How to Move Forward When You're Between Jobs

Declare a Panic-Free Zone

You just packed your entire career into a brown cardboard box and joined the COBRA brigade. Now, don't freak. Panic seeps into cover letters, phone conversations, and email correspondence. Employers can smell it a mile away, and they will take advantage of a candidate's terror -- or recoil from it.

Dlugozima's advice? Don't bother thinking about résumés and paychecks for 30 days after your layoff. Declare a panic-free zone in which you can contemplate next steps, new goals, and old hang-ups without feeling pressure to attain any tangible, revenue-producing results. Use this time to ask yourself, "If I could do anything, what would I do?"

"The question becomes, 'How do you eat an elephant one bite at a time?' In other words, how do you whittle down the universe of possibilities into a manageable list that you can tackle in 30 days?" Dlugozima says. "I think Bill Murray said it best in What About Bob?: It's all about the baby steps."

Begin by jotting down realistic goals. Research four museums in Cairo. Find four environmental groups that work with children. Price five rental properties in Spain. Comb your brain for every whim, wish, and wasted opportunity that's ever flashed by. As you take inventory of those dreams, patterns will appear, and the perfect sabbatical will emerge, Dlugozima says.

Then seek out former colleagues and friends of friends who have taken sabbaticals, and listen intently as they gush. Connect with organizations that offer fellowships, and ask to speak with past participants. Hook up with groups that solicit volunteers, and begin to infiltrate their ranks. Dlugozima recommends sparking conversations with big thinkers, not with former coworkers who will undoubtedly just want to compare job-hunting notes. When the 30 days are up, you should be ready either to launch your sabbatical or to sketch it out and save it for a better time in life.

"Think selfishly in your panic-free zone," Dlugozima says. "Oftentimes, an incredible job walks in the door when you least expect it. Resist the temptation to jump back into work right away. Give yourself this gift of 30 days, and really use it to think only about your time and your next steps."

Compose a Cover Story

Before you leave, think about your return.

Devise an elevator pitch that champions the merits of your sabbatical. If you plan to spend six months backpacking through Australia, concentrate your cover story on the two weeks that you will spend working with Habitat for Humanity in Perth. If you hope to bum around the Italian Riviera all summer, bring a diary and set the goal of starting your first novel.

"Don't worry about sticking word-for-word to your cover story," Dlugozima says. "Just devise a story that thrills you when you say it out loud. State the accomplishment first; make the steps to get you there second."

The best cover stories inspire envy, curiosity, and admiration while communicating some universally valued goal or ambition. They intrigue others while inspiring you. Half of that challenge lies in choosing the most provocative language.

"Nomenclature is everything in life," Dlugozima says. "Harness the power of the word 'sabbatical.' Don't call it a 'leave of absence,' because that sounds like a stay at the Betty Ford clinic. Don't say that you're going to figure out what you really want to do in life. That speaks of wealthy parents and no gumption. It implies that, until now, you haven't tackled anything really worthwhile. 'Sabbatical' holds a certain power and intrigue to it. It denotes a plan of action and a deliberate path."

Once you've fine-tuned your cover story, practice saying it out loud and putting it down on paper. Include your sabbatical at the top of your résumé. Dlugozima says that future employers will value and appreciate a sabbatical description that suggests personal initiative, ambition, and practical experience -- regardless of the destination or specific goal.

"Plan to return from your sabbatical in a position of power," she says. "Having a solid cover story in place connotes an aura of success. If you emit a winning attitude, people will perceive you as a winner."