Surprised With Being Let Go, Networking/Job Search 101 plz?

I'm just going to tackle the "network/info interview" angle because I've had experience with that info interviews and I'm also extremely introverted. I think many people have the same self-talk (i.e. people do not want to be bothered, what are they going to think, etc.). A few years ago a friend helped me see info interviews from another angle. She mentioned that most people by nature want or like to help other people if they can. The people who do not want to be bothered or help will just ignore the request or forget that you even asked. Also, people will help if 1) they know exactly what you want or need (define it for them) and 2) it is limited (a 30 minute conversation vs hours on end). So a few yrs ago when I wanted to find people to have info interviews with I did actually google "city" plus "job title" plus (my own search terms). I wrote brief emails asking to learn more about dream job X and asked if they would be willing to have an info interview with me and offered them a choice of email, phone (30 minutes max), or in person meeting (30 minutes max). If there is a way that you connect to them (friend works at Y or you have a background in Q), put that piece of info down. Send out a whole bunch of emails like that and a few pple will reply.I actually was not looking for a job through these people, but rather ...learning how to increase my chances of being hired in the industry (e.g. what are the hot trends? Are there other job title names? Where else should you be looking? Did they work with any recruiters they would highly recommend?) If you are uncomfortable from your last experience --you could look for a workplace that just has more stability/open communication, etc. More on different ways to do info interviews/job hunt http://ask.metafilter.com/166292/Have-the-job-search-methods-laid-out-in-What-Color-Is-Your-Parachute-worked-for-you#2391153 and http://ask.metafilter.com/183382/If-you-dont-have-the-wherewithal-you-dont-need-the-why#2638852/not typing it all out again. LinkedIn is a great place to look. A reverse way to do this vs approaching strangers on there is to drop a question one of the discussion groups (i.e. would anyone be willing to have an info interview with you? Or would anyone have a list of companies in your city that hire people in industry X? I've seen people ask for this and share in some of the groups). FWIW on why they let you go...from reading the info you provided, dollars to donuts they were having financial problems. They lost a client(s) or were unable to meet upcoming payroll in the next few months. Often last one hired is first one out. It isn't personal; they made a business decision. When someone is being setup for a layoff it is usually the reverse of what happened to you (meeting, document what you need to do, another meeting). One last thing -- you may not be able to do this right now, but in a week or two. Define what you want out of the new job. Make a list. Is there anything new that you wanted to learn? Or a more organized environment. Go shopping for that and in the end this may be an improvement. You have a month to find a better job for you. I'm also going to recommend getting a list (linkedin, library, whatever) and emailing brief cover letters to every single company...I think the likelihood of getting a job this way is much better than waiting for the 5 jobs to be thrown onto Monster or whatever. Good luck.

I'm just going to address one piece of your question -- I'm an introvert, but I'm also a great networker. And though I certainly recognize the uncomfortableness of setting up a meeting with essentially a stranger and saying "I want to be where you are now, so what should I do," from the other side, it's totally okay. Whenever someone gets a hold of me because they're looking for advice or information on areas where I've been successful, it feels awesome. Not only do I get to help someone out for little to no effort on my part, but I get to feel recognized for what I do well. You could certainly have someone not respond well, but that would tell me that that person is not as secure or successful as they present themselves. If a person is comfortable in their situation, they have no reason not to share what got them there, or to enjoy the little ego boost. Use your LinkedIn contacts -- that's what they're there for. Be polite, don't ask for the moon, but certainly ask for a brief chat or a few emails, and that you're on the market if they know of anything that might fit.

The thing where you talk to people about what they do and how they got there is called an "informational interview" and is totally normal. Someone might tell you no, but you will not die of no. You ultimately were laid off, and that's all you need to say. If you are asked to discuss it further, you can say: "I don't know. I got an 11% raise and then the next week they told me it wasn't working out. Then they gave me a generous severance with benefits." If you need to say any more about it, you can actually bring up the bit about the startup culture. You should never ever say "I wasn't working out there because I'm not crazy enough," but you can let them draw their own conclusions.

Wolfster has it - people love to give advice, if they have time, and love to feel important. And the smart ones know one day you may be in a position to do THEM a favor. That's business. It's better if you have some sort of established connection, like through your coworker or LinkedIn group. Also, leverage your alumni associations, any clubs you belong to (or consider joining some), your friends and family. So: Step 1: Work on your "elevator pitch." Ex: "I've got five years experience whatsamacalling widgets, and now I'm looking to get into doohickeys. Can you tell me about the doohickey space in this city, or refer me to someone who can?" This is for in-person networking. Also compose an email saying, "Hi, I'm xammerboy, I am contacting you because [colleague intro, LinkedIngroup, meeting at event, etc,] and I am considering getting into your field. Is there anything you can tell me about dookickeys in [city]? I was in widgets for 5 years before, and trying to figure out how to make the transition. It would be great if you could spare some time to chat on the phone or over a coffee!" Step 2: Identify your network. Colleagues, classmates, clubs, friends, family, events. Step 3: Tell EVERYONE. Use the elevator pitch language, mention how you are connected to them, and be respectful. Step 4: Once you identify the people who can help or get introed to them, send the email. With the emails your colleague gave you, it's better if he/she sends an intro email CCing you both, then you can follow up. Step 5: Talk to the people who follow up! Be prepared - look them up on LinkedIn, google their company. Prepare specific questions if any arise, but if not, just be open-ended and let them talk about how they got into field, then tell them about yourself and ask for advice. If they like you, they might pass on your resume. If they don't or don't know anyone, they will still give good feedback. Step 6: Send thank-you notes and connect to them on LinkedIn. This is useful, seriously. Step 7: Once you get a job, FOLLOW UP. Thank everyone who took the time to meet you an give you advice, and let them know that you accepted position X with company Y. Congratulations! You've gotten a job AND expanded your professional network!

As for the reason for being laid off, just say "I was laid off." you really don't have to offer more than that. If you get asked why, then just say they were cutting back, and you had just received a good performance review and merit raise. As far as their excuse being training needed, etc.. they could have been just finding some plausible excuse. Cutting back can simply refer to they weren't spending money on training, etc.. But as long as you weren't dismissed for gross misconduct, in an at-will environment, you don't really need an excuse or reason, and you don't owead explanation to potential employers and recruiters. You have the fact of a positive review and a merit increase that provides enough air cover for a simple answer on that end.

I would try all the avenues to look for work. Posting your resume on all the job search sites is not a waste of time. Also, search across all the job sites. In my opinion Indeed is the best job site search engine. Consider joining the 5 O'Clock club. I suggest you write a script for your interviews and memorize it. When you are asked about your last job, say you were laid off because the company had to cut back. I would recommend saying that you liked your last job, got on well with everyone, and would work there again. Do not make any negative comments about your last position. When asked about your time off, say it's been wonderful, even if it's been lousy. Take control of your interviews by bringing in samples of projects you've worked on and how you solved coding problems. Btw, it does sound to me like your company could not afford you any longer, and singled you out as the one that still needs to catch up training wise. If you read between the lines they said as much. Finally, spend some time thinking about the kind of career and company you want to work for. Do a couple of things you couldn't while working. Don't forget to stop and smell the roses. I realize your anxious and want a job, any job, right away, but take a breath. The worst has happened. It's not fair. But you're still standing.

I went through the same thing in 03. You are in shock and being in shock is the worse time to interview/send out resumes. If you can get over that shock, "What did I do" factor, then you are in a better mental state for interviewing. They can tell low confidence, eagerness, and desperation---which you will show if you are in shock from your job loss. The circumstances is that due to a chance in organizational direction, your position was terminated. Positive, you had a very successful run in your 5 years with a high merit increase. Employers understand this. You're not complaining, you're not in shock, you didn't fault them of "those bastards". You blammed the industry on a collective decision that wasn't personal. THIS thinking is how you get over it. I'm sorry you got the shaft. A lot of us have been in your shoes and it sucks. What I learned is, even if desperate, don't go out and interview for the job you want. You're not ready right now. If money is an issue--temp just to make some money.

Oh, damn, I was gonna say, take a week off so you can be in a good place before sending out resumes etc. Send out some linkedin feelers and, if financially possible, take a bit of a vacation.

From the OP:Hi everyone, Thank you all for the responses - they've all been really helpful in getting me to get over some of my introvert-fear of networking. I've already reached out to a few people via LinkedIn and got some positive responses, so that's kind of cool. Thanks also to those who've provided kind words with regards to my shock over this situation, and validation that yes, the company seems a bit nutty in how they handled this. I do have one follow-up question in case anyone is still checking this: the company that just let me go said that they would be willing to provide me a reference when the time comes. The HR director told me that I can contact them and let them know what I would like to be said on my behalf. This seems...dubious, and makes me nervous, as I feel like the inconsistency of their communications with me with regards to my performance (good two weeks ago here's a raise!/suddenly not up to par/needs more training last week), and the subsequent layoff makes me feel like this place is a bit of a loose cannon in terms of reliability. I know better than to think that if I tell them to say "Anon was awesome at everything and we are disorganized/bad at communication so we got rid of her" they'll go ahead and do it. But, I do not want to leave it up to them to decide what is appropriate to say, because I seriously have no idea what they would say if left to their own devices. Any advice on what I should ask of them when the time comes? Should I just ask them to confirm dates of employment/job title and nothing else? (Should I trust them to follow those instructions if I do tell them that?) Or maybe it's best not to have them provide a reference at all, and rely instead on my existing references. But isn't it a bad sign to not have the last employer provide a reference, especially in the case of a layoff?