Taking control of the process: Advice on finding a new career after a lay off

(FOX 2) - As GM hands out pink slips to thousands of salaried workers, one local expert is offering some advice to anyone who's been laid off.

Jon Dwoskin, business coach, author and speaker, said during this difficult time that affects both you and your family, it's important to know that you can be in control of the process. It's about shifting your mindset.

"Know that you're part of a circumstance, know that just because this happened to you it doesn't define you and not to let it take the power away from you -- don't let it own you," he said.

To take control, Dwoskin suggests writing down what your true value is. He said often times, an employee can be very valuable to a company but because they're doing the same thing every day, maybe they don't realize it.

"The little things, the nuance things, the special things that make everybody more effective in their department," he said.

After that, it's about writing our your ideal narrative for your next job and what you want that to look like -- then reaching out to centers of influence. They're the people who can help them, introduce them to new people to find the next step.

Dwoskin recommends having at least three mentors.

"Write down families, friends, business associates, mentors that they've reached out to in the past, and really fundamentally make a list of those people and where they think that they can connect them into avenues that will help them find the next career move or just someone who's a connector," he said.

He said it's about letting people know you're looking for work and seeing where those connections can lead.