What To Do When You Lose Your Job

It's Not You, It's Them

Before AI was the hottest thing, execs toyed with “citizen journalism” and eliminated hundreds of thousands of writing positions across the country. The landscape changed, and eventually, reader input and feedback took a stronger position in content, but it wasn’t the cheap writer replacement companies had hoped for. AI is just the next wave. It will change the way we write, but it will never completely replace us in the long run.

Regardless of reasoning, when you walk into work (or log into work) only to be told “go home,” it’s difficult. There are some things I’ve learned over the decades that can help.

Job Loss Checklist

There are plenty more tasks to do, but this list is my top 10 list of personal advice when younger writers ask me what’s next after a layoff or restructuring.

1. Get a lawyer. Talk to a lawyer before signing anything. Most lawyers offer low-cost initial consultations. Doesn’t matter if you have no intention of legal actions; your stress level is likely affecting your perceptions, and having that trained second set of eyes is a good idea for any legal documents when you lose a job.
2. Avoid public rants. No matter how badly you feel you might have been treated in the heat of the moment, public rants need to be avoided. It does nothing but backfire later. Take the high road, the view’s better there anyway.
3. Get a portfolio together now. I’ve lost (literally) decades of work from earlier in my career, where articles were updated or publications went offline. Either use a portfolio builder that automatically creates image and/or PDF backups of content for you or manually create them yourself, but do not rely on your work to stay unchanged online. There are plenty of options out there, from WordPress to targeted portfolio builders that automate many tasks for you (like JournoPortfolio). I’m always happy to discuss hosting choices, CMS options, and builders if anyone wants to talk in-depth. Just shoot me a message.
4. Update existing portfolios. If you already have a portfolio, swap your live links to PDF/image copies now, before anything is updated or changed.
5. Decide who you are as a writer. Find the place your content comes from. Are you a teacher (like me), a provocateur (inciting strong emotions to make your point), a Joe Friday (just the facts), a storyteller (focused on the journey), the class clown (using humor to reach the audience), or something else entirely? AI may do a tolerable job of summarizing information, but it can’t address the human experience. Lean into the core of where your writing comes from.
6. Update/add certifications. Sometimes we write under NDAs or can’t show our work for other reasons. Get a professional certificate in whatever skill you need help proving or a newly emerging topic. Sites like Coursera offer reasonable yearly memberships that include various programs from respected organizations, like Google and Microsoft. Depending on the training courses and your state, it might add time or money to your unemployment claim as well.
7. Keep a list of trials and tribulations. Forgot who handled your retirement plan? Can’t find your employment contract? Keep a list of every issue you run into as you untangle your life from your former employer. Turn that list into an action list of information you need to keep when you step into a new role to make the next job change (planned or unplanned) easier.
8. Save for next time. When you get your next position (and you will), force yourself to save more than you think you need. Content is volatile. Always has been, always will be. Keeping at least 6 months’ pay in savings is a lifesaver.
9. Ditch the guilt trip. It’s so easy to slip into blaming yourself. Believe me, it isn’t you. Chances are that you had glowing reviews right up until the last-minute meeting that told you it was all over. And even if you didn’t, there’s no reason to beat yourself up. You got that job, you can get another one. It may be a rough road to it, but you’ll get there. Losing a job is not a strike against your worth.
10. Negotiate for your portfolio. When you get a new job, try to negotiate at least 3 to 5 pieces a year that you can publicly display if your byline isn’t on a piece. Usually, the agency will have at least one or two clients who don’t mind being mentioned in portfolios, or the agency can have you write a few pieces for the agency blog itself. At the bare minimum, you want to be able to privately share pieces with prospective employers, even if you can’t post them publicly for general viewing in your portfolio.