Status: Say “Hello” to my new Job!

This post belongs to our series of Tips and Tricks to help professionals put their network to good use. Today, we focus on the art of crafting effective farewell communication when you're in between jobs.

One of the hot topics these past few days covered the surprising candor with which "Farewell emails" are being sent these days by employees who've either been laid off or in-between jobs. The LA Times recently shared some good and bad examples of farewell communication and their direct consequences:

Some farewell e-mails strike a lighthearted, even funny tone. Some are workmanlike and short. Others are poetic or poignant, expressing surprise or regret at the turn of events. A very few -- and these are the ones that get most of the attention -- use the electronic goodbye to blast the boss.

Given that many professionals unfortunately are forced to deal with layoffs these days, I asked my colleague and in-house career expert - Krista Canfield, on what she thought were some "Farewell communication" best practices. I couldn't agree more with Krista's suggestion on using Status to either replace or augment the old school way of saying goodbye to your old company.

Here are some quick thoughts on how employees, either laid off or in between jobs, can use status updates to communicate effectively during those times of change.

1. If you've been laid off:

The tone of a relevant status update, especially on professional networking sites like LinkedIn can be best exemplified by Richard Bravo. A former managing editor of the Daily News Record (DNR), Richard was laid off three days short of his anniversary, as a result of which his severance was credited at two years. Here's what Richard emailed his connections:

He was straightforward and brief: "I apologize for the mass e-mail, but today's issue of DNR will be the last. . . . We folded last week and are now on 'forced vacation' to put it nicely. . . . If you need to get in touch with me please use this info."

I think a status update such as the one above, would have been an equally effective way to get that message out to your professional network. Not only is such a 140 char. status message succinct, but it's also highly effective in soliciting your connections' support in helping you find that new job. In Richard's case, his farewell email yielded "a number of freelance assignments". Stay tuned for more examples of how a LinkedIn Status message could help find a job.

2. If you're in-between jobs:

However, one of the most important purposes of a "farewell email" has traditionally been to re-establish a line of contact with past colleagues and friends. In days past, an email may have been the best way to communicate that, but increasingly you'll find that status updates are a great way to announce the transition.

Now that thousands of people are finding themselves with pink slips and the need to let colleagues and contacts know they are moving on and -- perhaps more important for job seekers -- how they can be reac

Farewell status updates also provide you an easy way to stay in touch with your connections irrespective of the email addresses you use. So, even when your email address changes as you move from one job to another, being connected with them on LinkedIn helps maintain that connection. An added benefit of using status vs. a mass email to broadcast your professional move is it's impermanence. If you decide your status could be worded better, you can always delete or modify that and start afresh. And, finally, status updates are a low-touch way to allow interested connections to check out your message without pushing your mass email out to thousands who may view it as spam.

Update your LinkedIn Status today

Feel free to share your thoughts on using status updates vs. email for saying your goodbye's to colleagues