I just got a phone call last week that my old company laid off 300 reps. How bad does that suck? Even reps that were above their goals! WTF is that all about?
Well, I can tell you it's not because of their performance they were laid off, it's because the company is losing market share and in order to meet stock holders expectations they have to cut costs. As a pretty good manager in my day, let's assume they are trying to geographically excise reps. In other words, if your territories cross with another good rep, especially a veteran rep, then you're fucked! Newer reps get laid off sooner, it's just the nature of the "beast". It probably shouldn't be that way, but business is like the army or marines, the grunts do most of the work, and suffer most of the casualties.
So now you're out of a job. You may be married, you may have kids, and you most likely have a mortgage payment(s) to make. Hopefully you received some type of severance in the deal, and this will hold you over for a few months. Here are some helpful tips to make you feel better about your situation, and to keep you from feeling sorry for yourself.
1. Don't Panic - If you were a good rep before than you're still a good rep now. One day doesn't make a difference, whether you're employed or not. And if you have a good resume, you're gonna be alright. The thing to do is not panic, because if you panic then chances are your wife and kids will panic or even your dog will panic. We don't need Spot peeing on the living room carpet. Inside, you can be freaking out, but you must maintain an outward appearance of composure. Just think like Fonzie from "Happy Days", and be cool.
2. Don't Get Wasted - Losing you're job is a horrific experience, and I've been through it, but don't go out and get wasted because you're bummed about your situation. The last thing you need is a DUI to go with your unemployment check. I know so many people who go out and get drunk the very first night they find out they got fired. It doesn't help the situation at all, because when you wake up in the morning you're still unemployed and now you have a hang over. Celebrate your freedom but in moderation. No one wants to interview a rep who smells like stale beer and has vomit stains on their shirt/blouse.
3. Sign Up For medreps.com - This site is awesome! When I was laid off, I signed up, polished up my resume and "blasted" it to 1200 recruiters. Within 5 days, I had 4 interviews set up and I felt a helluva lot better about my situation. In fact, I had so many offers I took my time picking the right company for me. No one wants to be job shopping, especially around the holidays, which was when I was laid off. Merry fucking Christmas, you're fired! This is a great resource for any health care rep, and be sure to send out your resume during the week. Don't blast it on the weekend because no one will see it. Even recruiters take weekends off.
4. Utilize Your Contacts - Two days after I was laid off, one of my customers actually offered me a job. How awesome is that! The job didn't pay well, so I respectfully declined, but it felt so good to know that someone wanted my services. It was like getting dumped and then finding out somebody you didn't know was always attracted to you. Surprise! You're not a total loser.
If you have customers, other sales reps, anyone who can help you out, just call them. It doesn't hurt to let people know that you're looking. You didn't put yourself in this situation, the company did.
5. Post Anonymous Messages On The Internet - I didn't do this, but in order for you to feel better about yourself, you should talk shit on every message board you can about your old company. Why? Because you'll feel better and then other reps will get the message that the company sucks. Unfortunately this isn't the old days, when people stayed with the same company for 40 years and retired, and I assume you're not planning on going back. So talk trash; hell even make stuff up. Why not? They're not gonna hire you back and if you send out anonymous messages, how will they know it's even you. Here's a tip though, don't go crazy and start sending messages that can be traced back to you like:
"I worked for this friggin company for 3 years in Syracuse NY, and I've hated it since I friggin started on December 12th 2009. My district manager Ted was such an asshole I hope his whole family gets cancer."
That's not entirely anonymous, and if you were counting on old Ted for a letter of recommendation, you can forget it. Be elite and be discreet, but give it to them good on the Internet.
More to come later! Good luck in your search and remember to keep your chin up.
-M
No comments:
Post a Comment