Editor’s note: Although the U.S. economy is still growing, many companies continue to downsize. Global competition is keeping prices low, which leaves cost-cutting as one of the remaining strategies for achieving revenue goals, hence the layoffs. Here, one job seeker recounts what it’s like to be suddenly laid off and looking for work in the Midwest.

One Friday morning in January, my boss at the electronic-commerce company where I worked entered my cubicle. "Patrick needs to see us in his office at 9 a.m.," he said, referring to his boss.

"OK," I replied. I felt uneasy. Internet competition had hurt our business, and the company had implemented a hiring freeze. Even reimbursements for Christmas lunches held the previous month were being denied. My boss returned to my cube a little after 9 a.m. "Ready?" he asked.

As I followed him into Patrick’s office, he avoided looking at me. Another bad sign, I thought. When we sat down, my boss started the discussion. "We have decided to let you go," he said.

My boss discussed the amount of severance pay, benefits and outplacement I would receive, but I wasn’t paying attention. My mind had disengaged and I was viewing the scene as a detached observer.

When Patrick asked, "Any questions?" I was barely able to respond, "Does this affect more than just me?"

"We’re not at liberty to discuss that," Patrick replied. I knew the replies to other questions would be minimal, so I didn’t press further. I signed the necessary papers, shook hands and exited the room. I later learned two dozen others were let go.

I was given 20 minutes to clean out my personal possessions. After three and a half years, it seemed strange to think that in only 20 minutes, my sales career there would be over and I would leave the building for the last time.

My emotions tugged at me during the drive home. "I need a plan," I thought. "Successful people view difficult situations as puzzles with solutions. They create plans to solve the puzzle."

But I could barely think rationally, much less develop a plan. Still, I felt I had to do something constructive to secure new employment, so I stopped at the local library to read newspaper classified ads.

An ad describing openings at a nearby company caught my eye. My resume was in a computer file at work, so I decided to drop by the company to complete an application. This gave me a sense of accomplishment.

In the movie "Oh, God," John Denver panics when he realizes he’s speaking with the Almighty, played by George Burns. "Try shaving," God says. "Sometimes doing something normal helps you feel normal." That night, to feel normal, I attended a high-school basketball game as I had planned.

As another routine activity, I decided to keep a diary of my thoughts, feelings and actions during my unemployment. I felt monitoring this experience might give me another sense of accomplishment.

It’s Monday, my first work day without a job or company. I don’t have a clue how to find a new position.

Concerned friends, my former boss and co-workers keep giving me names of people to contact. I’m carrying so many scraps of paper I decide to make a chart of the company and contact names and their phone and fax numbers. I must also:

• File for unemployment compensation immediately, since payments aren’t made retroactively.

• Determine which companies to pursue.

• Determine which employment agencies to approach.

I need to think of myself as a "product manager." I am the product and my resume is my advertisement.

I meet with a recruiter who called me after I dropped off a resume at his office. He had been away but his office faxed him my resume and he quickly scheduled a meeting. What service! He takes time to learn what I’m seeking. Other recruiters don’t respond to my calls or letters, or they pitch opportunities that aren’t remotely interesting. I remind myself recruiters work for clients, not me. I’m merely "inventory" on their shelves.

The weather is cold, dreary and overcast. A freezing rain and ice storm lingers. The weather makes it hard to get started.

I’m having mood swings. One minute I feel despair, the next, elation. Dr. James Pennebaker, a research psychologist at the University of Texas at Austin, says employees who are fired or laid off and write about their anger, fear and frustration are re-employed more quickly than those who bottle their feelings. Repressing emotions is hard psychological work, but if you release them, the entire body benefits. Obviously, keeping a journal is helpful on many levels.

Later, I’m invited to my first interview. This happens by chance. Since I’m unemployed, I can’t qualify for a mortgage refinancing, so I call to cancel an appointment with my mortgage banker. He hesitates, then says, "We just promoted a loan officer and his position is open. How would you like to work here?" Some people say they don’t know anyone to ask about job opportunities. In this case, just being a customer unlocks doors.

I like my current field, selling within the electronic-commerce industry, but I miss dealing with people personally. My mortgage banker has an interesting job and I may have a chance to switch careers. I think this job is worth checking out.

I drop off a resume at a company my former boss recommends. When I arrive home, there are no telephone messages waiting and I have an hour until an 11 a.m. telephone interview. The house is silent and I become nervous as I start reviewing the company’s literature.

The phone rings, a former employee from my old company calling back. He’s starting a company and wants to screen me for a job. Talking with him takes my mind off my impending interview.

When our call ends, it’s 10:58 a.m. Just two minutes to go! The next interview begins on time, and although I pace the house while responding, it goes well. I’m asked to fly to San Francisco to meet the president at company headquarters.

This is the first day of a three-day outplacement seminar my former employer is providing. During the morning session, we describe our feelings. The opportunity to vent comes at just the right time.

Suddenly, I don’t feel so alone, especially since the other attendees are smart, highly employable people.

That evening, I have an informational interview with the branch manager at the mortgage-banking company. The meeting is casual, but the outcome may be significant: He’s recommending me for a job!

At today’s outplacement session, we take a personality test and evaluate our interests. One classmate says he wishes he’d had these tools 20 years ago when he began his career.

This class is better than many work-related seminars I’ve attended. There’s no canned script or wooden speaker. Our facilitator sits at the edge of her desk and conducts a dynamic eight-hour dialogue about job hunting.

Between 70% and 85% of all jobs are filled by networking, not by classified ads or agencies, she tells us. I decide to assemble a portfolio of the accomplishments I mention on my resume. I think displaying documentation of these achievements in a binder will impress potential employers.

I have lunch with two classmates. They tell me their spouses are anxious and pressuring them to find jobs. I’m fortunate to have a wonderfully supportive wife.

Two employees from our former company are in the restaurant, which makes us uncomfortable. After finishing their meals, they come over. "We wanted to say how unfair what happened to you was," says one of them. "Please call me. I have names of contacts who might be useful to you."

I’m feeling inspired and excited. I have a new product--me! There must be plenty of buyers. I just have to find the right one.

A few years ago, I met a former boss in a store. While working for him, I took another, more lucrative position and told him I was leaving. When we met, he’d said sarcastically, "I heard you’re looking for yet another job."

That stung! I resolved to never leave another company, but this thinking probably cost me thousands of dollars. As Stephen M. Pollan and Mark Levine write about pensions in "Die Broke" (1998,Harperbusines), "Most of you will be fired long before you’re vested." The authors say to "abandon any remaining tinges of loyalty to your employer" and always look for a better, higher-paying job.

I feared leaving the comfort of what I knew and facing possible rejection while job hunting. Thinking this way perpetuates bad relationships of all kinds. People are afraid of being alone or rejected while seeking new partners. If they could only leave, they’d find other opportunities. Then they’d kick themselves for wasting so much time.

I have three interviews today and three more tomorrow. For one position I’m over-qualified. For another, I’m under-qualified. But you have to kiss a few toads before you find a prince or princess and, while I’m not right for those jobs, I like learning about area companies. How else can I meet with important executives to discuss business for an hour?

Earlier this month, I wasn’t worried about whether I’d find a job. I had a half-dozen leads and thought two or three might lead to offers. Today, another chance evaporated, so I’m down to two realistic prospects. This is more nerve-wracking than I expected.

Another Monday. During church yesterday, I thought about a recent interview question: "What do you really want to do next?" The outplacement facilitator says if I want to be successful, I should do something I’m passionate about.

I fly to San Francisco to meet the president of a company I had interviewed at earlier. Job interviews are always stressful, but a coast away, they’re even tougher. However, I feel good about my performance. After being unemployed for more than a month, I can succumb to "loser’s" mentality. Days like this make me feel a sense of accomplishment.

After a neighbor recommends me, the sales manager from his company calls. I sent this company an application on my first day of unemployment, but the manager says he never received a copy from human resources.

I take a part-time job I enjoy, so I create a new schedule: interviewing and prospecting for jobs in the mornings and working in the afternoons. Focusing on this new position helps me stay positive.

Hiring managers exaggerate their descriptions of available sales jobs. They always say, "And there’s no cap to your earnings!" Don’t they know sales candidates are more interested in the floor than the ceiling? We want to know:

• What’s the market like?

• How’s my product or service viewed by the marketplace?

• What kind of training and support does the company provide?

• How reasonable are sales quotas?

In sales, you can’t completely answer some of these questions until you’re in the job. Then, you may not like the answers.

I had my hair cut yesterday. The beautician knows I’m unemployed and told me she wouldn’t charge for the cut. I was surprised, pleased and dismayed. I don’t think of myself as a charity case. I hope she expects to make the money back later in tips.

I’ve been thinking about the differences between small and large companies, and the lack-of-experience obstacle:

Small offices are "like family," but you must love your job and colleagues because there may be few chances for advancement. A branch sales office is a good example, since you may not be promoted until your boss departs or is transferred.

Large companies may be bureaucratic and less personal. You may have a diminished individual impact and feel less satisfied by your efforts. On the plus side, you may have benefits such as structured training and more chances to move around.

If you’re short on experience and long on potential, you may have to accept a lower-paying position and face plenty of competition. But if you have a lot of knowledge, you’re wanted and can ask for higher pay at companies that need your knowledge and expertise. More barriers to entry face your competitors.

The weather is warm and beautiful but by mid-afternoon, I collapse on my bed. I fear this search may take forever. No matter who I call, I just get their voice-mail. Then it’s a week before my calls are returned, if at all.

I read a letter to a columnist in a local paper from a job hunter who says she’s expected to write thank-you notes and follow up with employers, but companies treat her rudely. The column writer reminds her she’s the salesperson and the company is the buyer and not to not take this behavior personally. I must remember this.

My wife talks with me and I feel better. I get out of bed and play basketball with the kids.

I want my inquiries to yield results and today they do. I receive three rejection letters in the mail. I didn’t even need to open the envelopes--I already knew what they’d say.

I’m assembling shelves in the garage when my daughter brings me the phone. The mortgage banking branch manager asks, "Can you come in tomorrow and talk?"

"Sure," I say. "Should I bring anything?"

"No," he replies. "We’ve already checked your references."

He had told me I was a finalist for the job, which made me realize how few rules there are in job hunting. If a hiring manager likes you and thinks you’d make a good fit, you’ll receive an offer, even if your background isn’t perfect.

I arrive at the branch office feeling optimistic. I’m still in the running, but not sure how many other candidates remain or what I’m expected to do.

The branch manager closes his office door. "We’re prepared to make you an offer," he begins.

I was suddenly out-of-body again, not unlike when I was laid off nearly two months earlier. I didn’t hear much more.

The dreaded invisible "unemployed" sign on my chest, a badge that became heavier each day, had vanished. The ego-grinding frustration had ended. A new opportunity awaited me, and I couldn’t wait to start.

--Mr. Janusz is a senior loan officer with Integrity Mortgage Corp. in Columbus, Ohio.