I was laid off once as the startup I was working for was shedding some payroll in order to be bought. I had heard about it coming and talked to my VP to offer m

I was laid off once as the startup I was working for was shedding some payroll in order to be bought. I had heard about it coming and talked to my VP to offer myself up as I was getting a little bored of the work and didn't envision myself being there more than another 6 months (in order for all of my shares to vest). Luckily he was very good about it and the severance was substantial plus all my shares vested immediately. I had a new job agreed to and signed within two hours of the conversation with my VP (with someone I used to work with at a company I was very familiar with). No interviews, no anything- I just said that I was available. It really helps to be someone people want to work with. It doesn't mean you're the best at what you do, but that you can be counted on and aren't so 'bristly' that people don't mind having to spend a lot of time with you. The biggest turn in my career was the time I probably should've been fired but wasn't- but left within weeks anyway. I had just come out of a weeklong stay out of the hospital (received multiple blood transfusions) and was getting pressured as we had a huge client engagement I _needed_ to be on site for. I literally went from the hospital on a Monday to all day meetings with a client team and their other potential vendors on Tuesday through Thursday. Needless to say, I felt AWFUL. Was pretty damn tired, stressed out, and also having my phone explode with emails from the week and change of work I'd missed while in the hospital. I also looked like shit. There was nothing I could do that didn't have me looking like I just got out of the hospital, no matter how now my suit looked. After Thursday the potential client called up our sales partner and told him they wouldn't be moving forward with us as I seemed inattentive, distant, and that I checked my phone too frequently during the meetings. This of course caused a storm at the office and it was made plainly clear that not only was that my last and only chance, but I pretty much wouldn't be working on that sales partner's accounts anymore. We found out later there was funny business between the client and one of the vendors and we were never really going to win it anyway but that didn't help my cause. At the end of the day I should've said that I flat out couldn't make it or have been able to summon some super human powers to not look like how I felt. I wound up taking a job shortly after with the best company I've ever worked for and found a million more opportunities because of that new company than I ever would've had if I stuck around with the smaller company so it did all work out in the end- but it still galls me to think that there is a former employer who probably only remembers me for one monumental eff up that had nothing to do with my actual abilities or my client relationship skills.