Shock, devastation, anger, confusion, depression, these are
the emotions one feels when recently faced with a job dismissal.
The former employee walks away questioning what went wrong?
He or she may not have felt at peace with the administration’s answer. The authority figures may have been vague
about their reasons or extremely detailed.
All the while, the
terminated employee may be thinking what went wrong
while questioning whether his or her actions were that bad for it to come to
this. Other workers may feel as if there
was a conspiracy to get rid of him or her all along. Despite the reasons, it is now an unwelcoming
reality that one has to face. Therefore,
how does the former employee move beyond the upset and on with looking for
another
job?
First, find a place of solitude after you have received the
bad news. Take control of every negative
emotion you are feeling, before you share your experience with anyone. Tell yourself, “Everything happens for a reason,
although I may not know exactly why, somehow I am going to make the best of
this.”
Second, make a phone call to meet with a confidant. This meeting
will provide you with the opportunity to vent, get what is off your chest. He or she may be a good listener and advisor,
consider what he or she is saying.
State how you feel during your exchange with a family member
friend or coworker, but don’t wallow in your anger, sadness or any other
emotion for too long. You don’t need
your situation to dominate a good time with someone. Consider that he or she
may also have some frustrations worth discussing.
While you are venting, there will be the temptation to say
something about your former employer that even your closest confidant may have
to scold you for and that is the last thing you will want to hear is an admonition
or what seems to be well meaning advice.
The reality is they are not experiencing what you are going through and
your situation is not up for debate or criticism. Avoid people who you know have been
unsupportive in the past no matter how desperate you are to make contact with
someone. This is not the time to defend
your thoughts, or get angry with the person whom you are confiding in that will
only result in a heated argument. Later,
you may feel even worse for blowing up at your confidant and will have to
apologize. Remember you may need this
person to help you financially, physically and/or mentally in the future;
therefore watch what you say and how you say it.
Third, after you have confided in everyone you have chosen,
you may be tempted to wallow in your firing.
You might not start looking for a job immediately; instead, you may want
to take a needed break, so if need be, do it.
There is absolutely nothing wrong with that if you are doing something
productive other than sitting on the couch thinking about the job, calling up
former co-workers gossiping or mentioning the event every time someone makes
contact with you.
Utilize your free time to apply for unemployment, catch up
on all doctor’s appointments (before your insurance runs out), meet with family
and friends you haven’t seen in awhile, take a class in your career field or in
one you may desire. Consider taking up a
hobby such as reading books, writing, singing, dancing, painting, watching TV
(if you haven’t been doing much of that in the past), aerobics, hiking, running
and many others. However, if you aren’t ready for the intense physical
activity, then browse stores, walk the beach, tour museums and other places to
take your mind off of things.
Notice shopping was not listed, because spending money is only
a temporary fix and since you have no income coming in the last thing you need
to do is have money going out. Be sure
to take care of your necessities and save as much money as you can, because
unemployment doesn’t last forever and can be cut off before you know it.
During this time of rest and relaxation, your motivation to
get back in the workforce will be challenged.
Who wants to return back to work, when someone is helping you
financially, the beach keeps calling your name and you have enjoyed waking up
without an alarm clock? As nice as all
of this sounds, it is only temporary and if you don’t want your free time to
come to a crashing halt, dedicate hours each day, like you would working a
part-time job, applying for jobs.
However, before you begin your search you will need to know whether you
would like to stay in the same career field, switch to another or just find a
job that is not challenging in the least and will only provide you with a
paycheck.
Fourth, do things related to your job search. Find out how
much others are making in your occupation, what are the latest skills in
demand, create your cover letters and tailor your resume for each job that
isn’t in your career field. Too often
people will send the same general resume to every employer and wonder why no
one is calling them back. You may have
too much information on your resume for what is required or not enough. Consider the following as you job search
checklist:
Have different resumes for different career fields.
Join online databases that send employment classifieds
directly to your email.
Sign up for a subscription to a newspaper.
Register with a temporary agency.
Check with family and friends to see what they know.
Purchase office supplies such as ink for your printer and/or
fax machine, mailing labels, impressive envelopes and quality white paper, and
stamps.
Create a mailing list of employers that may or may not be
hiring. Print addresses on mailing
labels. Send a letter along with your resume requesting that they consider
including you in their database for a future job opening. Of course, you can always pick a great
location nearby your neighborhood and work one or two part-time jobs. The
advantage to this is you will not be stuck at one location everyday, more money
can be made this way, and some stores offer great perks.
Depending on how much money you have in savings, you may
think about starting a business from home.
A successful business doesn’t become that way if you don’t have the
necessary tools to make it happen. Spend
the time reading about what type of business you would like to start, how to
develop a business plan so that you will know what to expect in the future,
where you can get additional money to get it started, and any other information
that will help you make a determination on whether this is a good time to start
it or not.
Fifth, while you wait for responses from employers, be sure
that you can be contacted. If you have a
single phone line with no call waiting, you may want to have your cell phone
number and email address on every cover letter, resume and/or business card you
send out.
Don’t become discouraged when week three passes by and you
still haven’t heard from anyone.
Instead, you will need to change the way you have been marketing
yourself. Request a person knowledgeable
in cover letters and resumes to review yours.
Search the Internet, ask for comments from a job headhunter, or purchase
a book that will provide you with tips on how to best edit it. Asking a family member or friend isn’t the
best way to get an unbiased opinion; therefore don’t request their opinions
unless they know about your industry.
Lastly, be sure that you have tried every way to market
yourself. Have you posted a classified
of the services you can offer to your community? Have you sent a mass mailing out to employers
rather than just two or three resumes?
Did you include yourself in a variety of databases both on and offline
such as visiting temporary agencies also known as headhunters? Did you send copies of your resumes to people
who would be willing to help you market yourself? When did you last follow up with an employer
about your resume (are you keeping record)?
Are you allowing yourself to be reachable?
When you do hear from a prospective employer, be sure that
you are prepared! You have the business
attire picked out that you will be wearing, updated copies of your resume
(error free and readable,) list of references, a social security card and an
updated id or driver’s license, copies of any necessary certification or
medical information, samples of your work that is related to the position, and
a nice briefcase or similar business accessory.
Think about the kinds of questions you may be asked during
the interview, and turn every negative event you have ever had at any job into
a positive one. For instance, when asked
what would you consider one of your weaknesses?
Your answer may be, “Not knowing when to go home, I become very
engrossed in my projects and my former bosses have had to cut the lights off on
me.” The employer will be watching for
signs of mental stability, whether you are responsible, truthful, positive,
professional, goal oriented, loyal, and many other attributes that will
convince them that you will be an asset to their organization. Put your best foot forward!
