When I lost my job in 2014, I naturally slipped into a self-pity funk for a bit.

What did I do first? I promptly made an enormous bowl of tiramisu and attempted to soothe my bruised ego with dessert. But, as good as it feels to take a well-deserved time-out, the quicker you curtail the wallowing and get back to the grind, the better for your career.

After realizing I wasn’t going to find a new job at the bottom of my trifle bowl, I put my spoon in the sink and got right down to business. I found a new job six months later, but was again laid off in 2017 amid a restructuring. This time, I was much better prepared to re-enter the job market.