Community Employment Resource Centre

 

How To Deal With Job Loss

 

It seems as though nowadays, losing your job is a stage of life that almost everyone has to live through at some point or other.  Whether you find yourself unemployed due to layoffs, dismissals, closures, job redundancy or by choice, the act of being jobless is all too common.  There is no doubt that you feel angry, depressed, overwhelmed, cheated or one of hundreds of other emotions.  But, the reality is, you need to pull up your socks and begin the “job” of finding another job. 

Change is something that is rarely looked upon in a favourable light, especially if the change means unemployment.  However, with a positive attitude, this occasion can be seen as an opportunity to land a better job.  Acceptance, rather than denial, will facilitate the process of moving on.  Below are some tips aimed at helping you readjust and enter the job search enthusiastically.

  1. Go ahead and get angry.  This is a natural emotion as your world has just been totally turned around – especially if your current unemployed state came unexpectedly.  As mentioned in another article, there are steps you can take to brace yourself and your family for a layoff if you know it is coming, but if not…..  It is important to vent these emotions (not in any sort of violent of damaging way though).  If these emotions are not released, they will continue to fester up inside and then you will explode emotionally for the wrong reason at the wrong person.  Some advantages of releasing your anger include:
    1. Likely to calm you down and perhaps give back a sense of control that you feel was taken away from you
    2. Ability to maintain positive relationships – cuts down on lashing out at those closest to you, preserving your support network
    3. Losing a job can be a learning experience.  You might discover that the job or company was not the right “fit” for you or you for it
    4. By dealing with the anger, you will make a better interview candidate – you cannot hide hurt and rage whether it is through your choice of verbal answers or your body language.  Whenever an interviewer hears a verbal response that does not match with the non-verbal message being received, they are going to choose the non-verbal as the “truth”
  2. Get yourself organized for your job search and your leisure time.  While job searching should be treated as a job in itself, realistically, people can’t productively look for work for more that 20 to 25 hours a week.  This leaves a large amount of spare time.  If you are not prepared with some useful, productive and rewarding activities, you will likely fall into a depressed state.  Examples could include: 
  3. Take a course for self-improvement or interest
  4. Start or pursue a hobby
  5. Volunteer

The goal is to achieve structure/purpose to your days and week.  This will make it easier to focus on the job search, set career goals, identify the skills you want to promote, and create an effective resume.

  1. Get out there.  It is still the case that over 80% of today’s jobs are acquired through the hidden job market.  Don’t be afraid to make cold calls to meet with someone from an organization and discuss yourself and potential opportunities.  Go in these discussions with an agenda and a goal.  Introduce yourself and pertinent attributes/skills, ask relevant questions about job, company, and industry finishing up with a request for further contacts.  To be successful, you will have to:
  2. Bury your pride to be able to ask for help
  3. Be diligent about writing, calling and following up
  4. Be a positive reflection on the person who refers you to his contacts
  5. Commit a portion of every day to research, communication and presentation skills
  6. Think like an employer.  Jobs exist because of a problem that an employer has to solve, or they are faced with an opportunity on which they want to act.  Present yourself not only as a good candidate, but also as a means of being able to help the employer achieve his objectives.  Employers want someone who can make a contribution to their company - quickly.  Be sure to make your potential contributions clear.

 

Information taken from Globe & Mail – February 25th, 2004 in article reflecting Michael Laskoff’s views from his book:  Landing on The Right Side of Your Ass – A Survival Guide for the Recently Unemployed.