When Heatcraft management announced the Danville branch's closing, Ben Gabbard felt heartsick. Four months before the notice, he had led union negotiations, getting a three-year contract for the nearly 300 union employees.

Too soon after, the 21-year employee and longtime negotiator for United Auto Workers Local 1271 had to help negotiate another contract – for a layoff package, including benefits for nonunion employees at the company.

But package or no, he said, "Now all of a sudden I've got to completely reconstruct my life at 46 years of age."

When Doug Hoepker lost his job as a vice president of acquisitions at Sports Publishing in Champaign the first time, he was rehired soon after by a company that planned to buy Sports Publishing. The deal fell through, and now Hoepker is, again, without work.

"There was no official notice and no severance," he said. "We were called on a Friday and essentially told this was it."

The bailouts, layoffs and a global economic downturn don't exactly make for a happy new year. In November alone, 224,079 Americans were laid off, with the Midwest hit the hardest, according to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics.

"This recession is, unfortunately, attacking all sectors, all employees, no matter which collar you wear," Hoepker said.

But look around East Central Illinois and you can find some hope blurring an otherwise-stark horizon. If you get laid off, local options exist for helping you get back on your feet, albeit more slowly and with emptier pockets then you might like.

Breaking the news

When Tammy Hoggatt, president of the Central Illinois Human Resources Group and a Champaign Park District employee, was laid off from a human resources position several years back, her boss told her in private, which Hoggatt appreciated – but that didn't make it easier to hear.

"I cried when they told me, and I did feel like it was a personal rejection at first – and they were very kind to me," she said.

But she tried to stay upbeat, and she ended up with a better position, she said. "It's really hard to stay positive in a terrible situation, but there's a lot of power in being able to take control of your own situation."

As soon as you know you're losing your job, start your new job search, said Brian Hensgen, executive director for the Vermilion County Job Training Partnership, which carries out the federal Workforce Investment Act to provide services and training to help people get local jobs.

"The day you find that out, you really need to start putting your feelers out," he said.

A resume renovation is probably in order, and Hensgen suggests tailoring each resume to each job.

Make sure your resume is "very clear, concise, that has the greatest amount of information in the fewest amount of words," Hoggatt said. "Something that's eye-catching."

She remembers how a resume in a folder with a business card attached got her attention from a stack of applications.

And don't burn bridges, the HR experts say. Even though yelling and screaming at an employer might feel right, Hoggatt stressed that people who've been laid off should "leave a good relationship with your employer. I'm sure it's going to be a frustrating situation," she said. "But you're going to need that reference."

As well, "take all the help that (the employers) offer you," Hoggatt suggested. "You never know what could help."

Lisa Osbourne did just that when she received notice that the small Danville business she worked in would close a year later, in 2006.

The single mother used that year to pay down debt, got a severance from the business and applied for a Pell grant for Danville Area Community College to get her associate's degree to be an administrative professional.

"I did go to the Job Training Partnership," Osbourne said. "They paid for classes, and they also paid mileage and they helped me with child care."

Starting the search

If a company doesn't offer much help, find it on your own.

"Any employee that is laid off for an extended period of time should look into their unemployment opportunities," Hensgen said. "Everyone has a right to apply for unemployment benefits."

That's what Hoepker did.

"You start collecting the government's check and you look for work," he said. "Unfortunately, there aren't a lot of jobs available right now, especially in the publishing industry."

He has already sent out many applications but said he may have to relocate to find work.

In the meantime, he's working (for free) as an editor at Smile Politely, an online local magazine. "It fills the gap on my resume," he said, and gives him an "opportunity to do something I love."

For Gabbard, finding manufacturing jobs wasn't happening. Those jobs have left Danville in droves.

"It's not a bleeding, it's a hemorrhage," he said.

As he gets ready for school, Gabbard's family has an added burden: His wife got a seasonal, temporary layoff from her job at Time-O-Matic in Danville.

But while some of his former colleagues move for jobs, Gabbard's life is in Danville. So he's going back to school, planning to study medical terminology with the help of the Vermilion County Job Training Partnership, a place he praised, though he said going back to school after so many years is scary.

Hensgen said his office has many resources to help laid-off employees, including "additional education to make themselves more marketable, debt management and money management training, just actual counseling ... working with a counselor to alleviate some of that stress is essential in some cases."

In the meantime

Hoggatt suggests getting temporary health insurance and looking at placement agencies if you need money right away.

Eric Ferguson, branch manager of Manpower employment agency in Champaign and Rantoul, said he hears from people looking for jobs every day, more so now than when the economy was doing better. "People are pretty flexible right now as to the type of work that they might consider," he said.

Ferguson said available jobs change daily. In late December, Manpower listed jobs ranging from computer-aided design to light industrial work to customer service. In late December, Manpower's Champaign and Rantoul branches started people on dozens of jobs, Ferguson said. "Although it is slow, we are sending people out to work."

People with recommendations and continuing education have a greater chance of placement, he said. Before you leave your company, ask for a written recommendation or for the manager to be available to talk to potential employers, he said. "The No. 1 barrier for Manpower not being able to place someone is lack of references."

But don't stop there. Tell everybody – friends, family, the next-door neighbor – you're looking for work. Volunteer at a favorite charity, and tell the people there, too, Hoggatt said. That way, when someone hears of a job available, they'll think of you.

Hensgen agreed. "It really comes down to your work experience, the skills that you've obtained and how hard you're working at your job search," he said.

For Osbourne, the rewards of continuing her education after her layoff have already paid off. In May, after working part time at DACC, she started full-time work at the college, and finished her associate's degree in December.

"I am now working as an office specialist in the business and technology division," she said. "I'm at a really good place, and I really like working here."

Job loss with a spoonful of sugar

When the company Cindy Guthrie worked for had to lay off about 100 people a few years ago, the then-human resources director started planning early to make the layoffs as gentle as possible.

And though it may not be easy, said Guthrie – a Parkland College instructor who has since left the company, PersonalCare, to open her own job coaching and consulting business, Three Degrees of Change – companies have ways to make a heartbreaking experience a little less awful.

Cushioning the layoffs benefits both sides, said Tammy Hoggatt, president of Central Illinois Human Resources Group.

"They save their reputation. They treat people the way they want to be treated," she said. "You want to be known in our community as a good place to work.

"Every employer, I think, needs to take good care of walking the employee out the door," said Hoggatt, who now works in human resources at the Champaign Park District. "You want to make sure that the people have the tools they need to land on their feet."

Here is a checklist of ways to look for help from your employers if you get laid off:

Severance – This means getting paid – in money or health care or both – even after you've left the building for good.

At the closing of Heatcraft in Danville, lead union negotiator Ben Gabbard helped negotiate a closing agreement where union workers received $2,000 minimum, with $475 per year of service at the company.

Hoggatt said many companies base severance on an employee's tenure at the company, but "it depends on what the business can afford."

Notice – Guthrie recommends companies let their employees know there's a layoff coming as soon as possible. The extra time means employees can start exploring other work options and otherwise prepare themselves.

According to the Illinois Worker Adjustment and Retraining Notification Act, employers need to give 60 days advance notice for a mass layoff or plant closing, with the definition of "mass" changing by the size of the company – so a company laying off 250 people at once must tell those employees, their unions and the state.

Contacts – Ask your employers to contact anyone they know who might need new employees. When Hoggatt was laid off from a human resources job several years ago, she said, "they gave me the references that actually led to a much better job."

Recommendations – Get a written or promise of oral recommendation from your company, said Eric Ferguson, branch manager of Manpower in Champaign and Rantoul.

Hoggatt said employers should be open to taking calls from potential employers of their laid-off workers.

Helping with recommendations may not only help employees get jobs, but may also help them feel better about themselves and their work, she said.

Get more education – Brian Hensgen, executive director for the Vermilion County Job Training Partnership in Danville (funded by the federal Workforce Investment Act), said anyone can come to the office to learn and take advantage of its programs, including resume and application critiques and, for some, stipends for going back to school.

Hoggatt recommends companies call Illinois workNet – with offices in Champaign and Danville – a state-run program that offers resume and application assistance and other job-preparation tools.

Respect – Guthrie has heard of an employee escorted out the door after being with a company 30 years. But it doesn't have to be that way, she said.

"If a company does something like that, to me, it's irreparable damage."

If an employee has access to sensitive information, she suggests having computer technicians disable that person's access or remove confidential files from their space.

"Respecting dignity," Hoggatt said, "doesn't cost a dime."

Laid off? Get online

The Web has plenty of back-to-work resources:

www.ides.state.il.us: The Illinois Department of Employment Security offers online registration for unemployment benefits as well as information about resume assistance and other state resources.

www.illinoisworknet.com: This state site provides a gateway to Illinois services for the unemployed, from educational options to job listings. Local offices include the Illinois Employment and Training Center in Champaign, at 1307 N. Mattis Ave., and in Vermilion County at 407 N. Franklin St., Danville.

www.illinoisskillsmatch.com: State site matches employees with employers based on the job seeker's skills and interest.

www.monster.com, www.hotjobs.com, etc.: Major job search sites for all types of employment. But also check out sites and job boards specific to your industry, from manufacturing to media.

http://jobfinder.news-gazette.com: If you're looking for local jobs, checking out local newspaper print and online listings makes sense.