they had experienced layoffs in their past employment. 

 Hint: You should start doing these things before your department gets “downsized”.

1. Learning Something New Everyday

Socrates said, “Education is the kindling of a flame, not the filling of a vessel.”  You can never know everything about your career or profession and what happens when you don’t have the profession anymore?

Learn something about anything that is of value. The best thing to do is to find a weakness of yours and learn how to make it a strength.

Activity: Write all of the categories where you can improve. From this list chose one category and learn everything you can. Move down the list as it’s completed. Repeat process until you become perfect, haha.

2. Update your LinkedIn Profile Daily

We all know that social media is like a waterfall, it’s constantly flowing. By updating your LinkedIn Profile daily you are increasing the possibility of being seen.

Alyssa Bereznak of Yahoo gives 5 suggestions on where you should start on improving your profile. (Link: https://www.yahoo.com/tech/5-simple-things-you-can-do-to-improve-your-linkedin-91821014224.html)

Activity: Create a quota of things that you have to do daily on your LinkedIn profile and DO IT! Example: 2 connections, 10 endorsements, 2 profile updates.

3. Catch up with an old friend twice a week

Image one of your friends asked you for help finding a new job, would you help? Of course you would! Friends to the end!

By catching up with a friend you are not only being a good friend but you are enlisting the help of others. Now remember your main goal is to be a friend and if a job comes great!

By being sincere you are more likely to get some referrals from you friends.

Activity: Go to any of your social medias and make a list of 25 friends and start catching up. See if you meet up with them and talk.

4. Work Every Day –No matter what it is

This may seem counter intuitive but it's one of the most important things you can do. Every morning get up and go to work in the yard, cleaning, or helping a neighbor with a project.

Without work you will become complacent and discouraged. Staying active will not only keep you busy but it will help you maintain your self confidence through this difficult time.

Activity: Go through your house, yard, or neighborhood and find 5 projects that you can work on. Get started!

5.) Don’t forget to Serve Others

Just because you don’t have employment doesn’t mean you need to stop giving back. Through service organizations you will help yourself maintain your sanity.

Additionally, now a days many employers consider the character of the person rather than their skill set. This also gives you an opportunity to network with people for free.

Activity: Research service organizations in you area. Once you have found one that you like serve there once a week.

It’s hard to get laid off but you can make time afterward valuable. By applying these principals you will not only find future employment but also create the foundation for success in your next career.