“Help is on the way, Dear. Help is on the WAYYYYY!”                                                      — Mrs. Doubtfire

Here at The Dead Company Club, we mourn the passing of your former company, be it Land of Leather or Lehman Brothers. If you’ve rebounded and can be philosophical about the experience, that’s awesome. If you think I’m full of it for even suggesting such a state of mind is possible, read on.

Being out of work involuntarily isn’t fun, even if there are lots of others in your ‘hood mowing the grass mid-morning. So stop refreshing your inbox, click over to ILostMyJob.com and let them help. They are there to stabilize, restore and ready you to resume your career or start a new one.

ILostMyJob.com offers suggestions, directions, consultations and useful advice.  “Our mission is to do good for people who have lost their jobs, are involuntarily unemployed, and/or are taking steps to getting back to productive employment.”

Their content is a must-bookmark if you’re working on a full-time job search (Is there any other kind?).  For instance, if you’re timid about salary negotiations, you might want to read their article first before you follow our example of a job counteroffer.

Have you found other job-seeker sites that are worthy of mention?

Laurie Phillips writes for and about businesses. She specializes in all kinds of stuff.

Thanks to our fun foto provider, gruntzooki at flikr.com.

Post from: The Dead Company Club The Dead Company Club is a hobby of the writers at Sundance Research. Sometimes they just need to write about their own stuff.

Ready to Resume Your Career?

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“Giving you a handout will help pay the bills, but it won’t give you dignity.”

My self-esteem was slaughtered when my company was shut down. My lifestyle flipped and my dignity – how I assessed my value to society – evaporated.

Fast forward to 2010. In the eBook, What Matters Now, Jacqueline Novogratz writes:

“Dignity is more important than wealth…It comes from creating your own destiny and from the respect you get from your family, your peers and society.”

By that definition, I was broke. I floundered, waiting for someone to restore my former career success. I expected my imaginary benefactor would offer me the best job I could imagine with an intriguing, prestigious company. But fantasy was a toothless substitute for dignity. It got me exactly nothing.

I eventually learned a very simple lesson:

Only you can create your own destiny.

If you’re sitting on your butt feeling sorry for yourself, you are creating your destiny. If you’re reading this while you take a break from writing a business plan, you are too. It’s your choice.

Do you look around and see others in the same situation? Is the problem of crushed dignity too widespread to overcome? Do you think the phrase “create your own destiny” is too cliche? If so, take heart. I was there too. Cynical, jaded, victimized. But no one could pick me up and point me in a direction to restore my career – except me. You can do it too.

Do you need to restore your dignity? What are you doing to create your own destiny?

If you want to catch up on the trends affecting the working world and society, read the eBook, What Matters Now.

Laurie Phillips writes for and about businesses. She likes to ride motorcycles because it’s life without a safety net. Follow her on Twitter at @ljp26.

photo courtesy of Darren Stone

Post from: The Dead Company Club The Dead Company Club is a hobby of the writers at Sundance Research. Sometimes they just need to write about their own stuff.

How to Reclaim Your Future

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So your company closed. When this happened to me, I felt despondent, betrayed, victimized and generally worthless, angry and shattered.

Yet, I had to admit there was a silver lining. I didn’t want to acknowledge it because I wanted to be mad, but it was there. Maybe not one that gave me my economic stability and self-confidence back, but still…

Let’s face it. Have you ever been at work and:

• Wore out your watch by staring at it?
• Spiked your anxiety-ridden manager’s coffee with Valium?
• Kept your fingers crossed that the moron wouldn’t speak up and drag the meeting out purposelessly for another hour?
• Worried that the job would outlive you?

It’s a bummer to lose your job and your company with no chance of being hired back. But it gives you the opportunity that lets you get a new start, find new opportunities, even explore new careers. Admit it. There’s a silver lining there.

Have you found your silver lining yet?

Laurie Phillips is an expert at working for companies that vanish. She is the President of Sundance Research and no longer worries about the job outliving her.

Muchas gracias to flikr.com/tanakawho for the photo.

Post from: The Dead Company Club The Dead Company Club is a hobby of the writers at Sundance Research. Sometimes they just need to write about their own stuff.

Have You Found Your Silver Lining?

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“What Matters Now” is what matters

Second of a series

I want to be fearless. Apparently I’m not the only one. In the new eBook, “What Matters Now,” there are plenty of mini-essays that talk about stepping out of your comfort zone and taking a new direction. And what better time to consider it than when you’ve been involuntarily canned?

In a short article appropriately titled, “Fear,” Anne Jackson writes:

“We’re often impressed by those who appear to be fearless. The people who fly to the moon. Chase tornadoes. Enter dangerous war zones. Skydive. Speak in front of thousands of people.”

I bet you’re also impressed by people who start a business that becomes successful, ferret out an unbelievable new job with a whopping promotion or ditch their former career in favor of something they’ve always wanted to do.

Do you ever think, “I could do it too,” but your Inner Censor wakes up and kicks your dreams down the sewer?

Maybe you’re short on savings or have no household income. Or you don’t have expert qualifications. Maybe you’re highly qualified but still feel the sting of your company’s collapse and are afraid to go for it. The Censor says, “Be mature! You can’t risk spending money to go to that conference/take that class/buy that company in this economy,” or “You have too much to learn, you’ll never catch up.” It may just echo, “Oh, grow up!” The Censor always ends with, “Take the safe road.”

Stop right here. Reread Anne’s quote. Those people who fly to the moon, skydive or capture a immense following are just like you. Except they didn’t take the safe road. They were afraid. They knew they were taking a substantial risk, maybe even putting their lives on the line. They chose to walk through their fear.

Could our heros have ignored their passion and done something safer? Absolutely. Would they have been satisfied? Perhaps. But here’s what I’ve found: If you have a dream and ignore it – even for good reasons – it will haunt you. It will be that little voice that nags, “Is this what I really want to do?” with every job opportunity. That dream will demand attention, and you will spend a lot of energy suppressing it.

Anne ends her essay with this:

“Until Fear is gone, (and realize he may never completely leave) make the decision to be courageous. The world needs your story in order to be complete.”

You can swallow hard and become fearless. You can also decide to be afraid. What’s your choice today?

Laurie Phillips is a freelance writer and motorcyclist. She has done the motorcycle stunt above by accident while pursuing one of her passions. It was worth it.

Photo courtesy of flicker.com/pdbreen

Post from: The Dead Company Club The Dead Company Club is a hobby of the writers at Sundance Research. Sometimes they just need to write about their own stuff.

What Matters Now: Be fearless

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“Success is not built on success. It’s built on failure. It’s built on frustration. Sometimes it’s built on catastrophe.”

-Sumner Redstone, majority owner of CBS, Viacom, MTV Network, Paramount Pictures and DreamWorks studios

I was taught that there are winners and losers. You didn’t hear any of that sissy “Everybody’s a winner, Sweetie!” nonsense in my ‘hood. We kept score during our games.

Our job search winners are…

In that spirit I am announcing the winners of the Corporate Reemployment Awards Program (CRAP). They all came from organizations that failed or otherwise died of natural causes. They experienced the same fears and feelings as the rest of us who found ourselves treading water in a crowded sea of unemployment. Some accepted the challenge and vaulted to greater success, showing character that really shines. Others failed spectacularly. So without further ado, here’s the list.

Winner, Biggest Leap Up The Ladder: Chad Fulgham, formerly of Lehman Brothers, now the CIO of the FBI.

Winner, Most Challenging Career Change: Andy Neff, former Senior Managing Director at Bear Sterns, now full time student of the Torah. Says Andy, “Is this comfortable? No, it’s really not comfortable, it’s disorienting,” but I find it unfortunate that people tend to focus on how much they lost. Coming out of every situation, you need to focus on what you have, not on what you lost.” Amen, Brother.

Winner, Most Reformed: David Walker, former partner at Arthur Andersen who became the Comptroller General of the United States. He subsequently resigned over the “declining moral values” within the U.S. Government which, ironically, is who shut down Arthur Andersen for their accounting ethics.

Winner, Most Dramatic Career Change: Taria Reed, former Enron employee turned Playboy model. Taria’s acceptance speech: “It was personal for me, empowering (and) gave me a little bit of self-assuredness.” Taria gives new meaning to “getting back on your feet.”

Winner, Most Publicly Humiliating Rebound Job: Alberto Gonzales, former Bush Administration U.S. Attorney General, now the professor of a single political science course at Texas Tech University. Gonzales, the most powerful lawyer in the US, said he was “unable to interest law firms in adding his name to their roster.”

Winner, Biggest Loser: Rebecca Mark, former CEO of Enron International, now isolating on her Ranch in New Mexico. “Just say that I’m sitting out here watching the elk migrate across the mesa and raising my cattle.”

Winner of The Job We All Want: He’s only known as “John S.” and he says “I make a little less money, work less, have less work-related stress, great benefits and enjoy my work like never before.” Read more at Alison’s Job Searching Blog.

Do you know someone who should be nominated for our next round of awards?

Post from: The Dead Company Club The Dead Company Club is a hobby of the writers at Sundance Research. Sometimes they just need to write about their own stuff.

New Job Award Winners

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“When you are unhappy, is there anything more maddening than to be told that you should be contented with your lot?”                                                                                  Kathleen Norris

If your company is gone and you’re unemployed, a noted doctor has figured out why you may be unhappy. Dr. Norman M. Bradburn conducted a psychology study at the University of Chicago back in the 1960’s. He found that employment was a key discriminator between happy and unhappy people. Fear of unemployment weighed heavily in the unhappy camp too. No kidding.

But – very importantly – Dr. Bradburn found plenty of unemployed people were happy. He attacked this oddity like a pit bull and ultimately found that social interaction was the key to happiness, regardless of employment status.

Are you social?

Dr. Bradburn measured social interaction by seven factors, all reducible to a number:

1. Organizations belonged go
2. Phone calls per day
3. Distance traveled from home in the past week
4. Meetings attended
5. Friends visited
6. Auto rides taken
7. Restaurant meals eaten

The more of each, the merrier.

Test yourself.

If you’re unemployed and unhappy, ask yourself:

• Are you isolating?

• Getting away from your keyboard?

• Networking in person?

• Escaping the house?

• Calling friends, even those that are employed?

Extra credit

From experience I would add:

Are you getting outside to walk or do other exercise at least once a day? It’s proven to change the way you feel. Plus daylight and the wind in your face are healing.

Of course, you can hold as tightly to unhappiness as you wish. I wallowed in my dirty diaper for too long and it didn’t do any good. It’s your choice. I know which one I prefer.

What makes you feel better when your self-esteem has cracked and you’re feeling like a victim of circumstances beyond your control?

Laurie Phillips is very happy being her own boss as a freelance writer for Sundance Research.

Post from: The Dead Company Club The Dead Company Club is a hobby of the writers at Sundance Research. Sometimes they just need to write about their own stuff.

The 7 Causes of Happiness

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“I didn’t say it was your fault. I said I was going to blame it on you.” — Anonymous

Former Circuit City employees took a direct hit when the company closed. But the fallout is still spreading far beyond the walls of Circuit City’s echoing stores. If you think you aren’t affected, think again.  Here are some random thoughts about who has taken a hit and what might change as a result of The City’s death.

New School Bus Routes

Circuit City left 18.7 million square feet of empty retail and warehouse space. They abandoned over 575 leases.  Across the country, mall and shopping center owners – who were already sweating – are hyperventilating. One well-meaning, ivory tower-dwelling person suggested they use the big-box stores for schools. It’s not a stretch to imagine converting Circuit City’s former headquarters campus, but what municipality has the coin to rent the typical Circuit City store space?

Up Your Credit Limit

You’re going to need it. PCs and TVs are going to get more expensive with the blow that the big electronics manufacturers took. HP may never get the $120 million Circuit City owes it. Samsung is waiting for $115 million and Sony is out $60 million. These companies were already getting flogged by the economy. Another 20+ manufacturers are in the same boat, big names including Toshiba, Garmin, Panasonic, Monster, and Kodak.

No More Newspapers

I’m not very sympathetic of the media. But newspapers are run by people and, although I don’t like what they do, their fates matter. The industry is already fighting to stay afloat, and now Circuit City’s colorful Sunday inserts are gone. This could mean as much as a 10% reduction ad revenue for local papers.

Small Business Shock

Plenty of small businesses are struggling because of Circuit City. Cafe 56 in Cleveland counted on customer and employee business from a neighboring Circuit City store. Freelance photographer Scott Brown hopes to get paid some of the $30,000 he’s owed by Circuit City, but it’s not likely. It’s a shock to realize that big, established companies aren’t dependable any more.

And the Biggest Loser Is…

Shareholders! They won’t get a check worth the postage. On the last day of trading, shares closed at 10 cents. Former employees who held stock in their 401Ks are going to be retiring later, if at all. If you think you’re exempt because you didn’t own any stock, you might want to check your mutual fund holdings. Even moderate risk funds often dabble in high-risk investments, such as in the stock of a company who was looking for a last-minute buyout. It would’ve rewarded those shareholders who had nerves of steel very nicely.

I’m sure there are other businesses that have suffered too. What other stories can you add?

Post from: The Dead Company Club The Dead Company Club is a hobby of the writers at Sundance Research. Sometimes they just need to write about their own stuff.

Circuit City’s Mushroom Cloud

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“The only thing worse than being talked about is not being talked about.”     Oscar Wilde

In case you weren’t sure, the neighbors are buzzing about you. Your company is gone and they know it. While you’d like to pretend nothing happened to you, face it. Your job is gone. The neighbors want to know what happened to you so they can gossip with authority. So go ahead – give them something to talk about.

Tell them you are:

And your company:

Or you are part of a corporate study on:

Finally, if you want to be perfectly clear, you can tell them the traditional answers. You were:

Ultimately your neighbors want to know enough to gossip about how much your self-esteem has been crushed. And the answer to that, my friend, is up to you.

Laurie Phillips is a business writer who has found the term “freelancing” very effective in deflecting nosy acquaintances. Read more about her “freelancing” here.

Post from: The Dead Company Club The Dead Company Club is a hobby of the writers at Sundance Research. Sometimes they just need to write about their own stuff.

Gossip Zappers

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“No one ever told me that grief felt so like fear.”   C.S. Lewis

I was shocked and saddened by the number of companies I added to the Memorial Garden (below) during routine blog maintenance today. What has happened to all these former employees? What about their families? Their sanity? Mortgage payments? Health insurance? The extent of pain is hard to fathom.

There are some characteristics that members of The Dead Company Club share. You’ve become involuntarily unemployed. Your pride and self-esteem is bruised, if not battered. Your job search is stressful. You probably don’t have enough money to live worry-free for an indefinite period. And your financial cut-backs are going to hurt others, either directly or indirectly. From the local newspaper publisher to your lawn service to the family that you move in with again, everyone is going to suffer.

Company failures hurt. I don’t want to keep adding to the Memorial Garden. But if your company’s name belongs there, you can find safe haven here.

The Dead Company Club is here for the sole purpose of providing support to anyone whose company has crashed and burned, whether it happened last week or a long time ago.

Post from: The Dead Company Club The Dead Company Club is a hobby of the writers at Sundance Research. Sometimes they just need to write about their own stuff.

Too Many Members

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“You may not realize it when it happens, but a kick in the teeth may be the best thing in the world for you.”       – Walt Disney

When I lived in Boulder, Colorado in the ’80s everyone else wanted to live there too. PhDs were washing dishes to make it possible. Flash forward. Today’s corporate failures are making PhDs compete to wash dishes. The best and brightest can’t find jobs and are running out of savings, can’t pay their debts, and don’t know what to do.

My experience in Boulder – I made omelets – and later after my company failed (I sold stuff on eBay and painted until I got a real job) taught me a few things that might help you feel, well, less tortured. Here are the five things to keep in mind while you’re getting over the shock of being laid off.

1. You are still brilliant. One of the worst mistakes you can make is to doubt yourself. Keep exercising your mind. Go to university forum discussions. Read everything you can. Short attention span? Hit the magazine rack at the library. Like your solitude? Read Thoreau. It’s not action-packed Hollywood, but his soaring intellect will give your brain a workout. Plus his example of thrift – he pondered sleeping in a coffin-like box as an alternative to a house because it gave him a roof over his head without frivolous extras – may help put your own lifestyle in perspective.

2. Talk your ego down out of that tree. You’re not a bad person if you lose your job, and having to take a lesser job doesn’t change who you are. Ego has a way of keeping you stuck in the self-pity swirly. Shake it off and remember that this will make a good story some day.

3. Being broke is fixable. Look for a temporary job. Consider it a “research opportunity.” Look on craigslist and Elance for short-term and permanent postings. Post your own skills for hire. Hint: set aside your pride and tailor your resume for the job. Summa Cum Laude may backfire when you’re applying to edit kids’ books.

4. This won’t last. This is life, and life will change. Shit happens. You will get over it and new opportunities will come along. It might not happen on your schedule, but it will happen. You can’t keep great talent down.

5. Don’t wait. The longer you brood, the worse your mood. Get out there and do something. Look for humor to get you feeling upbeat.

What has losing your job and company done to your self-esteem? What has helped you?

Laurie Phillips was a ski bum and worked as a lowly chef long before she found her true calling. She is a freelance business copywriter but her heart is still in the mountains.

Post from: The Dead Company Club The Dead Company Club is a hobby of the writers at Sundance Research. Sometimes they just need to write about their own stuff.

Brilliant and Broke

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