Monday morning. You arrive at the office, coffee in hand, ready for the week of work ahead. However, something is wrong. 

There is a strange feeling in the office. Everyone looks stressed, rumors are buzzing, and a company meeting has been called for 9 a.m. Next thing you know, you and your co-workers are out of a job.

"Excuse me?" you think. "Isn't this the company that just six months ago promised me stock options, huge payoffs and job security if I came and worked for them?"

There is a revolution happening almost as rapidly as the previous ".com" one. You could call it the ".Bomb". Finding yourself laid-off in your twenties, not even getting a chance to opt for the early retirement package, and you only have 35 more years of work to go.

What do you do? How do you cope when the company you've given your life to says so long? 

You cannot control getting laid off. There is nothing you could have done. However, you can control your reaction to it. Truth be told, being laid off may feel worse than being fired, because the feeling of helplessness is overwhelming. 

"What could I have done to avoid this?" you might ask yourself. 

The answer is "nothing". 

You have choices about how you are going to handle this. You can turn a negative experience into a positive one. If you think right and act right you have the opportunity to gain more than you lose.

Rethink your career path, pick up a book about career choices such as What Color is Your Parachute? and test yourself on what you really want to do. 

Make a choice, then go with it. Go with it with more fire than you've ever had before. 

Don't jump back into the same industry if you aren't willing to take the risk again. If you are up for the challenge, approach it better than the first time. 

Scott's top 10 things to remember if you're laid off:

1.  It's nothing personal

2.  Nothing you did caused it

3.  There is nothing you could have done to avoid it

4.  Things always happen for a reason

5.  You have been given an opportunity to rethink your career path

6.  There are plenty of other jobs out there

7.  Work is only a part of your life

8.  You control your reaction

9.  Allow yourself to mourn the loss of a job

10.  Indulge in your passions

Click here to find a career you can be passionate about

Scott Stratten is the National Training Manager for a large manufacturing company in Toronto.  He also specializes in motivational speaking and writing. Visit his website at
www.scottstratten.com or email scott@workyourlife.com

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