Laid Off…Right Before the Holidays

Have you ever been in this situation? You get laid off and right before the holidays? Unfortunately, it’s all too common, but Sarah Johnston offers some great advice for those of you who end up in this unfortunate position.

Laid off. Right before the Holiday.

This was a situation my client never dreamed she’d be in.

4th quarter layoffs are common because most corporations run on a calendar year budget.They may want to go into the next year with a fresh start so cutting human capital at the end of the year is one way slash overhead.

You may have seen reports this month that Verizon offered a voluntary severance package to about 44,000 employees & that General Motors is planning to layoff 15% of its workforce.

I want to offer a piece of advice. If you find yourself in the unfortunate position of being laid off in 4th quarter, don’t put your job search on pause during the Holidays. Despite the financial woes of not having a paycheck right before the Holidays, I think December is the best month of the year to start a job search.

Take a few days to reflect on your accomplishments & your target job and then lay out a search strategy.

I’m not sure I agree with Sarah that December is the best month to start a job search, but I do agree that you shouldn’t put the job search on hold. Certainly, the hiring process slows down during the holidays as various leaders are out of the office and can’t give certain required approvals. However, companies are still hiring and you can still get the process started.

What’s interesting is that many suggest a sort of “grieving” period after being fired from the job. Time is an amazing healer and it makes sense sometimes to take a little time to process what happened and get yourself ready to take on your new job of finding a new position. So, I’m not saying you should rush into your job search if you’re laid off before the holidays, but I am suggesting that you shouldn’t delay it too long with the holidays as an excuse.

What advice do you have for those who get a 4th quarter pink slip? Do you suggest they shut down their search process or not? Let us know on social media with @HealthcareITJob and in the comments.

About the author

Adam Greenberg

As the lead blogger covering healthcare IT careers, Healthcare IT recruiting, and tips and tricks for healthcare IT job seekers on Healthcare IT Today, Adam brings a wealth of perspective and experience to his coverage of the industry. Having previously specialized in placing EMR implementation people with hospital clients, Adam Greenberg brings his 15 years of experience and connections in healthcare technology staffing to his coverage of the healthcare IT career space.

   

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