Ten things to do when you have been given the push from your job
Thursday, 2 February 2006
Big Blow
It’s happened to quite a lot of us, whether contractor or employee. It’s very disheartening when it happens and it wrenches at your self-esteem. You may also have to tell a partner too that the company you work for no longer wants you.
So what should you do?
1. Firstly, don’t panic. You are not the first person that this has happened to. It’s happened to millions of people before you – and the vast bulk of them (including myself) have gone on to get work elsewhere. There may be a downturn now, but it won’t last forever.
2. Take the big decisions early. Those companies, e.g. agencies, who have survived the downturn well are those that took the important cost-cutting decisions early, while those that have struggled are those who destroyed their balance sheets by delaying the big decisions, hoping for something to turn up. You must do the same. Sit down and make a list of all your expenditures. Then take it on board that you might be out of work for a year or more and take the correct decisions early – including selling your house for a cheaper one if the mortgage is too big. Your partner may complain, but if the money runs out, many have found that their partner walks too. Act quickly, and act decisively.
3. Contact your mortgage company to see if they can give you a mortgage holiday. Tell them that your industry is in the middle of a downturn after the dot com boom. If you can secure 3-6 months off paying, that will be a big boon to you
4. Develop a regular routine of looking for work. As long as your partner sees you making an effort, they will probably back you. Remember they have got worries too about the future, and seeing you doing little to get out of your situation will increase the worry on them and the worry, the pressure and the strain on you
5. Don’t let yourself go. In the past you used to do your ablutions first thing in the morning before you went to work. Now you don’t go to work so you don’t have a regular routine. The solution to this is to have a regular routine. I would suggest that you do your ablutions as soon as you get up, or do your first job-seeking stint in the morning followed by your ablutions, then breakfast, followed by your second job-seeking stint
6. Have some time to enjoy yourself. You may not have too many opportunities in your career to have time off to do some of the things you always wanted to do. Do the bulk of your job-seeking in the morning, so that you can feel more relaxed about enjoying yourself in the afternoon and evening. Doing it in the morning takes the pressure off you, as your partner knows that you have already put in a good ‘working stint’. Tell your partner your new routine and get them to agree it, so that you don’t get “how come you’re sitting there watching the telly when you should be looking for work”
7. Evaluate what you see as your strengths and create your CV accordingly. You need to work out what your Unique Selling Point is and then bring that out on your CV
8. Consider your job search to be a project, and work accordingly. Tell yourself that it is just a normal job of work and that you will be putting in set hours. Think of yourself as an agent who has to make lots of calls just to get one lead
9. Don’t get discouraged if you don’t get a job straight away. Tell yourself that the odds are one in several hundred of you getting a job from each lead or CV send that you make. Also tell yourself that you must do the spade work of chasing those several hundred leads in order to get that one opportunity
10. Lastly, keep your pecker up. It’s not the end of the world. You may feel that you’ll never work again at times, but few people that want to work remain unemployed for the rest of their lives. Do the things that you need to do (as stated previously) and that will help to keep your morale up. You’re going to get a job at some point. It may be next week, or next month, or next year. The harder you work at it, the quicker it will come.
This article originally appeared on the British contractor's website NamesFacesPlaces.
Gerry McLaughlin (Feedback@NamesFacesPlaces)
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Yeah it's happened to meTo be honest it was one of the most relaxing weeks I have ever had, we had enough money to last us for months (Although by that stage we'd be getting desperate) started the week off with a bit of a holiday, came back took the first few days fairly relaxed and found a new job at the end of the week, was given an interview the following monday and started the next day... I figured I could either worry about the future (which would have caused it to be a very stressful time and I'd have probably flunked the interviews) or I could relax and enjoy the time off... harvyk, 02/01/2006 05:57:56 PM
Add this...Great advice. I would add another: - take the time to get your body back into some shape, now that you do not have to sit down all day. I was out of work for 6 months (I'm from Perth - IT desert) before I got another job. The biggest concern I had was how long do I stick it out in Perth before moving to somewhere that has IT jobs. rob, 02/01/2006 07:47:50 PM
All Good StuffHave done all this. Have never watched daytime TV. Other half hasn't left, but still out of work for 17 months. Skep Tique, 02/02/2006 12:11:01 AM
Age DiscriminationSkep Tique, What is your IT background? Are you 40+ years old? Are you getting interviews with employers? All the indications are that the IT job market is improving although not like it was pre-2000. In my experience, if I am interviewed by a 20+ year old kid, my chances of getting the job nose drive. However, if the interviewer is a person of mature attitude with good management and people skills, I am more likely to get the job. It would appears that 20+ years old only like to have other 20+ years old around them. What is your experience in this regard? Not Yet Over The Hill, 02/02/2006 12:47:04 AM
For the unemployed ITierI have another point to make towards any of the crew on brainbox who like to blame the rest of the world for the loss of their job 11. Logon to brainbox. Reply to all posts wether relevant or not complaining that its the fault of the indian's, 457 visa holders, overseas workers, interview requirements that you can't get a job. Totally overlook the fact that you may, a. be lacking skills be that social or technical, b. be unable to admit to you lack of ability. Then sit down and smile at the fact that you will spend the rest of your sad pathetic life blaming the rest of the world for everything that goes wrong in your life Tom, 02/02/2006 12:50:44 AM
option 1212. Start to worry when the partner stops comming home late at night. macca, 02/02/2006 01:30:18 AM
the PartnerQuestion about this issue is why is losing the partner SO important, you are more focussed on losing your partner than the house ect or even getting another job. mc macca, 02/02/2006 01:56:06 AM
Get a fly rodGo fishing - I did! Relax. Get some sleep. Kick the coffee habit. Sit on the beach and eat fish and chips. Sit on the beach and just daydream - about fishing. Go snorkelling. Ride your bike. Forget about management. Watch your bank account go into reverse. Enjoy it. Because you'll have to work to 105 to pay off your debts. MikeC, 02/02/2006 04:55:57 AM
Plan for this eventIts happened to me too, but not for some years now thank God. One day there were contractors arriving all over the place, the next day they were leaving in droves. The company's money ran out! As a contractor, I have since planned for times of contract drought by: - Keeping some of my income in the bank, - Investing some of my income in shares, - Ensuring I have several strings to my bow, - Investigating ways I could generate an income as an entrepreneur. Obviously, it takes a few years of doing this to get to a reasonably comfortable position. In this day and age no one can be assured of having a job for life. This article provides great coping advice, but I think everyone should expect to be in this position sometime during their working life and plan accordingly. TJ, 02/02/2006 04:58:18 AM
If your partner leaves youConsider it the greatest thing that ever happened to you, because they where not worth the time and investment anyway especially leaving you at the time that your most down and out... I don't know about anyone else but when I got married one of the things that was said was "for better or for worse"... harvyk, 02/02/2006 05:14:21 PM
That's really very sadIt's sad but true, you do tend to find out who your friends are when times are tough. Takes it's toll on relationships too. Very sad but common from what I've seen. Sympathies. anon, 02/03/2006 05:21:32 AM
It's hard to relax........when the job you used to have was either offshored or filled by some 457 visa rorter! I'll relax when the fradulent 457 visa system is scrapped and all those Indian IT "pros" currently driving cabs, washing toilets or working in IT at half the market rate go back to whence they came! UnemployedITer, 02/03/2006 08:47:45 AM
Go on the doleThe best advice I can offer is to go on the dole. You can easily claim the dole for a good 6 months without any real effort before they make you attend training courses or work for the dole schemes. All you have to do is apply for 4 positions a week, very simple, if you get the role - great, if you don't - then you just keep on getting the dole cheque. It's not much, but it's better than nothing..... Con Centrelink, 02/06/2006 08:16:55 PM
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