by Rebecca Theim

Created on: March 05, 2010

The government’s most recent unemployment report continues to demoralize the 14.5 million Americans without jobs. Six months ago, I joined the ranks of the unemployed, the third time in my 26-year professional life. Although I have blue-chip corporate experience and two graduate degrees. Below are the "Top 10 Things I've Learned by Losing My Job":

In today’s work world, employees should be committed to their professions and careers, not attached to their employers or jobs. Your resume should ALWAYS be up-to-date. Companies should handle terminations and down-sizing with empathy and respect, but many don’t. If you accept that, the humiliations and indignities you experience will be less debilitating.

If you’re unlucky enough to lose your job, maintain your professionalism, but push for what you’ll need to stay afloat until you’re able to find another job. Offer specifics as to why you deserve additional compensation. If at first you’re told “no,” approach someone higher up the corporate food chain with whom you have a relationship. (In my three terminations, I’ve been able to negotiate: an extension of my health insurance; the right to keep my company-issued laptop computer; a six-week extension of my employment to allow my 401(k) to vest; and a doubling of an initial severance offer. In two instances, I had to go all the way to CEO to win those concessions).

If the prospect makes you uncomfortable, ask yourself, “What’s the worst that can happen?” After all, they’ve already taken your livelihood.

Always talk to a headhunter – even if you’re comfortable in an existing job. But never forget that a headhunter works for the hiring company, not for you. Most jobs (especially during uncertain economic times like these) come through personal contacts, not through Internet job boards or newspaper ads. Yes, it’s uncomfortable, but contact everyone you know and tell them that you’re seeking work. Losing a job no longer has the stigma it once did, and you’ll be surprised how often people are willing to help. And then periodically follow up.

When I changed careers years ago, the absolutely best job I’ve ever had – director of corporate communications at Playboy Enterprises, Inc. – came through a graduate school mentor with whom I stayed in touch.

While everyone hopes his or her “time out” will be brief, it may not be, so line up contract work. I incorporated following my second downsizing. Incorporating offers both tax advantages and some headaches. (Note to self: Quicken for Small Businesses is not your friend.) More importantly, having my own company has given me a sense of purpose, a legitimate business to connect to and a way to keep from being desperate for the next job that comes along. And following another corporate job loss, I plan to now remain self-employed.

Although companies interviewing you should be polite, many won’t be. If you’re looking for work, you truly have no choice except to keep plugging away and do your best not to take it personally. Regardless of how glamorous or lucrative it is, curb your excitement about a job prospect until you have an offer letter in hand.

Especially in our modern world that includes the trauma and soul-searching invoked by Sept. 11 and our current struggles with the worst recession since the Great Depression, use your “time out” to appreciate all you have to be grateful for. Go to the public library. See a matinee. Take a week during a non-holiday season to visit relatives or friends. After all, as I frequently remind myself, things can always be worse.

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