You have a great job when suddenly your boss calls you into his office and lays you off. What do you do? Follow this guide and you’ll be prepared for the road ahead.

Step One: Kill with Kindness
After the big kiss-off, the first thing to do is – despite the almost overwhelming desire to stomp the floor and break all your former employer’s pencils – shake his hand. Always end on cordial note. Being nice may lead to new connections. In addition, being nice keeps security from escorting you off the premises.

Step Two: Gather the Troops
More than likely, you’ll have a day or two before you’re officially out of a job. Take that time to do work. Ignore those last calls or that spreadsheet. Instead, address your financial sandbags. Print out coupons on the office printer. File for unemployment. Do some research on ways to save money. Sites like moneysavingguide.com offer tips and tricks that will make the interim between jobs as painless as possible.

Step Three: Pillage!
Next, there are many tools that you will need and that your office has just laying around. Paper, for example. Most career experts will suggest on applying to at least twenty jobs per day. Even in the age of the Internet, some places will demand snail mail or at least a fax. A ream of paper is nothing to your employer whereas to you could be the ticket to your dream job! Also, get as much toilet paper as you can. Stores may charge up to $2.00 for a roll of toilet paper. Think of it as part of your severance package.

It’s going to be tough from here on out but if you took the time to stock up while you could, it will be a little easier. Good luck!