Act Two, Act Two

A number of people have told me that after reading my comments in Liz Wolgemuth's U.S. News & World Report piece about preparing for a layoff, they immediately downloaded their list of contacts from their work computer. Smart move, but let's keep something in mind: We're not talking about making off with anything your employer would consider proprietary information--the idea here is to prepare for a layoff, not provoke one. Just create a separate record of the personal contacts that you've made, nurtured, and worked with regularly.

Lisa Takeuchi Cullen over at True/Slant found sufficient merit in the U.S. News article to feature it on her blog Act Two (my second appearance there in the last couple of months). I'm always pleased to get Lisa's attention, because she's tough-minded and practical, as you'll know if you've read her blog. Must be the journalist in her. By the way, I love the photo caption she came up with, referring to me as a "sacked flack." Why didn't I think of that?

Breaking (U.S.) News!

The cover story of the May issue of U.S. News & World Report is "Jobs For the Future." Lots of stuff to check out here about finding a job, keeping a job, who's hiring, career tips and more.

I am featured in a piece called "Thinking About the Unthinkable" (pg. 46 of the print edition), which appears online in slightly edited form as How to Prepare for a Layoff. Associate editor Liz Wolgemuth, who writes the "Inside Job" blog for USNews.com, heard I'd been laid off and asked me a great question: What would you have done if you'd known ahead of time that you were going to lose your job? I engaged in some 20/20 hindsight and gave her three ideas, which she explores in the column.

I hope you'll take a look. Who better to give career advice than an unemployed guy?