Pink-Slip Party Etiquette

Computerworld - On a warm summer evening in Manhattan, hundreds of former dot-com workers are huddled inside Hush, a dimly lit bar in the city's Chelsea district. The occasion is a pink-slip party, held here on the last Wednesday of every month for hopeful laid-off workers and recruiters from Silicon Alley.

At first glance, the event resembles any other New York bar scene: mostly single twenty- and thirtysomethings drinking $3 tequilas and Bud Lights and listening to house music while eyeing prospective dates.

But upon closer inspection, you see that the partygoers, such as Zachary Nelson, who graduated from Columbia Business School last year, wear color-coded glow-in-the-dark wristbands: Pink means you've been laid off, green signifies that you're an employer or recruiter, and blue means you're just here for the ride.

At one end of the room stands a message board, where job hunters like Nelson, who was laid off from his job as an Internet strategist at a New York-based consulting firm in April, can peruse job listings and post their resumes. At the other end, some recruiters sit at tables to chat about openings at their companies, while others mingle.

As layoffs at start-ups and corporations alike have escalated, pink-slip parties have gained popularity as a way for jobless workers to not only network but also to find a community of individuals who are facing the same struggles.

"Knowing other people in the same boat makes me feel better," says Nelson. In addition to New York, cities such as San Francisco and Chicago hold pink-slip events, typically once a month.

WEB EXCLUSIVE: Guides to being there

Though the events typically draw recruiters and job seekers hailing from New York's Silicon Alley, anyone can attend—even those who are neither job hunting nor offering employment. Most attendees dress business casual—women wear a blouse and nice slacks or a skirt, while men wear trousers with a collared shirt. Few don more formal attire, such as jackets and ties, like one might wear to a job fair.

Getting the most out of your first pink-slip party requires a mixture of cocktail etiquette, basic job-hunting skills and New Economy smarts, according to attendees. Arrive early, at around 7 p.m., when the event starts, advises Hemming, because most recruiters don't stay beyond 9 p.m.