Job dismissal notice: 'You are fired'
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6 Ways to Prepare Now for Getting Fired

Posted October 8, 2008

You’re going to get fired sometime in your career.

It might happen next year or next month. Given the way the economy is going, next week may even be a strong possibility. Bury your head in the sand and you’ll give up the potential for whatever competitive advantage can be gained by planning ahead for the (inevitable) corporate ax. Here are 6 steps to take, instead:

1. Be real. To the degree that you can assess just how bad things are right now for your employer, your industry, your community – or whatever else impacts your job – you can start making realistic projections about just how long you’re likely to hold on. That’s important for effective planning.

EconoTip: Pay attention to those subtle warning signs that conditions are going from bad to worse. First the flowers in the 2nd floor reception area may disappear, for example, and then the receptionist, followed one at a time by all those departments that used to be located on the second floor. If you wait until then, you’re in trouble.

2. Document everything. Borrow this trick from all those mid-level managers who got canned during the 1990s. Start a notebook and write down all your accomplishments on the job, big and small. Compliments from the boss. Everything you do beyond the call of duty.

EconoTip: Do this every day and it’ll become more of a habit than an annoyance. It may even make you feel better about yourself, even when the economy is collapsing all around you.

3. When we say document everything, we mean everything. So if you hear details about what happens when someone else at the company gets fired, write that down too. Other department’s screwups. You get the idea.

EconoTip: Even if your information isn’t in-depth or completely accurate, it might still come in handy during negotiations with the Ax Man (”What? You want me to leave in two weeks when you gave Jason four, plus three extra months on the health care plan, after the performance his department turned in last quarter?” Better still, “What? You’re firing me after the way I bailed you out last month? As we both recall….”)

4. Set your priorities. When your time comes to get fired, what do you really want most? As much time in the office as you can get, so that you can hunt while pretending you’ve still got a job? Six months worth of health care coverage? A consulting gig with the company, which might help you transition into self-employment? You may not get everything you ask for, but if you’ve planned for this day in advance, at least you’ll know what you want to ask for.

EconoTip: Your employer’s priority will be to get you out the door quickly and inexpensively. So you’ll need to come up with a good rationale about why you deserve better treatment.

5. Get used to all this now, before you get the bad news. That way, you won’t cry, grovel, or attack anyone when you get the bad news.

EconoTip: Those strategies don’t work, after all. And–we’ve learned this the hard way–you’ll feel worse afterward if you succumb.

6. Start job-hunting today. Even in this lousy economy, it’s easier to get hired before you get laid off rather than afterwards. If you really plan ahead, steps 1-5 may not be necessary after all.

Reader Comments

  1. Karen

    Here’s another tip. In fear of being fired, I entered into my cell phone the names and phone numbers of all clients, work-related contacts, anyone I might contact about a job. Don’t want to leave the office an emotional wreck without all the networking info you need to get another job!

  2. jackie

    That’s a great idea, Karen. I will start doing that today.

  3. JenK

    This seems to be about layoffs, not firing for cause. But hey, here’s a tip: If management tells you explicitly not to do something – don’t do it.

  4. Mary

    JenK – Great point. I worked with a woman who lost her pension and health insurance for life because she couldn’t resist sneaking a cigarette in the ladies room at work.