First steps

It's OK, even normal, to be dazed and anxious in the first few days after getting the bad news, says Alexandra Levit, who writes and speaks about the workplace. "Give yourself time to process it," she says.

If you have to go back into the office, behave professionally. Even if you're angry and hurt, do your best not to show it and resist the urge to send that scathing e-mail. You never know where you might run into these folks again, and you might need them as a reference as you hunt for a new job.

So after you've packed up your desk, what do you do next?

Make your job search a full-time job. Start by updating your résumé, putting emphasis on your skills. Scour job Web sites such as Monster (www.monster.com) and CareerBuilder.com and create a profile so that you can receive e-mail alerts when something becomes available in your field. Indeed (www.indeed.com), an aggregator of thousands of job sites, including company career pages, allows you to save your searches and have job openings delivered to you by e-mail alert or RSS feed. Don't overlook specialty sites such as Dice (www.dice.com), a technology job board, and Idealist.org, which lists thousands of jobs in the nonprofit sector.

It's human nature to take a layoff personally—as if you did something wrong. But these days nothing is personal; it's just fallout from the worst recession in decades. Resist the urge to hide out at home after losing a job. Instead, reach out to your support network of friends and family, and set up coffee dates or lunches, Levit advises. Let people in your network know you are looking for work, because you never know where your next job lead might come from. Call former colleagues and contacts at other companies as well as people you've met through charity work or other activities.

Also don't forget to update your profile on online networks, such as Facebook and LinkedIn, to reflect that you are searching for a job, Miller says. If you haven't explored those sites, now is the time to catch up. Unlike traditional résumés that may be out of date soon after reaching a recruiter's In box, online profiles of your professional life can be updated for the world immediately. With a few keystrokes, your entire network of contacts can be alerted to your new situation, further extending your job-searching feelers.

Miller also recommends creating your own "mastermind group" of fellow job seekers who meet regularly to discuss members' progress with their searches. It doesn't matter where the participants come from—they could be people you've met at networking events, former colleagues, or neighbors. It's important that everyone make a serious commitment to the group and to finding a job. Usually members have a set amount of time to report on what they've accomplished—for example, how many résumés they've sent out or how many contacts they've made. That makes you accountable to other people, so that you don't get discouraged and give up, Miller says.

"Proportionately, the more people who know what your goals are," she says, "the more likely you are to achieve them."