The Ultimate Layoff Survival Guide

Sept. 18, 2008 — -- Even if you don't work for Lehman Brothers or Merrill Lynch, it's a scary time to be an employee. If you don't have any friends, relatives or neighbors whose job is currently on the chopping block, it's probably because you don't have any friends, relatives or neighbors.

In April, a survey conducted by the Pew Research Center found that one in seven employees frets that they'll get laid off in the next year, with the lowest-earning workers understandably worried most about getting the axe.

Looking for career advice? Click here to send Michelle your questions and they might end up as a topic for her next column.

But that doesn't mean you have to take the economic downturn lying down. For starters, you can create a layoff preparedness kit, so that if the worst happens and you find yourself on the wrong end of a pink slip with just 10 minutes to vacate the premises, you're not frantic.

"Keep contact information for your colleagues somewhere off site so that when you leave, you can stay in touch," said Dr. Janet Scarborough Civitelli, president of Bridgeway Career Development, a career coaching firm based in Seattle. "Any one of these colleagues might be the connection that helps you land your next job."

Likewise, keep your resume current, your office spare (easier to pack up in a pinch) and copies of any non-proprietary work samples stored at home.

Of course, if career disaster strikes, an updated resume and tidy desk will only get you so far. So let's go over what else you'll immediately need to do and consider should you lose your job.

1) Reign in your emotions. When you lose your livelihood, it's understandable you might be peeved, depressed or incredibly freaked out. But do your best to keep your feelings in check. Like mom used to say, if you don't have anything nice to say, keep your trap shut.

If someone asks you a question you don't feel equipped to answer without drop-kicking them, Scarborough Civitelli recommends offering a civil, "I need to think through some things and I'll touch base with you about that later."