I smiled, and commented, “This is life. The days of guaranteed employment are gone.” When she asked me for some advice, my comments were:

• Take Care of Yourself. Use this time to do something for you. Read a book. Take a class. Start a new hobby. Go out to dinner with friends. Look forward not back. Do not let a job define you.
• Network. Network. Network. The best jobs are never advertised. Spend your time networking. Reach out to everyone that you know on Linkedin. Do not be embarrassed that you were fired. It happens to the best of people. Ask the people close to you to assess your skills and recommend jobs.
• Do Your Own Assessment. Go to a coffee shop. Make a list of what you like and do not like at work. Then evaluate your last job against the list. Then design what you would like your new position to look like. As you interview, keep refining the work.
• Focus. Work Hard to Get a New Job. Use self-discipline. Don’t wallow in self-pity. Get up every morning and make yourself a cup of coffee and get to work looking for a new position. Call friends and old colleagues and ask them for advice. Set yourself a quota for outbound calls and networking emails.
• Let Go of the Anger. Harboring anger takes energy. Let it go. Look at a job transition as a gift. Embrace it as a passage to a better place.
• Build Interviewing Skills. Interviewing is about active listening. Listen to what is not being said and build poise and skill to answer tough questions. Practice.

This is what I shared this morning. I am getting more and more of these calls. I thought that I would share it. I hope that it helps you.