For many of us, the chance of getting laid off in the construction industry is much greater now than they have ever been in our professional careers.  It does not matter if you are an engineer, a supplier, a mechanical contractor or a general contractor everyone has felt the pressure.  Now is the time to assess your game plan and here are some tips for surviving a lay off in a sluggish economy.

1) Get that resume tuned up.  Here is a whole article on how to write a resume and another on how to write a project list

2) Review your finances: What are your bills and which bills can you reduce or eliminate?  For example, your daily trip to Starbucks may now be a nice up of coffee at home or maybe reducing your cable bill from premium to basic.  A private pay high deductible health insurance plan might be more cost effective than COBRA.

3) Have a family meeting:  Adults and children need to understand the situation and you will need their support and buy in to all of the change in lifestyle.  You may find how happy your children are that you are around more and that is much more important to them than a trip to the mall.

4) Network with your favorite recruiter: He or she will have the pulse of the job market and can be your first line for securing a new position.  It is important to work with a head hunter / recruiter/ search consultant who is focused on YOUR industry.  If you are a mechanical project manager you need to work with a recruiter who specializes in the mechanical industry.

5) Network with your old co-workers and boss:  Who better to refer you than people who have known you for years?

6) Keep a positive attitude:  No one wants to interview or hire a Donnie or Debbie downer.  They want a confident and capiable mechanical engineer / project manager / estimator not someone still sad and angry at their prior employer.

7) Stay fit and active:  When you are not networking, keep your life full of activities.  Take the dog for a walk or volunteer your time at your child’s school.  You never know where you might get a job lead.

8) Stay up on industry trends:  Keep reading industry related articles or blogs so that you have something fresh to add to any interview discussion.  For example, an mechanical engineer might want to discuss changes in the building code or an estimator might want to discuss a new feature in a popular estimating software application like Quickpen or Estimation

9) Brush up on your interviewing skills:  Interview styles change with time so it is good to sharpen those skills.  Here are some sample questions and some interviewing tips.