Sunday, February 20, 2011

I just lost my job... now what?

Today's economy can be downright scary. If you recently lost your job, this blog to help you succeed. Losing a job can be one of the most terrible things anyone can ever experience. The good news is that you can find a job... even in today's economy. More importantly, you have been given a huge blessing. You have been given the opportunity to finally find the job and career of your dreams.

The key is to not take your job loss personally. It is natural to think "I just lost my job... now what? What should I do?" and to just want to jump on Monster.com or CareerBuilder.com and start searching for new jobs. Yes, you can certainly just go online and start looking for a job. However, before just jumping in, take a step back to reflect, sort through your emotions, and follow this recipe to job hunting success.

1) Grieve
Losing a job is often like a death. It is OK to grieve. Take a few days to just cope with the loss. Resist the temptation to just dive into getting another job. You need to take some time off to rejuvenate yourself.

2) Understand that Everything Happens for a Reason
Know that you will be better off. Most people lose their jobs because they hate their jobs anyway and deserve better. It is the universe's way of helping you move on. Most people in your shoes have found their lives would not have been nearly as fulfilling had they not gone through a job loss at some point. In many cases it was the loss of a job that drove people to finally find a job that they could actually enjoy.

3) Take Time Off
Take a day or two off. Most likely you need a short vacation. There are many inexpensive things you can do to temporarily take your mind off of your troubles. The job hunt will require you to be at your peak performance and by taking some initial time off you will put yourself in a better position to succeed.

You can go to a museum or the zoo. You can go for a long bike ride or a walk. You can go fishing, play pool, swim or go for a massage. You can even go to a retirement community or a hospital to brighten up some one's day. Doing charity work will put your situation into perspective that life can be worse. The idea is for you to relax and take your mind off of your situation so that you will be refreshed for your job-hunting journey.

4) Learn from Your Experience
After your short time off, get a note pad and a pen. Write down your learning experiences from your past job. Where did you excel? How could you have improved your performance? What did you enjoy about your previous job? What would you like to avoid in future jobs? The key is to learn from the experience of losing a job. That way you turn a negative event into something positive.

Next, write down your greatest strengths. This could be anything from your ability to communicate to the fact that you are a hard-worker. Maybe you are a great cost-cutter or you have a unique ability to motivate others. Whatever your strengths are, write them down.

5) Determine Your Ideal Job
On a fresh sheet of paper, write down the traits and characteristics that would make up your ideal job. Maybe you want a job where you can work out of the home. Perhaps you want a job working for a small entrepreneurial company. Maybe you even want to change careers.

Once completed, compare your strengths to your ideal job characteristics. Identify those positions that fit your talents best, yet allow you to do what you enjoy. Write down all the possibilities you can think of. You now have your target market (list) of opportunities.

The job search is like a trip. Before getting in a car, you first pick out your destination and then decide on the best route to get there. With your target list of opportunities you have identified your destination. And, as a result of your short vacation, you have a full tank of gas. Now, plan how you can best get to your destination' your ideal job. Your friends, family, ex-coworkers, ex-customers, stock brokers, and doctors, along with the Internet, recruiters, newspapers, and industry events will all be possible routes you can take.

6) Believe in Yourself!
The most important step you can take is to believe in yourself and be proud of you. If you don't believe in yourself, no one will. Don't take a job loss personally. In this world, it happens to the best of us. Don't pay attention to the negative media. The bottom line is even if unemployment is as high as 12% in some areas, 88% of all people are still employed. That is a B+ in most schools. So, keep your head up. Be proud of who you are. Determine your destiny and go get it.

23 comments:

  1. Great piece, I lost my job today and and feel like your post will help me figure things out.. Thank you.

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  2. Me too. I posted my feelings and thoughts today. It was cathartic.

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  3. thank you! I lost my job last week and everything you wrote about this being a new start is so true..I am considering going back to school. now to figure out what to do. but it is a bit overwhelming to say the least. But thank you again for your suggestions. very helpful.

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  4. I lost mine today.. Still trying to think straight..Will try doing it. Thanks mate

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  5. Anonymous,

    Sorry to hear about your loss. Take a few days off to sort through things. Check out this site to help. It is a free site. http://www.getajobin5days.com/

    Best wishes to you.

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  6. I just lost my job today as well. I feel your article was very helpful to keep me moving and look for something I am really interested In. I'm taking a few days off and probably going to school for a true career. Thank you Todd.

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  7. I lost my job six months ago. Thanks for this work and advice. I am on my way to my career job. Thank you so much.

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  8. Thanks I've did most of this before I came here except writing down my strengths. This is very important it help builds self moral ya know good luck everybody I think we all need it. If you live in Staten island I'll see you out there

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  9. I lost my job today. Wow that looks so strange now that I have written it down, anyway I wanted to thank you for posting this. It really has put things into perspective and its nice to know I am not the only one out there freaking out a little and googling "I lost my job, now what?" :-) I liked the thing about writing down my strengths, I did that and it has made me realize that I didnt just lose them today, they lost ME and I finally have not one single thing holding me back from finding my dream job. Thanks for writing this.

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    1. Krista,

      Thank you so much for your post. I am sorry to hear about your job loss but you have the absolute right attitude and you will succeed. Also, if you need any help in the job search and job interviewing process I have created a site called The Careers College. You can find it a http://www.thecareerscollege.com. If you would like to enroll, fill out the contact us form on the website and refer to this blog post and I will offer you a special $27 price that I am offering to readers of this blog. It is a limited time offer and normally retails for $149. If you need help, visit the site and check out the video. If you think it will help you then simply fill out the contact us request form and mention the special on this blog and we will enroll you for just $27. Best wishes to you and you will succeed!

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    2. I lost ma job yesterday and reading ur blog really made m3 feel better...now I can evaluate my mistakes and realise how much more I deserve and what did they lose. Though I do feel a bit upset. But as u said everything is for a good reason...thanks

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    3. I lost ma job yesterday and reading ur blog really made m3 feel better...now I can evaluate my mistakes and realise how much more I deserve and what did they lose. Though I do feel a bit upset. But as u said everything is for a good reason...thanks

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    4. Yes, I too lost my job yesterday also. I realize that it is for the best. trying to get past the ugly feeling. Everything you said is what I have been told and feeling. Last five years was unhappy years but I felt I needed the security. Thanks Yes One door closes another one opens. Thanks

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    5. I am not alone... Wow. Yes u know the words I just lost my job....don't know what to do right now but I will take ur advice thanks its nice reading these blogs especially if u don't have anything to do the next day. Good luck everyone the search goes on..

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  10. I graduated college this past May, and had been working hourly for a beer company all throughout my senior year. I was recently fired for a very unfortunate reason, now I have to absolutely watch my spending just to pay rent for this coming month. Thankfully there is a job fair coming up through my college, but I feel that process will take a while in order to land a legit career job. I'm just praying to find something in the meantime so I don't have to move back home....

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    1. Dear Anonymous,

      Thanks for your post. Sorry about your job loss. However, with a college degree you deserve much more than an hourly job. However, a job fair while helpful is not always the best way to find a job. Certainly go to the job fair. However, over 80% of all new jobs are never advertised.

      If you need any help in the job search and job interviewing process I have created a site called The Careers College. You can find it a http://www.thecareerscollege.com. If you would like to enroll, fill out the contact us form on the website and refer to this blog post and I will offer you a special $27 price that I am offering to readers of this blog. It is a limited time offer and normally retails for $149. If you need help, visit the site and check out the video. If you think it will help you then simply fill out the contact us request form and mention the special on this blog and we will enroll you for just $27. Best wishes to you and you will succeed!

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  11. I lost my job yesterday, and through a sea of tears, I googled "what do I do now?" I know that your first suggestion to take some time is more then likely the best thing to do, but time isn't on my side as my husband is also unemployed and hasn't found anything for himself. Since I need a resume and right now I don't feel good about what my skills are, I'm not sure what to do. It is hard to see the positives right now, guess I just need to grieve a little more.

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  12. Dear Anonymous,

    I am sorry to hear about your loss. However, please don't panic. Take a deep breath. Do a couple of things around the house or do an activity that you have been wanting to do but haven't because of work. In other words, take a few days to go through the grieving process and to allow your mind to think clearly.

    Then, think about how you want your life to look moving forward. Think about defining what it is you want to do moving forward and the quality of life you want to live. Everything happens for a reason and now is the time to start with a clean slate. You have a tremendous amount of talent and you should be very proud of yourself. You will land on your feet. The key is to not panic, have a game plan, allow yourself to go through the grieving process and then make it your full time job to land a great job. Hope that helps. Thanks for your post.

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  13. I just lost my job last Friday and with a family who depends on me, it was really a depressing. I feel lost and anxious if I could get a better job than the last one. Your post really helps me get better. I will follow your suggestion to be proud of myself and my achievements so that other people would feel that from me as well.

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  14. I too lost my job yesterday. I had secured it straight after the interview after almost a year of searching, and after a few weeks I had got my hopes up about it working out for the long term, but then they let me go pretty much saying that I wasn't good enough. It's absolutely destroyed my confidence, as I was trying my hardest. So actually I feel as if I am even further back than where I was a year ago. Financially too, it's come at the worst time - I have almost run out of savings and I fear I won't even be able to tread water in this deep ocean I am in... I am also struggling to see the positives, it's so fresh I burst into tears every few hours. The thought that I wasn't good enough is taking root in my brain, telling me I am not good enough for any other job. I am terrified of giving myself too long to grieve and slipping into a state of inertia. I hope I have the strength to try these steps... Best of luck to all of us.

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  15. Reading this makes me feel hopeful. Thank you!

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