You've been handed the dreaded pink slip. In other words, you've been laid
off, fired, terminated, let go, canned or "RIF'd" (for "reduction in force").
Whatever you call it, it's some of the worst information you'll ever receive.
I'm sure that the pain associated with such news explains why bosses and owners
have creatively crafted so many ways to basically say, "I'm sorry, your services
aren't needed here anymore." So what do you do now?

Unfortunately there's no easy salve for your unemployment. There are,
however, basic principles that will speed up your job search and can improve
your prospects of getting hired. These six principles will help guide you
through this financially and emotionally difficult time.

In my experience of being a business owner, I've hired and fired many people.
Between my executive assistant and me, we've seen countless job applications.
Whenever we're hiring, my assistant is the first person to review all resumes.
She keeps the ones that she deems worth my review and tosses out the rest. Even
after this initial screening process, though, many resumes still leave much to
be desired. Here are reasons why:

Throughout your employment, you showed up at the office, Monday through
Friday, for at least eight hours a day -- maybe you even worked weekends. Now
that you've been laid off, you must commit the same amount of time looking for a
job as you did to performing your previous job. You may wonder how you'll ever
fill 40 hours a week. I'll start with what you shouldn't do:

This is not to say that you cut these activities out of your life. When you
were
gainfully employed, you participated in these activities after your
workday; you should apply the same stringent standards to your current job
search.

The first thing you may want to do after being laid off is to crawl under the
covers and wallow. Unemployment can certainly lead to depression, which makes
the job search even harder. It's a vicious cycle that can last months and lead
to financial ruin. For these reasons, unemployment is the worst possible time to
become a recluse. Instead, get out there and engage with your network, even if
it's the very last thing you want to do. As a result, you'll be energized, and
you will experience positive results. Try the following to stay active.

In the world of sales training, you'll often hear the phrase, "What gets
measured gets done." Top sales professionals keep track of how many phone calls
they've made, how many appointments they've scheduled, the number of
face-to-face (or Skype-to-Skype) meetings they've had, and how many deals
they've closed. Highly motivated salespeople can at any given time tell you
their average commission per sale. The bottom line is, by measuring their
workflow they know how many no's it takes to get a yes.

In addition, all salespeople are taught that if you don't ask, the answer is
no. On the other hand, if you do ask, the worst result possible is still "No."
By taking a bold step forward -- asking for help, a referral, or a position
within a company -- you've got nothing to lose and everything to gain. Can it be
embarrassing or even humiliating? Perhaps. That leads us to the next
principle.

If you don't persist during your job hunt, the result will be persistent
unemployment. Calvin Coolidge, the 13th president of the United States,
eloquently extolled the importance of persistence. He said:

Nothing in the world can take the place of persistence. Talent will not;
nothing in the world is more common than unsuccessful men with talent. Genius
will not; unrewarded genius is almost a proverb. Education will not; the world
is full of educated derelicts. Persistence and determination alone are
omnipotent.

I'm sharing this quote not only to inspire you, but also to encourage you to
surround yourself with positive people and resources.

Try reading the biographies of successful businesspeople such as Sam Walton
who started Wal-Mart Stores and Ray Kroc, the man behind the success of
McDonald's. Studying the lives of great entrepreneurs will motivate you, and
their stories will also provide you with effective business-building ideas.
You'll see that they faced tremendous obstacles and often experienced
heartbreaking failure before accomplishing their goals.

There are innumerable resources related to finding a job. The good news is
that lots of them are free. Examples include podcasts, video casts, chat forums,
Twitter feeds, white papers and articles. Whether it's a book or a blog, take
advantage of what's out there. Remember, however, the line between entertainment
and education can sometimes become hazy, so make sure that your career research
isn't really recreation.

Don't stop reading once you land a job either. Remember that in this highly
competitive Information Age, there's always going to be someone who is vying for
your position. Therefore, researching voraciously throughout your working years
is an essential part of staying on top of your profession, maintaining a
competitive edge, and being able to quickly adapt to change.

Looking for a job is never easy. In fact, it can be horribly discouraging.
I've had friends who had been out of work for more than a year and their
unemployment had nothing to do with laziness or incompetence. Despite setback
after setback, they kept at their search. They continued sending out resumes and
emails, and they enlisted the help of friends. They were always precise in their
pursuit, asking others if they knew someone at a particular company or in a
specific industry or field. Their hard work often resulted in jobs that were
even better than their previous positions.