Like hundreds of thousands of people these days, you’ve lost your job. Now what?
Whether you saw it coming or it was a complete surprise, getting laid off is always a shock. There are many thoughts, fears, and emotions racing through your mind. But here are 3 simple steps to help you get a grip on your situation and face this challenge:
1. Cope with the emotions of losing your job
2. Develop a plan to get a new job
3. Implement a new job plan
1. Coping With The Emotions
The first step is to try to sort out your feelings. The sudden loss of your livelihood is likely to cause a flood of emotions – panic, shame, anger, self-blame, confusion. But try to relax and tell yourself that things will work out. You will get a new job – and it may be a better one! But you need to stay positive – there is no sense rehashing the negative feelings of job loss. The time to move on to a new future is today. Stay mentally and physically active. Consider some short-term therapy. Meet with your spiritual or religious advisors.
To help you cope with the sudden change in your status, Todd Bermont, author of 10 Insider Secrets to Job Hunting Success (available from ebookmail.com), suggests taking a short vacation before starting your job hunting process. This will help you relax, so you will be refreshed for future job-hunting activities and interviews. He also suggests helping others during this period – for example, consider a visit to a retirement home, animal shelter, or hospital – to put things in perspective.
However, while it good to take a short vacation to recharge your batteries, it is important to put a time limit on this, so you don’t stay unemployed! For many of us, it is easy to procrastinate and put off the challenging – but ultimately rewarding – task of finding a new job. So, give yourself a short break but set a deadline for getting back to the job search.
Before you move to the next stage – developing a job search plan – consider these steps:
1. Apply for unemployment benefits. You have paid into this fund and are entitled to these benefits, so do not hesitate to get them immediately. The amount of money you’ll receive is not enough to live on but it can help pay some bills until you get your new job. Also, many unemployment offices can give you career advice and new job leads.
2. Develop a budget. Now that you no longer have income coming in, you should look for areas where you can save on your expenses until you get your new job. But your goal should be to never touch your retirement funds!
3. Stay positive! Your new job is to market yourself – so you need to find a way to project an optimistic, energized persona. Get excited about the future! It helps to focus on the opportunity that this change represents and not the loss. Be prepared for disappointments, near misses, and other frustrations on your job-seeking “voyage”. Keep your final destination in mind.
2. Develop a Plan
Next, it is time to develop a plan for your new career. As Bermont says (link to article by Bermont), job-hunting a like taking a trip. Before you start, you need to pick your destination and figure the best way to get there This means, unless you have a very specific skill-set, you will probably want to review your options for your next job, to determine your final “destination.” So, a first step toward finding a new job is to figure out which new job you want. Try jotting down some random thoughts about your most recent jobs, including:
• In which areas did you excel?
• What did you like most about your previous job?
• What would you like to avoid in your next job?
You can also consider the characteristics of the company you want to work for – giant firm or small business, for example. Other important questions are: what salary would you like to receive? Are there any special requirements you have (telecommuting, day care services, etc)?
After you have completed this phase, review your notes and see which new job best suits you. Once you have identified your new job, you are ready to take the next step – developing a plan to get that job.
3. Implement a Plan to Find a New Job
Now that you are ready to start your search for a new job, the good news is that there are many tools available help you. Here are some tools you should consider using:
A Job Search Diary or Spreadsheet
To help you get organized with your job search, you should develop a record-keeping system to keep track of target jobs, resumés/letters sent, people spoken to, job interviews set up, job leads to be pursued, and other information. Your Job Search Diary can be a notebook or a spreadsheet, such as an Excel sheet. This will help you stay organized and focused, and show you areas that need more follow-up or attention.
The Internet
The Internet is all about connections – so it is the perfect system for matching a job and a job seeker. You can use the Internet to find jobs at these sites:
• Company sites. Most companies and government agencies offer a page on their home pages called “Careers” or “Employment Opportunities”
• Job sites. There are several excellent on-line job sites that allow applicants to search job openings and post/send resumes. These include: www.careerbuilder.com, www.monster.com, www.hotjobs.com, and www.career.com.
• Social Networking sites. There are growing numbers of social network sites – such as www.Linkedin.com – where you can “network” with people in the career you are targeting. Try joining and exploring these sites.
• On-line job placement agencies (headhunters). There are also many job placement specialists with sites on the Internet, such as http://brilliantpeople.com.
• Local newspaper sites. Many local newspapers have web sites that provide a searchable list of local jobs. These sites may also allow you to post your résumé on-line, so that local employers can find you.
• Online advice on résumés, cover letters, and interviews. A growing trend are sites, such as www.GoSavant.com, which offer special training to help the job applicant improve his/her chances of landing a job.
Your Social Network
Don’t underestimate the value of your personal contacts. These include various people in your life who have many contacts with others: physicians, accountants, freelancers – even family members. These are people who know you and who may be aware of job openings that are not posted on job boards. Don’t be shy about telling everyone you know that you are looking for a new job.
Summary
So, you have passed through the ordeal of being fired; you have taken a short break to recuperate, and have returned, refreshed, to the job-search effort. You have reflected on your career options and picked the perfect future job (or jobs), and have used your social network and job sites to search for a new job. Great work! You are now ready to contact potential employers, send out/post résumés, and go to job interviews.
In future blog entries, I will discuss:
• Preparing the perfect résumé
• Preparing the perfect cover letter
• Having a great interview
• Managing multiple job offers
Bottom line: you are on your way to an exciting, new job! It requires a lot of hard work, clever planning, and creative thinking – but with persistence and a little luck, you will find that great new job that you are looking for, and that is looking for you!
Back to Work: Information and Inspiration for People Returning to the Workforce