Issue Date: April 1, 2007

WORK

Fire away!

Canned? How to bounce back.

By Lewis Beale

If you're lucky enough to have a job, you also run the risk of losing it. When actress Annabelle Gurwitch was fired from a play directed by Woody Allen, she told everyone about it -- and heard "inspiring and hilarious" stories in return, she says. That led to "Fired!," a book, a play of staged readings and now a documentary of the same name, airing on Showtime through April 24.

Here, Gurwitch and Norma Gaffin, a résumé expert at career website Monster.com, offer some survival tips:

Anticipate your dismissal. Watch for signs you're about to be let go, and polish up your résumé. Bad omens: your job being advertised, avoidance by co-workers, a call from human resources. "They're not calling to ask if you want an Aeron chair," Gurwitch says.

Embrace the situation. You're not alone, so don't be embarrassed to talk about it. Gurwitch also advises making a voodoo effigy of your ex-boss. "It's cathartic and not illegal -- unless you leave it on his front door," she says.

Choose referrals carefully. If you're on good terms with your ex-boss, ask what he or she would say if a potential employer called. "If it's all bad, then ask someone else for a referral," Gaffin says.

List the job on your résumé. Include start and end dates, but not that you were fired, Gaffin says. "Use the interview to explain why you left."

Spend your time between jobs wisely. "If you were laid off because of limited knowledge, then make up for it," Gaffin says. "In interviews you can say, 'I have taken these classes and won't repeat the same mistakes.'"