It happens to almost everyone at some point in their lives: you walk into work like any other day and by five o'clock, you're packing up your personalized legoland coffee mug and Dwight Schrute bobblehead and checking out of the office for the last time. Yes, you got canned.
And understandably, there are probably a million emotions running through your head. Sadness, anxiousness, depression, and the list goes on. But who exactly do you vent these feelings to? Your best friend? Mom? Your significant other?
Or do you tell the world via Facebook?
In the age of constant self-expression, people are frequently turning to social networking sites to update their contacts about their musings on life. Whether it's a newly 'single' relationship status (or worse an 'it's complicated' update), plans to take a vacation or general rants about life (James should not have eaten that whole bag of Scream Cheese Doritos!) it seems using the web as an emotional outlet is quickly becoming the norm.
When it comes to job loss, some argue showcasing their unemployed status online is strictly convenient; it gives way to finding potential job opportunities and it allows people to quickly inform a large network of friends and contacts about what has happened in their professional life. Other's argue, 'Why feel guilty?' Lay offs these days have little to do with competency, so why not commiserate with those who are already unemployed?
I got laid off from my last job so I know that emotions run high and sometimes, in the heat of the moment, it's easy to post/tweet/blog things we wouldn't have done in normal circumstances (I also don't recommend downing a magnum of wine to ease your pain; being unemployed and hung-over stings twice as much).
But I don't think Facebook is the answer. There are proper outlets to alert the world you're looking for work (LinkedIn, for example) and networking face-to-face or over the phone is a much better way to communicate your employment status then a sad, attention-seeking message, like 'Sarah cannot believe she just lost her job. Were the last four years for nothing?' And don't go burning bridges. We all know that'll could come back to bite you in the ass.
But if you must post about your job loss, a tongue-in-cheek approach is always best. Something along the lines of, 'Sam is glad she can now pursue her dream of becoming an exotic dancer' is the best way to show you're not completely depressed and desperate. Plus, it lets the world know you haven't lost your sense of humour - along with your job.
What do you think? Is Facebook a good way to tell the world you got the axe? Or should you leave that information on the DL and make your status about more relevant things, like 30 Rock quotes and the results of So You Think You Can Dance?
- Vanessa
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