Anatomy of a Laid Off Worker's Job Hunt in 2009, Day 0, 2/28/09 (Updated Weekly)

Day 0, 2/28/09: Friday morning, I was laid off from my 2 1/2 year position as a Business Operations Coordinator for a leading law firm and public safety/legal marketing firm. Three of us were laid off in what has become a national pattern of lay offs due to the economy. Now I was just one of over 125,677 casualties of the worst economy since the 1970's. In my case, I played an important role in my firm's day to day operations since I managed the billing and accounting functions, was the President/CFO's right hand, and was the primary software trainer for over 500 attorneys nationwide who were members of our legal marketing network. Unfortunately, many of those firms had been affected adversely by the downward trending economic conditions that have already hit hard other industries. As a result many tightened their corporate purse strings and declined to renew quarterly, bi-annual, and annual marketing contracts with my firm.

With a significant drop in monthly revenues provided by such renewals, my firm was forced to lay off several support staff including myself. It was too bad because I had made a number of good friends while working here, and all of us at a private, closely held firm were like family. It would be strange waking up in the morning knowing that I would not be driving 30-plus miles to work from Lakeland, FL to downtown Tampa, FL to interact with co-workers and clients that I had been dealing with the last few years.

The last time I left a firm, I was single, living at home with my mother right after graduating from college, and didn't have to worry about anyone but myself. Now like millions of other laid off American workers, I have a wife and family with school-age children and a mortgage so I know I need to move quickly and utilize the professional and personal network that I have spent years building in order to gain employment and re-enter the workforce as soon as possible.