Q: I got my notice today, I don’t have a job. Where do I start?
A: Take a deep breath and remember that when a door closes another opens. Your job now is to look for the open doors not drive yourself into depression looking back at a closed door. When you look forward you will probably notice that you knew that the notice was coming, you were not blindsided, and as a result, you have probably thought about what you would do but you didn’t put your plan into action. You have to ask yourself:
- What do I want to do next? You probably haven’t asked yourself that question in a thoughtful way since stepping into your current job. Now is a good time to assess and/or reconnect with the driving force that will fuel your career.
- What is my financial situation? What changes if any do I need to make? After the severance, how long will my funds last?
- What is your plan – beyond LinkedIn—to communicate your current status and what you want/need to do next? What is the condition of your network?
- Are you emotionally up for the job search? If you are depressed, angry or confused, it will come through in how you communicate your skill, knowledge and experience.
In this economic environment where the drive to the bottom line often means reorganizations, losing a job is not a badge of shame. Your performance may have no relationship to the fact that you got tapped on the shoulder.
However, as you begin your conversations with friends and potential employers, you won’t get much sympathy if you say, “I was so surprised.” You will get even less support if 
you didn’t leverage your previous opportunity to grow professionally. Your job now is to move quickly and change direction.
Demonstrate your resiliency and your agility by using your contacts to get that next job or (if you have the desire and the guts) start your own firm.