Less is more. There's a lot to sort out.

Job loss is upending. We generally don't see things clearly, may act in haste, and are likely to say the wrong things.

We lose our jobs for different reasons:

-Poor performance
-Breaking the rules
-Reorganization
-Downsizings and mergers
When our number comes up, the boom comes down in different ways:
We may be:

-Fired for cause
-Asked to resign
-Displaced with outplacement
-Offered retirement
The circumstances around your release impact what you say to:

-Networking contacts
-Telephone interviewers and recruiters
-Hiring managers
-Family and friends

Overcome the hurt

What you say to yourself about losing your job will leak into what you say to others.

If you're beating yourself up, making excuses, blaming your company, wallowing in hurt pride, and carrying weighty emotional baggage, getting over it is your first challenge.

Start by talking to someone who will help you put things in healthy perspective so you can move on.

The temptation is to make the entire job loss situation about you. (That's not usually the case unless you've done bad things like broken rules and/or laws.)

Even if you're released because of poor performance, there is always a context that puts that in perspective, removing obstacles to new opportunities.

First, develop a balanced view of what took place before you were let go. Revisit the:

-results you produced
-expectations of your boss
-dynamics of your work group
-company's priorities

The value of our jobs and the way we perform is defined and driven by business conditions.

Simple explanations

When you're out of work, the question you usually get is, "Why did you leave?"

News flash: Most people don't want to hear all the gory details.

Advice flash: A one sentence answer will do.

The question is about you not the company. So answer it from your perspective.

If someone wants to know the company's reason why you were released, s/he should ask someone there. It's not your job to provide the company's rationale for letting you go.

It's during the job search process that we're most often asked, "Why did you leave?" Here are some ways to frame your answer:

If released for performance

-I was hired for my technical knowledge and experience in planning, but my job had turned into frontline troubleshooting.
-After a successful career as a collaborative leader, I was unwilling to adopt the command and control leadership style my manager wanted.
-My personalized approach to customer service wasn't compatible with the new script-driven processes.

If released through downsizing

-The company implemented new cost saving technologies that meant disbanding my department.
-I was part of a downsizing/company merger that displaced mid-level managers with production specialties like mine.
-Demand for the products/services in my division had been declining because of foreign imports, so the company closed it.
These answers are intended to be brief, broad, and truthful. Each one suggests something about either your principles or your understanding of business realities. You don't want to lure the questioner into digging for the particulars.

You simply want to address the question and then move on to positive conversations about:

-Your accomplishments
-Your career interests
-Industry needs and trends
-Networking opportunities

Focus on the positives

Jobs get lost for both legitimate reasons and unfair ones. Sometimes the boss doesn't like us, other people undermine us, we're evaluated unfairly, the job wasn't as promised, or we got unlucky.

Sometimes it's about timing, missed signals, and our inability to do the work as expected.

There is something positive about every job experience, even if it's just the lessons learned.

Your challenge, if you lose your job, is to throw off the pain, ditch the stress, write your one sentence answer, and take bold steps toward your next opportunity. Go for it!