The Top Five Books if You Get Laid Off
Here are the top five books to help you if you get laid off in this tough economy. We’ve read through all of these (and more!) to figure out what will be the most helpful for you. With talks of an impending recession, and news like big firms like Goldman Sachs are gearing up to lay-off many more workers, this will be important reading for all of us (whether you get laid off or not)—being prepared is key.
(1) Thomas Stanley and William Danko’s, "The Millionaire Next Door" : So you’ve been laid-off. Now what? Maybe instead of going back to your 9-5, you look to take your skills to entrepreneurship, startups and freelancing. This book helps laid off entrepreneurs and freelancers hone their skill sets into successful businesses with practical advice on how to get started creating a solo business, such as how to go about generating leads, a clientele, and how to do PR and market your skillset.
(2) Rosamund & Benjamin Zander’s, "The Art of Possibility": One of the biggest challenges to getting laid off is the emotional hurt and negative feelings. It’s easy to get into a downward spiral because of it. This book will help you see things in a new perspective. It will help you see that losing your job is actually an opportunity and not just life throwing you lemons. You’ll learn how to look at the challenge of losing your job in a creative and pragmatic manner.
(3) Steven Silbiger’s, "The 10-Day MBA": Now that you have more time, maybe it makes sense to develop new skills? This book is quick get-up-to-speed on common business principles and strategies. It will teach you the fundamental skills & knowledge that you would develop in any good Masters in Business program, which can help you develop the skill set to pivot into a new industry or career. Again, getting laid off can be a blessing. Maybe you were meant to be doing a different type of work!
(4) Daniel Coyle’s, "The Talent Code": A scientific and rigorous way to look at how you can become more talented and a subject-matter expert. Coyle’s book provides strategies on how to learn more efficiently and can also help you develop and learn new skills and knowledge more efficiently to find your next job.
(5) Rudolph Tanzi and Deepak Chopra, “Super Brain: This book helps provide the emotional and psychological healing we all need after a difficult event such as getting laid off but with optimism in terms of harnessing the power of our brain and our thinking to be happy and accept a challenging time such as not having a job.
Being laid off is very difficult emotional and mentally, and certainly not one specific book can guarantee you find your next job immediately. However, reading these books will help you develop and learn specific skills that will ultimately—if implemented consistently—help you pivot into a new industry or find a new job that is meaningful and enjoyable.
So which of these books have you read already, or new one will you pick up?
On another note, don’t hoard this knowledge for yourself. Share with your friends and family that this list could be helpful to!
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