Some suggestions

Dear Mike:
I’m sorry to hear about the recent layoffs at the mill. I know this is a big loss for everyone in town.
I wanted to share some information that could be helpful to those who have been affected. It is a formula for handling situations like this, where a large setback has been experienced by oneself or a group.
There are four simple steps, which I will attempt to explain:
1. Find a communication line.
2. Make yourself known.
3. Discover what is needed or wanted.
4. Do, produce, and/or present it.
For Step 1, those who have been laid off could get in touch with a friend working in the oil fields or a gold mine, a contact at another successful business, or even the foreman at a nearby construction site.
Step 2 is letting these people know who you are and what you do. Step 3 is a really critical step, which many overlook. It’s important to ask questions to find out exactly what potential employers need and want.
Lastly, go to work producing it. Employers usually are far more interested in someone who takes initiative and gets things done than a good-looking résumé. Walk the walk.
The above four steps are repeated until one gets a result.
Because the entire town has been hard hit economically, I believe it would be wise for all residents to apply this formula right now. Those fortunate to still be employed could get in touch with their supervisor, owner, and key clients to remind them of what you do, find out exactly what they currently need, and get busy producing it.
Finding a way to add more value on the job not only improves the viability of the business, but also improves one’s own viability within that business.
If layoffs happen to become a consideration for your employer at some point, you want to be the last one they’d choose to let go.
My final suggestion is to determine a way of measuring your performance at work. This could be an expanded part of Step 3 with your employer. Then you want to track your statistics and continually find ways to improve them.
While some people seem to get through life mainly on hot air, statistics don’t lie. People who keep their statistics in a high range and expanding are hard to deny—anything.
And if you can find a way to tie your compensation (bonuses, etc.) to your statistics, you then will have gained even more control over your financial destiny.
All the best,
Craig Brockie
(a former resident
of Fort Frances)