CAREERS NOW 08-13-08

How Quickly Should You Job Hunt After Lay-Off?

DEAR JOYCE: Five of my coworkers were laid off last week. This raised a question in my mind: If I get laid off, which is the best action - immediately jump into a job search, or take time to think about what to do next in my career? - L.J.

No matter what, start right now to devise a contingency plan in case you find yourself on the bricks. But as far as whether to jump in or wait, here are two viewpoints by two experts.

The first one is offered by Douglas J. Matthews, president and CEO of Right Management (right.com), a major human capital consulting service headquartered in Philadelphia.

The second comes from Tony Beshara, Ph.D., president of Babich and Associates (babich.com), a top job placement and recruiting firm in Dallas.

Matthews responds: "You should avoid rushing into the job market. Don't panic. Take time to think about what you want to do next in your career. You may wish to explore career possibilities such as changing functions, industries, or even a range of work-life options such as part-time employment, entrepreneurial ventures and retirement alternatives.

"Don't make calls and send e-mails to networking contacts asking for job leads. Don't contact recruiters, respond to ads or post to Internet job boards until you've carefully reviewed and updated your resume, set clear goals and developed a plan.

"Take time off to reassess your career and determine what you want to do next. Immediately following the loss of a job, many people are not completely prepared, are still too emotional, and have no comprehensive plan to launch an employment search. Assess strengths, identify goals, focus on the future and create an action plan before moving forward."

Beshara responds: "When one wants to contemplate, re-evaluate or develop a plan, do it in three or four hours, then start looking for a job immediately. It's going to take a lot longer than people think, and the sooner you start, the better. When unemployment is reaching for 6 percent, there are tons of candidates from which employers can choose, not the other way around.

"This is not a good time to change careers. Employers see more risk in hiring someone who is changing careers than in hiring a qualified candidate with documentable skills who can do something for them right now. Wait for an employee-driven economy, such as the late '90s, for a voluntary career change. Part-time? Try telling your mortgage company that you've decided to experiment with a part-time job and that you'd like to simply make as much of the payments as you can afford. Don't panic, but don't pause."

DEAR JOYCE: The cost of commuting to work is becoming a monumental pain. But I don't see job openings anywhere nearer to my home. What are others doing to compensate for gas prices? - S.A.

First, read the advice above before you quit your job. Then, think about carpooling, telecommuting from home, using public transportation, walking or biking, or keep looking for a job closer to home.

The latter is what most people appear to be doing. Beyond.com, a giant network of 15,000 niche career sites, polled 20,000 professionals, and a whopping 79 percent are, like you, looking for a job closer to home.

A little ray of sunshine has crept into the costs of oil - recently at $125 a barrel, compared with lows of $10 a decade ago. The cost of shipping and transportation is bringing some American jobs shipped overseas back home.

Tesla Motors, for example, in its manufacturing of electric-powered luxury roadsters, has junked plans to make batteries in Thailand, ship them to Britain for installation, and finally bring the mostly assembled cars back to the United States. Instead, the company is making the batteries and assembling the cars near its home base in California, knocking off more than 5,000 miles from the shipping bill for each vehicle. Tesla and other such developments are good news for American workers. Do a Web search for a New York Times article, "Shipping Costs Start to Crimp Globalization."

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