Surprise! You're no longer employed -- what now? (Personal Outlook).(tips on exiting a company and job hunting for credit managers)

You're sitting in the meeting hearing the words, but it's not real because it can't be happening to you--you are being fired. Everything was going great. The customers were reasonably happy, the sales force didn't hate you this week and your collections were well within, if not better than, industry standards. Maybe they didn't even give you a reason that makes sense. They can do that. It's their company.

What are you going to do? Take a deep breath, and try to get some answers. If it appears hopeless to keep your job, then this is the time to ask for severance pay and a letter of recommendation. A good rule of thumb is one week of severance for each year of employment. Explain your position and negotiate. This is your area of expertise. Use whatever you feel is relevant to your situation, as this is your best chance to leave with a reasonable amount of severance. The person on the other end would prefer to have this end with as little conflict as possible. They may also be feeling some remorse and responsibility for their part in the situation.

Most employers are concerned about their reputation. How they fairly or unfairly treat you or other employees will be communicated throughout the industry. Go over your accomplishments, and try to engage them in what the real issues may be. If you think about it, you may be able to come up with some situations that may have led to this. Sometimes it's a misunderstanding or a matter of personalities. Explain that you want to learn from whatever created this situation to avoid it in the future. Thank them for the opportunities they provided for you to learn, and grow as a credit professional.

In hind site, you can probably identify things that may have led to this situation. It's up to you to make changes in either your actions or communication style to avoid this in the future. It doesn't matter if your boss is a psychotic alcoholic. If you choose to stay in the situation, it is up to you to adjust, not them.

Being a credit manager is a job often based on conflict. Controllers and CFOs, who are usually your boss, are generally conflict avoiders. Perhaps a large client was upset at your collection attempts. This, in combination with how much they may be paying you, can lead a company to decide they don't really need a credit manager. They may decide to try the old plan of putting the CFO in charge with some low paying credit assistants. Many companies have to learn this lesson the hard and expensive way.

They have chosen to end the relationship. It is likely that it has already been discussed with the company's owner or officers. Making an appeal to upper management is usually unproductive unless it's for a severance package that your supervisor is unable or unwilling to authorize. Get what severance, vacation pay, etc. you can and move on.

If you feel you have been illegally fired, consult an attorney. Unless you have a well-documented clear-cut case, it will be difficult and expensive to win. Even then, it will likely take a very long time to win. Attorneys generally want to represent employers in these cases. They have the ready resources to compensate, whereas you don't. For your own mental health, I recommend you let it go and focus on getting a new job to support you and your family. If you get work quickly enough, you can actually end up ahead financially--with vacation and severance pay. Talk about a silver lining.