For some, being laid off and collecting unemployment insurance provides an extended vacation of sorts with opportunities to fish, improve putting skills or just relax. Others however face panicked uncertainty and poor employment prospects because of a lack of education or training.

Even with the recent 13-week temporary extension of unemployment benefits approved by Congress, surviving a layoff takes planning, persistence and patience.

 "I’m hoping to be called back soon," says Cozetta Fonville of Ann Arbor, who was laid off in January from her job as a plastics extruder at Pilot Industries, Inc.

Fonville said she was among about 700 workers laid off. She’s picked up periodic "odds and ends" during the layoff; however she says the company didn’t offer her any information about programs or services for those trying to make ends meet until they are called back. "That really would have been nice," she says, "but all I’ve been doing is drawing unemployment.

" For many, being laid off can cause an emotional as well as financial disruption in their lives. "They go through the whole emotional range–shock, anger, depression," says Deborah Hennessey, a work force consultant for the state of Michigan’s Work force Transition Unit.

Although that first emotional reaction is understandable, it’s best displayed at home, rather than at the time you’re handed the proverbial pink slip, because you’ll likely need a good word from your old employer or at least a neutral reference for the next job.

"You’re going to have to list your last employer, so don’t burn bridges when you leave," says Hennessey.

• Daimler Chrysler announces plans to cut 25,800 jobs

• Dow Corning Corp. cuts 200 Michigan jobs

Living through layoff: Dos and don’ts

Just in case you do end up telling your boss everything you ever wanted to say over the past 20 years, the online company Document Reference Check says they can check out what your employer has said about you. The service costs about $90 and can be found at www.badreferences.com.

Those looking for assistance in dealing with the emotional fallout from a job loss can find support services locally and on the Internet.

Michigan Works!, a public-private partnership with the Michigan Department of Career Development can provide counseling, as well as a host of services and resources, such as computers, workshops, resume writing assistance, transportation and child care assistance and a talent bank for job seekers and employers.

Losing a job can provide an opportunity for reflection, goal setting and prioritizing, which is certainly important, however spending an inordinate amount of time contemplating your life at the crossroads could mean a missed opportunity.

So, when is a good time to start preparing yourself for that next opportunity? Hennessey and other experts believe sooner is always better than later. Even with statewide unemployment at 6 percent and Ann Arbor’s 3.8 percent rate, the job market is fluid and hard to predict.

"A lot of people make the mistake of saying that they have 26 weeks maximum of unemployment benefits, plus a couple of 13-week extensions, so they think they can take the summer off and paint the house, but that time goes by so fast," says Hennessey. "You can’t project what the job market is going to do."

There is competition for laid off job seekers. In the first quarter of 2002, employers reported 1,669 mass layoff actions– each layoff action equals at least 50 employees. Those layoffs resulted in the separation of 301,181 workers from their jobs for more than 30 days, according to preliminary figures released by the U.S. Department of Labor’s Bureau of Labor Statistics.

Hennessey is also the section manager for NAFTA-Trade Programs, which is part of the State of Michigan’s Workforce Transition Unit. Under the provisions of the North American Free Trade Agreement, workers displaced by foreign competition can petition the federal government for benefits. If at least three employees, or a company’s union petitions the U.S. Department of Labor, and following an investigation, it’s found that the jobs were lost due to cheaper labor in Mexico or Canada for example, workers can file for Trade Adjustment Assistance. Those benefits include up to two years of classroom retraining, tuition, books and up to 52 weeks of monetary benefits, over and above state unemployment insurance. And while Fonville and other laid off workers are waiting for that all-important call back, others, who can’t go back to their old jobs, find themselves still working to find work. Hennessey sums it up like this: "A wise person I knew said, once you lose your job, you have a full-time job, and that job is looking for a new job."