It has taken a few weeks since this New Yorker has had the desire to sit down and write about Print Production. I love what I do, but as I have always said "It is not brain surgery, we are not saving lives". Never has that been more true.

Add to that, three months ago, the merger of my company, Juno Online Services and Netzero was announced. Meetings began within both organizations to discuss the merger and how the two companies would be integrated. It became apparent fairly quick that the meetings I was attending were about the timeframe from day one to the day of the merger. None reflected any information from the day of the merger onward. Being a pretty intelligent person, I read the writing on the wall and began my planning for a new career position.

Right on time, I received my notice of severance and ended my career at Juno.

Most if not all of us have had to go through a new career search and with the economy and the reduction of marketing budgets, more of us are going to be out there competing for the same positions.

So, what do you need to do if this happens to you?

To begin, if your company offers any type of outplacement service, take advantage of it. Use every option available. These services are scaled and depending upon the generosity of your employer, you might get a one or two day lecture all the way up to a months worth of service including classes and seminars on interviewing, resume writing, building your network, and many other options.

If you are not offered outplacement, and you can afford the cost, look into paying for this service on your own. This is even more important if you have not been in an active search for years. The ways interviews are conducted have changed and the applicants with the best interview skills are noticed first.

Contact every headhunter you know and make sure they have your latest resume on file. As far as resumes are concerned, I have always reviewed mine every 6 months or so and updated it. My father told me a long time ago that you update your resume the day after you begin a new position. You never know what could happen or who could contact you at any time and you always want to be prepared…which any good Print Production expert is anyway!

Let all your vendor-partners know you are looking. I can not tell you how many positions are filled through the vendors. They hear about the openings almost before anyone else. They will, most times, have an inside track for you to follow, knowing the correct person to contact.

Call those people you've met over the years. The art directors, account people, clients and other production people. Let them know you are looking. Don’t ask them to set up interviews for you, but rather ask if they can just give you the names of contacts or use them as references to obtain interviews. I know many agencies now offer bounties to their employees to find people to fill open spots. Referred employees stay longer and again, the company saves on the commissions it pays out.

There are many web-sites out there dedicated to career searches. It does not take a long time to register and post your resume and many companies are beginning to post on them. They pay much less commission then going through search firms. On many of the better sites you can set up automatic search agents. These agents will look for job descriptions that contain keywords you have specified for openings in areas you have specified. They will then email you when there is a match. Be careful with your search words. The more specific you are the less likely you will get sent emails for a production manager for a frozen food company!

Keep your spirits high and remember you are in the same boat as many others. I have, unfortunately, been through this three times in the last four years. Reorganizations…mergers…acquisitions…reduced spending…our business is changing but there are many great opportunities out there for those who work to find them.

There are many families today whose lives have changed forever. Ours are only changed for a short time….

Are you out there looking? Let me know your search plan…stories you have about looking…let’s share so others can learn.

The more we communicate, the better we will be at our careers.