FUCK!

If the news just landed, open one note and write down what you know, what you need to confirm, and when each decision is due.

1. Ask for the basics in writing. Confirm your last day, final pay timing, benefits end date, equipment return, and any response deadlines. Ask who can answer questions after your work account closes.
2. Gather records you’re allowed to keep. Request copies of your separation paperwork and pay records. Ask about permission to show work samples before moving any files off company systems.
3. Tell one person what would help. Ask a trusted person to read the paperwork with you, take notes, or check in tomorrow. If you need help interpreting an agreement, contact a qualified employment adviser before signing.

• Find outplacement and local job-search support
• Next: Get your bearings on money and benefits
• All six guides

Make a one-page view of the next month. Put confirmed income, essential bills, and deadlines on actual dates.

1. Separate confirmed money from possible money. List cash on hand, essential bills, and payments with confirmed dates. Keep potential severance, freelance payments, and benefits on a separate list until you can verify timing.
2. Check official benefits information. Use the state unemployment agency for eligibility, filing, and reporting instructions. Ask your benefits administrator when coverage ends and what enrollment windows apply to the options you’re considering.
3. Choose what makes a bridge role workable. Write down your minimum acceptable pay, hours, location, and start date. For temporary work, ask who employs you, how and when you’re paid, and which benefits apply.

• Find staffing agencies and contract recruiters
• Next: Refresh your résumé and portfolio
• All six guides

Start with one target role and two work samples you can talk through. A recruiter should be able to see the fit in a short note and a quick look at your work.

1. Write for the role you want. Pull three responsibilities from a real posting. For each, choose a true example that shows what you did and what changed. Use numbers when you can substantiate them.
2. Choose two pieces of relevant work. For each sample, explain the brief, your contribution, a decision you made, and the result. Credit collaborators and check permissions before sharing.
3. Make your materials easy to forward. Prepare a résumé PDF and a portfolio link that opens without a sign-in. If samples require permission or a password, provide a public overview and explain how to request access.

• Prepare a recruiter introduction
• See the role-specific résumé and portfolio guides
• All six guides

Pick a manageable list of employers and people who work in your discipline. Give each message one clear reason for reaching out and one easy way to help.

1. Build a short target list. Use the organization explorer to find creative teams. Check their own careers pages for openings and use a specific role or project to anchor each introduction.
2. Match the contact to the ask. Ask an in-house recruiter about roles at their company, an agency recruiter about their hiring specialty, or a former teammate for a specific introduction.
3. Track follow-ups and submissions. Record the company, role, contact, date, and next step. Before agreeing to agency representation, ask for the role and scope in writing and check your records for a prior application.

• Use the recruiter outreach and follow-up templates
• Explore creative organizations
• All six guides

Before the interview, find out who will be there, what they need to learn, and what you’ll be asked to present.

1. Ask about the process. Confirm who you’ll meet, how long you’ll have, and which portfolio pieces would be useful. Ask your recruiter what the hiring manager is evaluating.
2. Rehearse three short stories. Choose a project that shows your craft, a trade-off you made under pressure, and a time you handled feedback. Explain your role and leave room for questions.
3. Get the terms of any exercise. Ask how long it should take, how it will be evaluated, who sees the work, and whether the team intends to use it. If the request is larger than you can take on, ask about a portfolio walkthrough or paid trial.

• Verify the recruiter and opportunity
• Next: Evaluate offers and choose your next move
• All six guides

Put each offer on one page. Include compensation, hours, location, who you report to, and how success will be measured.

1. Ask for the offer in writing. Confirm the title, start date, pay, work location, reporting line, and any conditions. For contract work, ask for the scope, payment schedule, deliverables, and how changes or extensions are agreed.
2. Compare the practical trade-offs. Check the schedule against your actual availability, look at what the commute or unpaid time would cost, and flag anything that changes your decision.
3. Resolve the open points before accepting. Ask for the decision deadline and request written confirmation of any agreed changes. Keep a copy of the final offer or contract.

• Check the offer and verify who’s hiring
• Share a tip that helped you
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