Be with your friends and family.
Paterson went home and created the Facebook group but he remembers people looking shell shocked by the news. He had been through a layoff before in 2004 during the dot-com bust. "I would recommend surrounding yourself with friends and family for sure as much as possible," he said.

Remember you're not alone.
"There's 4,000 people that are in the same kind of boat, that's just in this area, let alone all the other industries. That can help a little bit, to realize you just got caught in the bad side of a wave," he said.

Don't wait too long to start job searching.
Paterson said he gave himself a couple days, then started searching for a new job.

Use the career services Microsoft is offering.
Microsoft has set up a place on campus where laid-off employees can take classes on resume writing and building connections with other employers and recruiters in the area. It's especially useful if you haven't job searched in a while, Paterson said.

Network, network, network.
"It's a lot of networking," Paterson said. "I would rely on the people you know. Maybe meet your friends for lunch who might have jobs at other companies, maybe go to social networking events."

Paterson recommends Social Media Club, which has an event on May 13, and Seattle Job Social, which has an event coming upon May 19.
"You would have better luck than just by applying to a job on the Web," he said.
Networking was how Paterson found his new job -- through a friend.

Use online resources like Facebook and Twitter.
Paterson pointed to another Facebook group, Help Microsoft Friends Find a Job.
He also began following recruiters and career experts on Twitter, such as Fishdogs and CincyRecruiter.

Consider going back to school.
If you have considered this possibility but just haven't had the time, Paterson suggests looking at City University, which has scholarships for people who have been laid off.