Don’t let a layoff catch you by surprise, said Ruth Mantell in Marketwatch.com. “Knowing that a job loss is coming is a first step to getting back on your feet.” It doesn’t take a crystal ball to see a pink slip in your future. Hiring freezes, budget cuts, slowing projects, and office scuttlebutt are all often followed by colleagues starting to clear out their cubicles. If you survive a round of layoffs, take a deep breath. But don’t assume that you’re out of the woods. “If others are losing their jobs you may, too—even if your boss says different.”
Some bosses will encourage you to stick around to the bitter end, said Anne Fisher in Fortune. But beware of getting “stuck” doing your laid-off colleagues’ work, says Susan Joyce of career portal Job-Hunt.org. If you can get another job, “you’re far better off leaving on your own terms.” Among other reasons, potential employers may assume that you stuck around because you had nowhere else to go. So even though you’ll probably be carrying a bigger load with a shorter staff, don’t waste your time feeling sorry for yourself. “Start figuring out your next move right away,” Joyce says.
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