You’ve Been Laid Off: Now, Make a Plan!

Martha I. Finney

Common wisdom holds that when we suffer the death of a loved one, we shouldn’t make any major life changes for six months. And common wisdom is that unexpectedly losing your job in a layoff is like suffering the death of a loved one. So it follows that when you lose your job, you shouldn’t make any major life changes—like start a new job—for six months. Hmm, the logical progression falls apart right about there, doesn’t it?

Unless you relish the notion of being truly and officially self-employed, languishing between jobs for six full months is intolerable and inadvisable. But the opposite extreme, leaping into the first thing that comes along, isn’t such a great idea either. What would ...