(Our website www.transitioning.org was featured in this article below)

Lost Your Job?
Here’s what to do

by Chloë Bryan-Brown October 2009

Former hotel manager Simon Laurie joined a hotel and catering multinational when he was 25. “I travelled all over the world. I couldn’t imagine working anywhere else. But with the recession beginning to bite, my area of the company was no longer considered core.” So 17 years after he started, he was made redundant. He likens the pain to bereavement.

“I was treated well,” he says, “but there was still an element of grief, of not wanting to let go. The day after my leaving do I went to the office to tidy up my desk. And stayed there. At 9 pm the phone rang. It was my partner. She said, ‘Simon, you no longer work for the company. Turn off your computer, pack your briefcase and come home.’”

There’s nothing unusual about Simon’s reaction. Terms such as “devastating”, “traumatic” or “a punch in the stomach” are
often used to describe redundancy. It doesn’t seem to matter who you are – men and women who have experienced it say they felt angry or depressed. They report sleepless nights and tearfulness, feelings of hopelessness, sometimes shame. And also fear – that they’ll never work again, may lose their home or won’t be able to pay for their children to go to university.

But Simon hasn’t lost his job recently: his redundancy was in the last recession, in 1992. Today, at 58, he’s a self-employed executive coach who not only loves what he does but also earns more than he ever expected. Yet 16 years ago he could not have imagined working for himself. His redundancy may have felt traumatic but it was the catalyst for a better life.

TIPS ON LANDING THE JOB

Losing a job
If you sense your time is up at your current job, don’t be afraid to present options: Could I take a pay cut? Unpaid leave? Is relocating an option?
It’s vital to let your network of friends, family, former colleagues and ex-bosses know you’re back on the market.
Don’t be too embarrassed to tell people you have lost your job.
Get a temp job. It can lead to a full-time opportunity.
Outplacement is free and the providers are dedicated experts so make the most of your time with them.

Your CV
A job advert is all about tomorrow and a CV is all about yesterday. Make yours future-focused. Ask how you can honestly, ethically and professionally marry yourself up with what the employer is looking for.
Don’t use a bunch of buzzwords like good team member, problem solver, self-motivated. You’re not saying anything. Be specific. Describe your accomplishments, not your duties.

Interviewing
Practise answering the question, “Tell me about yourself.” Include your experience, skills, abilities and education.

Networking
Don’t limit yourself to networking with your professional peers. Look to network in adjacent areas. You are less of a threat.

Networking, she believes, is vital. “Don’t be put off by the word,” she says. “Or the unpalatable image of office parties where no-one is interested in you. Think of it as a research process where you identify what all the different people you meet, from family and friends to people at the school gate and former colleagues, might bring you.”

Gilbert Goh, 48, found a new direction in life when he was coping with joblessness. Unemployed for two years following 9/11 and the SARS epidemic in 2002, the Singaporean realised that if he managed his emotions and stayed positive, he had a better chance of coming out of the financial crisis stronger.One of the things he did was to network. He encourages jobseekers not to just stay at home. “I sent e-mail messages to prospective employers and attended countless interviews and soon enough, I managed to secure a part-time job when I met up with a long-lost friend,” says Goh. “It didn’t pay much but I was relieved there was income coming in after 20 months of unemployment.”With his self-esteem boosted by the part-time work, Goh landed a full-time job six months later. “To this day, I am eternally grateful to the friend who recommended me. My life turned around after that,” he says. “There are opportunities out there, but if we stay at home we cannot seize them.”Goh went on to work as a career consultant at Central Singapore Community Development Centre and now provides counselling and help for jobless workers via his support blog website – www.transitioning.org.

Related posts:

1. Facing Joblessness With Confidence – Be Prepared
2. How To Maintain Family Harmony During Unemployment
3. 7 Ways To Recession-Proof Your Job
4. 7 Ways To Come out of Prolonged Unemployment