From Lemons to Lemonade: Making the Most of a Sudden Job Loss
Losing your job without warning is definitely a curveball that can throw your career prospects sideways, if you let it.
Which is why you have to try and adopt the positive mental approach that a sudden job loss could actually enhance your career prospects in the long run, despite the fact that it may not seem like it when you are given the bad news and have to clear your desk.
There are bound to be many questions about your unexpected job loss and resources such as AboutUnemployment.org can be useful in providing some useful information about your situation, together with some tried and tested advice on making the most of your situation.
Stay calm
Although it is tempting to vent your anger about how you have been treated and take out your frustration on your now ex-boss, try to stay calm and avoid burning any bridges.
There are often chances that come your way at a later point to get even in the right way, by landing a better job for example, so stay calm and don’t make an exit that you may live to regret at some point.
Maintaining a professional attitude in the face of such adversity as losing your job, is the right thing to do and ensures you get a good reference if you need one. Also, the way you deal with an exit so professionally will be much more helpful than others in the industry hearing something negative about you handled bad news.
Take offers of help
Another good reason to keep your cool and stay positive about your situation is the fact that the company that has just dispensed with your services may be offering a range of exit services that could prove useful in helping you find another job.
If you get offered a free workshop or the chance to add new skills to your resume as way of enhancing your job prospects, it makes sense to take the offer and see where it leads you.
Formulate a plan
It is important to pay attention to your personal finances as well as trying to secure a new job offer as quickly as possible.
Losing your job is a heavy blow to your finances and this is why you need to focus some of your attention on drawing up a new financial plan and budget that allows you to try and keep on top of your household budget, with a reduced level of income.
Calculate your total monthly expenses and use these figures to create a survival budget, so you get a realistic picture of how long your savings will keep your head above water. The positive point to keep in mind is that our fears tend to be worse than reality, so when you crunch the numbers and formulate a workable plan, you will often find that you have more time to find a job than you might have first feared.
File for unemployment
It is not something everyone feels comfortable with, but it does make a lot of sense to file for unemployment and see what financial support you might be eligible for.
Getting some financial support while you continue your job search will help your finances and you may also find that you are offered some useful assistance with further training to boost your resume.
Get networking
Losing your job should be the catalyst you need to connect with your network and update your online profile.
Make use of resources such as Linkedin and your college alumni network and get in touch with anyone who you know professionally who may know of a job opportunity that could be suitable for you.
If you are likely to be applying for a professional position it is quite likely that a prospective employer might check out your profile on sites like Linkedin.
Make sure your Linkedin profile is up to date and that all the information that you have posted online matches with the information and dates on your resume and also check that there are no posts or information on social media sites that you would not want a potential employer to come across.
Prepare yourself for an interview
It is quite feasible that you will be a bit rusty when it comes to going for an interview, if you had been in your current job for some while.
Rehearse your answers to some of the common questions that you are likely to be asked and practice as best you can at home, so that you are as prepared as possible to give yourself the best shot at getting back into employment as quickly as possible.
Andrea Jackson has over 15 years of experience as a career counselor and has helped hundreds of individuals identify and pursue satisfying careers. She got her M.A. in Counseling from U.C. Davis in 1999. Her mission is to educate and help others explore and uncover their dream jobs and design strategies to make it happen.
