Suddenly losing your job is like being thrown into a lake without knowing how to swim. The initial shock is followed by the terror that you don't have the skills to escape your predicament. If no one's around to help, you panic.

As employers cut funds designed to help layoff victims find new positions after terminations, managers who job hunt solo are becoming more common. About 91% of the employees sent to Drake Beam Morin Inc., a national outplacement firm based in New York, are in programs that finish in one, three or six months instead of being allowed to stay until they find new jobs, says senior vice president Clare Stoddard. She says this trend is likely to increase in the coming years, which means that if you're downsized, you could be floundering in a cold lake sooner than you think.

You don't have to stay there, though. Many managers are joining free or low-cost job clubs, where they gain the camaraderie of others in the same situation and learn to job hunt more effectively. Members share tips and advice, and hear experts speak on subjects such as how to contact executive recruiters. While not all members find success through groups, they often benefit from other members' progress reports and moral support.

Don't assume you'll be surrounded by losers who have no place else to go. "We attract a male, primarily upper-level audience, and we have no time for whiners and losers," says Kate Wendleton, president of the Five O'Clock Club, a job-seekers' group based in New York City.

Hundreds of groups are operating in large and small cities nationwide. Many were formed as a result of the last recession when white-collar workers were downsized in droves. The groups often are sponsored by churches, libraries, government agencies or community organizations, and attendance at these gatherings usually is free. Others require a small annual fee, plus charges for each meeting. Some groups limit membership to specific industries.

Professional Gathering

On Tuesday evenings, about a dozen professionals regularly gather at Jobseekers, a Princeton, N.J., club, to hear suggestions from outside speakers, followed by a group discussion. One recent meeting, led by Rev. Christopher Sherrill, assistant rector of Trinity Episcopal Church, focused on how to ward off depression during unemployment.

"Don't get into the 'whys' of your situation," he suggested, "Create a community for yourself. Be with family and friends or join a worship group."

Jobseekers' main attraction and basis for success is the support that members provide each other, says founder and volunteer coordinator Niels Nielsen. More than 5,000 people have passed through its doors since Trinity began the meetings in 1982 for a group of unemployed members. When the church realized that nothing similar existed in the community, it opened the meetings to all unemployed people.

Many arrive depressed and discouraged, but begin to search more effectively after hearing the experiences of others in the same situation, and receiving lots of encouragement, says Mr. Nielsen.

"Unemployed people think there's something wrong with them," he says. "Knowing others are in the same circumstance is very comforting. The mutual support that comes out of that helps a great deal."

A Recent Success

Following a buyout, Geoff Hogan lost his senior-level position at Huntingdon Life Sciences Inc., an East Millstone, N.J., contract research organization, last fall. The 56-year-old Mr. Hogan had been CEO of the company, then senior vice president for business development under new management until his layoff.

In the job market for the first time in 19 years, he sought help with his search skills from a career counselor, who suggested that he attend the free Jobseekers group to gain more support. Mr. Hogan became a regular at the meetings because he appreciated the help members provided and enjoyed helping them in return.

"Having the opportunity to contribute to folks who can benefit from the experience you had as a senior-level manager makes you feel good," he says. "And being able to bounce [ideas] off people in the same mode helped me sharpen my perspective."

One interview situation he encountered was particularly difficult, Mr. Hogan recalls. His goal was to find a senior-management position with an emerging biotechnology, pharmaceutical or chemical company, but he was reluctant to network with former clients because he feared they would think less of him due to his job loss.

Jobseekers' counselors and members suggested that he forgo a long-winded explanation about his situation, and say only that his company had been acquired and needed to scale down. "I went out and tried it, and it was easy," he says. "Then I could get down to why I was in the person's office, which was to gain access to the people I should talk to."

Mr. Hogan's search ended in January when he became an investor in a research laboratory in Catania, Italy, with four other partners. He's now vice president-North America for the company, MEDTOX SRL, and traveling extensively to generate business. When he accepted the position, he honored a Jobseekers tradition: He came to that week's meeting with oatmeal-raisin cookies that he'd baked himself.

Still Looking

Not every job-club member lands a new job that quickly. Marc Pawl, a 38-year-old former patent attorney with Conoco in Ponca City, Okla., didn't know anyone when he moved back to New Jersey after losing his job in a downsizing. Last September, he began attending Jobseekers meetings "to meet people and broaden my horizons," he says.

Finding a new position in the depressed chemicals industry has been difficult, but now that the market is recovering, Mr. Pawl has been going on more interviews and is optimistic he'll be re-employed soon. Attending Jobseekers meetings and identifying with other professionals who were laid off from good jobs has been "really helpful," he says. Between meetings, he calls other members for support or to provide encouragement.

"There are a lot of experienced, talented, knowledgeable people who come to that meeting," says Mr. Pawl. Members with sales and marketing backgrounds have a different approach to job hunting than technical or legal professionals such as himself, so "there's a lot to learn from them," he adds.

Emphasizing Strategy

The Five O'Clock Club concentrates more on helping members with job-search strategies than with providing emotional support, although that's a by-product of attending, says Ms. Wendleton. The focus on strategy is primarily due to the level of its members: One-quarter earn more than $100,000 a year, and half are currently employed but seeking new jobs, she says.

"Most senior-level people appreciate the strategy, as opposed to just encouragement," she says. "The counselors help them figure out what they should do next to move their job searches along."

Members pay $45 a session, plus a $35 membership fee, which includes a newsletter and start-up materials. The meetings feature a one-hour lecture, followed by presentations from successful job hunters who return to make reports, and group networking. Members then divide into groups of eight to discuss specific issues with a counselor.

Ms. Wendleton says joining pays off quickly, since members usually find new positions within 10 weeks, faster than the 19 weeks that major outplacement firms say it typically takes. Unemployed participants may find new jobs even faster, "since they have a greater sense of urgency" and counselors are trained to spot errors in their search strategies, she says.

An Industry Focus

Some job clubs limit membership to specific industries or functions. After losing his position as a corporate finance director in 1991, Paul Wigsten drove 90 minutes from his home in Trumbull, Conn., to Ridgewood, N.J., to attend MIS Network Associates, a job club geared to information systems professionals and executives.

Members of the group pay $40 to join and $10 monthly dues and are asked to share networking leads they don't plan to pursue. For Mr. Wigsten, the networking focus was the primary benefit of belonging. "It helped to meet others in a similar situation and share job leads," he says. "Emotional support wasn't the main focus."

It took him more than a year to find a senior-level information systems job -- first in transportation, then, two years later, his current position as director of information services for Beth Abraham Health Services in Bronx, N.Y. Now a club "alumni," he stays in touch, posting announcements of available jobs, welcoming networking calls and attending occasional dinner meetings.

His long stint with unemployment taught him to "keep track of what's out there and the skills being sought," he says. "I don't think people should get too comfortable."

To locate a job club, check newspapers listings, call local churches or inquire at your library. A listing of groups ins available in this site's

Ms. Capell is senior correspondent for CareerJournal.com.