You just got laid off. What should you do next?

More U.S. workers are being handed pink slips as the Fed pumps the economic brakes in a bid to slow inflation, with layoff announcements spiking in September. 

Job cuts rose 46% from August to nearly 30,000 in September. Workers suddenly out in the cold may wonder about their rights when they lose their jobs and what steps they should take upon being dismissed — key issues that are easy to overlook in the heat of a difficult moment but that can seriously impact a person's immediate financial prospects after a layoff. 

"Most employees don't realize how much is at stake with a layoff or separation that is for a cause that's not misconduct," said New York City employment attorney Christopher Q. Davis. "There is a lot of money and rights at stake that most people don't think about, and there really is a lot that could go wrong."