Unfortunately in the current economic climate, some of you are going to hear the words ‘I’m sorry, but your job has been made redundant’.
Is it the end of the world? No, of course not!
In fact, I would boldly suggest that the company has just done you a great favour ;)! Often, people are already thinking of looking for another job and this situation gives them the impetus to get off their butts and get a move on :). However, there are also others, who love their job and their company and are greatly taken aback when they hear those words.
Whatever your situation, here are my top 7 tips to get you through this period!
TIP 1: Expect strong emotions!
Often regardless of whether you were expecting to hear of the redundancy or whether you were already planning to leave, there is something about a ‘redundancy situation’ that is very upsetting for people. I suspect it is the idea that this is happening unto you as opposed to your choice.
I remember when I first realised I had to make myself redundant back in the early 90’s. I was very upset with myself and the company, even though I knew for a period of six months that I would be required to make the decision! Go figure!
The first thing you need to understand is that hearing this type of news is akin to hearing any kind of shocking news, such as a bereavement situation. Therefore, you should expect to go through a number of strong emotions ranging from anger, frustration, disbelief, shock, sadness, denial, fear, anxiety, stress or confusion in the first few days. This is perfectly normal. However, if after a week you are still feeling strong negative emotions, please seek help immediately!
The longer you experience strong negative emotions the more entrenched they become. Get help to move you beyond those emotions quickly.
Larger organisations often have a Free Employee Assistance Program. These programs are excellent and I would strongly suggest you take full advantage of them. Many reputable companies also choose to arrange an outplacement service provided by organisations like My Performance Coach for their redundant employees. If you are offered Outplacement, you should always utilise this, both from an emotional support perspective as well as giving you career coaching. Alternatively, you can also see your doctor and ask for a referral to a counsellor (which you will receive a Medicare benefit for) or contact a qualified CBT coach to assist you.
It is critical to your job search success to be at the top of your game, in a positive emotional state and looking forward to the future! All too often I see people spend months and even years lamenting about how bad their lives are and gradually working themselves into a depression. PLEASE, do not fall into this trap! Everyone has options, no matter what your situation. So get help to get you into a positive state.
TIP 2: Don’t Panic!
Often the negative emotions experienced are due to people panicking about the future. Will I get another job? When? How? What if I’m not good enough? Will I be able to meet my obligations? These are all reasonable questions to ask.
However, panicking doesn’t help anyone, least of all you! In fact, if you allow this thinking to continue, you will start to notice your thoughts will denigrate to catastrophising, for example: I’ll never find a job; I’ll be homeless; the kids will starve. And once you start that kind of thinking, you are setting yourself up to fail.
Remember we get what we expect! So expect more from yourself! Keep your emotions positive and keep yourself tapped into reality. This again is where a great career coaching program provides indispensible value to people! Having a strong vision, clear goals, clear understanding of motivation and values, clear and focused action and staying positive is essential to getting another great role quickly.
TIP 4: Get some Financial Advice!
Consider how best to use your lump sum pay-out.
Did you know that if you are in a company superannuation fund, you will have a financial planner attached to your fund? Often the fee you pay to them includes services to assist employees with financial planning. Find out who they are and explain your situation. Tap into this resource as they often have great advice about tax minimisation! Your HR or Payroll department can give you more information.
Alternatively, to help you keep tapped into reality, prepare a three month expenses budget. Cut down on all luxury items. Where are you at? Can you afford to take some time off? How long? When would be an ideal time to have a job by? Set your goals.
If you were already in a serious financial crisis prior to being made redundant, please discuss your situation with Centrelink. Also, there a number of not for profit organisations that do a fabulous job of advising and assisting people in financial crisis. Please be careful about diving into a ‘debt reduction company offer’. Ensure you get quality, independent advice before making any key financial decisions.
TIP 5: Get Prepared!
Often, redundancy is a blessing in disguise, as it presents a fantastic opportunity to re-evaluate yourself, your motivations, your career and your drivers.
This is a great time to spend some quality time really evaluating and preparing to get back into the job market. Here are the key things to do:
• Get into a positive, high energy state
• What rocks your world? What motivates you?
• What are your career drivers? What do you really want?
• Do you want to work for a company? If so, what type of company?
• Do you want to work for yourself? Do you have the attributes, knowledge and
skills to do so?
• Complete your SDOT
• Update and tailor your CV
• Work out the types of roles you are looking for
• Get together a list of quality recruitment agencies specialised in your
industry
• Develop your brand and brand plan
If you are unclear on what you want to do or you don’t have a very clear career plan (like 75% of people), I strongly enough recommend a career coach. Do I recommend a career coach because My Performance Coach does this? Well yes :), but it’s more than that! I only provide and recommend services or products that I know fundamentally impact and add value to people in their lives.
In my 20 odd years of HR, I can tell you that those who have had career coaching clearly stand out in the crowd and is one of the best investments you can make into your career!
TIP 6: Get in the game
You know how you were doing all that networking (and if you weren’t, here’s why you should have been), well here’s where that becomes absolute GOLD!!!
I’m sure you know that there is a whole hidden job market. In the economic times, organisations will be looking for EVERY opportunity to reduce recruitment costs.Most organisations have an ‘introduce a friend’ scheme and they will be milking that process now. Recruiting Managers will also be putting out feelers with their networks.
So, draft yourself a positive, upbeat email, succinctly stating what you’re looking for and availability, attach your Resume and get it out to EVERYONE you know (including all your contacts on sites like linked in). DO NOT underestimate who can lead you to a fantastic role!
Many candidates dislike dealing with recruitment agencies (me included). However, they are a necessary evil. So put aside all your negative stuff about it and find 3 - 4 great consultants who specialise in your field or industry and make sure you are TOM (Top Of Mind).
TIP 7: Work it Baby!
Remember that in this environment you need to cut through the competition. For example, one of my clients were lucky to get between 10-15 applicants for one role a year ago, last week, for that same role they got 358 applicants! However, 340 were put in the reject pile.
What does this mean? It means that everyone is trying their luck and are not focusing their efforts. What that means for you is that if you don’t catch the recruiters attention in terms of your suitability within the first 30 seconds to a minute of reading your application goes in the reject pile!
This is where BRAND YOU pays off. Sell your brand. Prepare a thoughtful, professional, tailored application designed to catch the recruiters attention and cause them to keep reading after the first two paragraphs.
Ensure that at all engagement points with the recruiter and the company that you are ‘on brand’ and selling the best of you. A career coach again will help you with this, in particular cutting through the competition.
Good luck and if you have any questions, please post a comment!
Vanessa
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