One of my worst nightmares has come true. My company is making large organizational changes, and I’m going to be forced out of a job. I’m the only income earner while my wife does everything kid and home related. So you can see why I’m freaking out. We don’t have any kind of cash safety net, no rich parents, and generally are pretty close to living check to check after some retirement contributions. What happens if I don’t find something before this job is done?! I don’t even know what to do if that happens.

Absorbing the first blow, the tough news

When is the best time to learn devastating news like this? The only answer is: as early as possible. Unfortunately, in this case, that was on December 19th! That’s right, I rolled into the full swing of Christmas and New Year’s celebrations knowing that my job was coming to an end in a few months. The shock of it hit hard. I didn’t even know what to do or say. At first I was in disbelief that my boss would tell me that close to the holidays. However, in retrospect, he did me a favor.

The hardest part about this news was absorbing it. When in the moment, and perhaps in a bit of shock, it’s hard to think things through and know what to do. Such was the case here. In all honesty, it took me a few days to work up the courage to accept it and tell my wife. It was so hard, and an awful feeling I never want to have again. But, accepting it, and talking it out really did help.

So what’s next? Time to jump into action. I have a family, a mortgage, and I need the health insurance too! If I don’t land something quick, I’ll have to start pulling from my 401k, or other financial maneuvers I can’t even think of, or fully understand right now. Starting is the hardest part though, especially when I haven’t really looked for a job in about 11 years. The last two jobs I’ve had were basically referrals from friends, so I didn’t really “hunt”. Ugh, where is that resume anyway? 

The process of looking for a job

I really don’t remember the details of my last true job hunt. It certainly was not under forced conditions like right now. I did it while having a secure job, without risk of losing a paycheck. So the stakes right now are so much higher. I need to jump right in though, and that all starts with the resume.

Reflecting on myself and my big list of resume bullet points is really hard. I hate trying to wordsmith my work life in a way to make it appealing. I know that is part of the process, but I feel that not everyone has the personality to enjoy talking about themselves, or boasting at all. Such is the case here. Of course, I know I have to, so I found my most recent resume which was updated over 2 years ago. I didn’t really have to shop that one around, so I wouldn’t even call it a full update at that time, just passable enough for HR since my friend gave me a foot in the door already.

First realization, my resume is terrible. There are some skills and qualifications in there, but it’s just a list of job titles and bullet points. I started doing research, and realized it was time for some drastic changes. After some research on modern resume writing, I found topresume.com, which gives a free assessment of your resume. I have to admit, I didn’t expect much, but it seemed extremely legitimate, indepth, and done by a human. I made quite a few edits just based on that. The second step was to get a new look. Honestly, I started with one of the Resume templates in Google Docs, and it was already a big improvement. 

Now that my resume is in decent enough shape, what do I do with it? I started randomly looking at companies I wanted to work for, and visiting their careers page. I found a few fitting job roles, and just applied cold. Surprisingly, after about a week, I actually heard back from one of them. Keep in mind, this is for a quick phone screen, so not even close to a done deal. This solidified that this is happening, I’m in the middle of it, and I need to keep going. 

Next, I started randomly applying to stuff I saw from job boards. I set up a profile, and now I basically am getting spammed into oblivion with job titles, most of which don’t seem to fit. I can’t just apply to companies I know though, so I figure I just need to sift through it, and keep throwing applications out there. Besides, what else can I do?

Ok, there is an obvious step here, but the most uncomfortable one for me. Reaching out to my work network. I find it really hard to talk to someone that I haven’t seen in years, especially when I’m asking a favor from them. From what I’ve read, and what close friends and family are telling me, this is the best way. So I jumped in, and sent a message to my old favorite boss from 5 years ago. The result: hit number two! He works for a tiny company, but they do have a legitimate opening which fits my skills. I really don’t want to work at a tiny company, but who am I to complain when the other option might be financial ruin! So I’m going through that process now too. 

When will the job search be over?

Realistically, I’ve only been in motion for about two and a half weeks. But, I only have 6 weeks until this is real, and I have no income. It’s going to go fast, and I’m doing my best not to freak out completely. I don’t want to settle on a job I don’t like, but honestly, I am a bit desperate, and I need to do what it takes to keep my family stable. It’s a tough spot to be in.

I actually got good advice from my current boss. The same one who told me I was losing my job, believe it or not. He doesn’t hate me, it’s just a tough situation, so I’m still very open to his advice. He basically hammered home the point that my network is the most important thing, and to keep digging. Literally, look through every LinkedIn contact, sort them by tiers of how close I was to them, then just reach out. It’s uncomfortable, but will probably yield the most results. I need to do this. I WILL do this, even though I hate it.

He made me think about it from the other side though. If someone that I truly enjoyed working with from 10 years ago reached out to me out of the blue, I would actually be pretty happy to talk to them. I wouldn’t even hesitate to help them and tell them about a job or if I knew someone else hiring. If I would do that for them, wouldn’t they do it for me? Not everyone of course, but some of them would! 

The summary here is that I need to get out of my comfort zone, and just keep reaching out to people from my past. I think as a general rule, we all want to help each other. So yes, I’m freaking out a bit, but I’ll continue to move forward and see what these old coworkers are up to. I switch from terrified to hopeful depending on the hour of the day, but the key is that I need to just stay at it.Wish me luck!