Not sure if such topic is discussed earlier before. Just expressing my opinions.

I have been "fortunate" enough to laid off few number of times, and have attended those "job search" workshops, that teaches you to cope with the stress, and start searching for jobs.

However, I believe that the strategy applied by those consultants is "One style fits all". Irrespective of your social background, they teach the same strategy.

However, IMHO that there is a difference in way we Indians behave during such difficult times. Losing a job is a more stressful phenomenon for us, as we are not accustomed to such events. Our concern is paying our mortgage/rent/bills and prevent our credit rating from getting affected. At same time, even though our whole family supports us, the stress of being unemployed always lingers at the back of our mind.

THe consultant explained that this is the time you take up such unfinished project as colouring the house or walking your dog or driving kids to school. But I do not think, colouring my house would be at the bottom of my "to do list", when my only priority is my financial and mental well-being.

I do not know, if there can be "race-specific" human resources programmes, but I would like to know how other members think, as to how layoff affects the South Asian community in a way different from other communities.

Also, when they say that networking is best way to find a job, I also see a bit hurdle there. Most of us, Indians, are professionals, and there is a very few percentage of Indians working in their own fields. So it is highly unlikely, that a friend of a friend of mine, would be employed in the field of my expertise. Going by my example, the first external contacts I had, were of engineers that were working as real-estate agents. So that brings me right to the end of dead wall.

I can only hope, that this scenario changes for good in near future