MANAGING A SUDDEN LAYOFF is anyone’s worst nightmare. It doesn’t have to be. Steer clear of the guilt trip, accept the challenge head on and take swift action, says Anumeha Chaturvedi 

1 ACCEPT THE REALITY The emotional turmoil of what’s next, why me, is bound to disturb you, but acceptance is critical for moving on. “Allow yourself to grieve, but move on without wasting too much emotional energy. Be realistic, accept the facts and get on with it,” says Raman Munjal chair professor of leadership studies at MDI, Gurgaon Asha Bhandarkar. “Just as employees move on for better options, they should be prepared for layoffs. Once this basic expectation is set, preparing for such eventualities becomes easier,” she adds. 

2 DO NOT BADMOUTH Restraining from expressing your displeasure towards colleagues and bosses can be hard but remember you may need their assistance in reference checks and recommendations. “One must control the tendency to express these emotions. Negative emotions possibly get disseminated across the grapevine faster than positive emotions and result in loss of social capital,” says Bhandarkar. 

3 TAP YOUR RESOURCES Leverage your contacts: trustworthy seniors and colleagues, to the best of your ability. For all you know, they might be the ones pointing you to the new job. Founder and CEO of networking portal Apna Circle Yogesh Bansal feels job portals and networking sites provide an excellent opportunity for building one’s brand and networking. 

4 APPLY, APPLY AND APPLY “Don’t think brand alone, think work profile and learning opportunity. No fancy company and title can give you the kind of accelerated learning which a challenging job can, adding weight to your CV,” says Bhandarkar. 

5 EDUCATE AND UPDATE YOURSELF An exit is a good time to take stock of things you might have missed out on— spending time with family, enrolling for a specialised course or a degree. “Explore the fields that you have always been interested in but never got the chance to try,” says Bansal.

(The Economic Times, Mumbai, 18-05-2012)