In one instance, Mr Hurd, who ran HP for five years, is said to have received a call about a potential opening the day after his resignation was announced.  He is also said to have told these friends – who the Journal does not name – that he is in a period of "mourning" after his hasty exit. As such, it is expected to be some time before he returns to full-time work, a decision that will be cushioned by the $30m-$35m (£19.2m-£22.4m) payoff he received on departing.  Mr Hurd was forced from his role as chairman and chief executive following an investigation by HP's board into his conduct after Ms Fisher claimed he had harassed her.  Although the company found that he did not harass Ms Fisher, he was said to have breached business standards guidelines by allegedly altering expenses claims in order to cover up the pair's friendship, a charge friends of Mr Hurd have gone on to deny in several reports.  Earlier this week it emerged that Mr Hurd agreed to settle privately Ms Fisher's claims with her just two days before the board meeting which led to his resignation, and a day ahead of a scheduled mediation session with HP's lawyers.  It is understood the move incensed HP's board, and led to his ousting.  Meanwhile, details of Ms Fisher's original claim have appeared in a number of media in the US, including an allegation that she lost her contracting role with HP because she refused his sexual advances. The claim is understood to have been lodged at the end of June.  Mr Hurd has denied making any such advances towards Ms Fisher, who worked for HP's marketing department for two years until 2009. Her main role was helping to organise networking events for HP and its customers, at which directors such as Mr Hurd would attend.  It is understood that she worked for HP on 12 separate occasions during that two-year window, most of which occurred in the first year, with the number of events slowing in the second year as the company's marketing budget was trimmed.
Mark Hurd, the ousted chief executive of Hewlett-Packard (HP), has already    received a number of job offers - less than two weeks after being pushed out    of the technology giant.