Is it a pretty standard thing with law firms to let someone know when their official last day is, even if it's a month or so in advance? One of my friends was laid off in February, but his last day in his office was last Tuesday. He was able to use his office and slowly move everything out.

http://www.nytimes.com/2009/04/05/ny...ducated&st=cse

This article mentions that the rate of job loss for this recession is much higher among those who hold college degrees.

I think that's the standard, but there are exceptions. I know of a couple of places that gave their attorneys a week or less notice. It also seems like the outgoing attorneys get more notice than outgoing staff (secretaries, paralegals, etc.).

I think part of it in the law firm environment is that they want, as much as possible, to give attorneys time to notify clients of their departure, and to bring other attorneys up to speed on files. Plus, there's a recognition of how difficult it can be to make a lateral move in the legal field, especially at certain points in your career.

I would expect job loss to be higher for those with a college degree, and especially those in the 1-3 years experience category. You're kind of stuck in the middle; you have too much experience for some positions (and are thus too expensive), but not enough for the next level of positions.

ETA: The attorneys on the site may have better insights than myself into it, but the above is my understanding, from talking to people I know at different levels (experienced partners down to new associates).

The people who work in finance here get escorted to their desk, are given boxes while security stand nearby and are escorted to their cars by security... no notice at all. It depends on where you work and what you do here though. Others get a couple weeks notice. But in finance, I guess the temptation and opportunity to embezzle or something would be very high. Whenever my ex-husband (an accountant) has given two weeks notice himself, the company has had him leave immediately with two weeks paid time just because of the increased risk of being in the books, I guess.

That sounds like what I've heard from others in the finance field. I was only addressing Munchkin regarding those who work at law firms.

You actually have more skills than you realize. Use what you learned in college to your advantage.

I know of someone who is in a similar situation as yours. To help herself get over the hump, she has started tutoring at her church for a small fee. You could do that.

Also, if you got good at filling out college applications and financial aid forms you can offer those services to help first time parents / students going through that process.

And, if all else fails, you could market yourself as a sorority recruitment consultant. You know, you could offer tips on how to dress, fill out the application, perfect conversation topics, or, hey! Write a book! At least it will come from an actual sorority member!:p;)

I think that's pretty standard for financial services for layoffs or resignation, especially if you're going to a competing company.

My question, as Ksigkid noted, was more about law firms, where in some cases you're dealing with the same clients for years.

There were some recent layoff as the advertising company my husband works for. (Fortunately/selfishly for us, he wasn't one of them.) The people laid off were called to meetings, and then they were sent home after handing in their security cards. (They scheduled times to come back later and pick up their personal stuff.) My husband noted how weird the little details were, like one guy's coffee was still sitting on his desk where he put it before he went to his meeting.

In teaching, you'd know for months if you didn't get a contract for next year, and you'd still be expected to carry on teaching. Since most people want to get the best possible recommendation out of the job and many if not most are simply pretty professional, this works out okay, but sometimes I can see how one might fantasize about the completely unfiltered parent conference.

I've worked in several PR and ad agencies (work in one right now, actually), and this has been my experience. Usually it is sudden, sometimes they lay off people that are very busy with work, and coworkers take it very hard since we work together in teams. It is especially hard for those of us in account management, because when other account managers leave, we have to take over their accounts/clients. And as someone who was on the receiving end of one of those "hard conversations" just one year out of college, I can say that it's very hard to leave your coworkers/friends and leaves you feeling pretty stunned - like you've been hit by a truck. The good thing is that you get to leave right away and don't have to "transition" people into your work, which really sucks. The nonprofit I worked for several years ago let me go when they had to slash budgets (thanks to redistributed giving post-9/11), and they did it in the form of two weeks notice and no severance. It sucked royally - because I had to go to work instead of look for a job - and I ended up quitting after a week of it because I was tired of being treated like dirt. These days, I've come realize that layoffs are a part of the marketing/advertising/PR business, and that sooner or later I'll probably do a stint with every agency in town.

Yes, I understand. I find the differences interesting. In my own department, people have been given about a month notice and are able to continue on the job if they choose or they can leave. They have been able to use resources at work to job hunt and aren't made to take vacation time or anything for interviews. They work hard to try to find them other jobs within our system, for the most part. But, the people who have been laid off in my department didn't have any real power or access to much that they could sabotage. I don't know what would happen if it were me. I suspect I'd be escorted out because of my IT access. The amount of work when one of us leaves voluntarily is huge because so many passwords have to be changed. It's a royal pain!