Were you part of a RIF in the Financial Industry?

Your challenges are going to be greater, but not overwhelming. If you are well networked and well liked, you may be able to find a position in another firm. However, the sad realty is that thousands of people are in the same boat as you.
An Executive Recruiter told me that she is getting thousands, not hundreds, of resumes from former financial executives who are looking for a job in the same industry. Right now, your prospects don't look good.
So now you need to figure out a new career for yourself. Leverage off the talents you derived from your former job.

• If you were in financial product sales, redo your resume to reflect sales and make sure that you highlight strengths that are more generic than specific in nature.
• Emphasize all of your attributes like, team player, thinks outside the box, willing to learn new products, exceptional speaker/presentor, reliable and loyal.
• Your human resource experience is most likely transparent. Use the skill set you derived from your job in the financial services area to find a job in another industry.
• Your experience in the technology area can also be carried over to another industry. Tap into your network of human resource people.
• Use your accounting skills to market yourself and move into another industry. The skill set you developed in one industry is most likely going to be useful in another.
• Have a professional look at your resume and critique it for free (normally they will critique it for free and than offer a service to re-write it).