Did you lose your job? Is contract work drying up? Were you downsized?
Many experiences can result in job loss. Losing your job is never a palatable experience. It is so overwhelming and the worry about what to do next is often paralyzing because a job is more than work to many people. Our jobs add to our sense of self-worth. They represent security and give us purpose and meaning in our lives. Jobs help to give our lives structure and meaning. Suddenly losing that may leave us lost, confused and wondering what next to do.
If this is a loss that you’re glad about, then hurray! Cheers to better things. If this is a loss you didn’t anticipate, do cheer up, better will definitely come your way. We’re always here to aid your job search and prepare you for your dream job.
There are many things you can do to take control of the situation and get ahead. We’d like to offer a different perspective to this;
- see your dismissal as stepping stone to much better levels.
- Realize that it may hurt, anger, stress and depress to continue thinking about it.
- It is not easy to decide to learn positive lessons from the loss, but once you make that decision, everything gets better.
As with all events, we have to move on and we must do it the right way. We have put together some helpful steps to help you move on to better job experiences. We hope that the following tips can help you get moving:
Introspect
Why did you lose your job?
Hard question, but it is very important to help you keep the next job. Sometimes it may not be anything you did, but you still have to find out the cause of your dismissal. Ask yourself if any attitudes or character traits made you lose the job. Ask your employers to give you honest feedback on their working experience with you. This is a very un-Nigerian thing to do, we know. But 10 times out of 10 you are guaranteed to do better after realizing the quality of your performance on your new job.
What kind of new job do you want?
Do you want to continue along with the same career path or do you want to chart a new course? Defining these things helps you to narrow your search down to jobs you can see yourself doing for the foreseeable future. Many times we allow desperation to push us into taking a job just because. But don’t let this always be the case. It’s okay to do work you don’t enjoy just for financial benefit. It is not okay to let this always be your motive.
Upskill
If there were any skills and capacities you lacked at the old job, how can you step up to ensure that you do a much better job? Is there a way to quickly upskill in preparation for the new job? There are lots of free courses on several skills, soft skills, certain technology and software. Taking some of these courses will improve your marketability for future employers. Some of these courses are either free or paid. You can access some courses on sites like Skillshare, LinkedIn and Coursera
Once you have determined these things, you should move on to the next phase.
Prepare
Here, you will need to update your knowledge of your industry. Research to see certain updates that have occurred when you were still employed. Research is available at your fingertips. Even when you have a job, it is good practice to get on the mailing list of a newsletter that can keep you informed about industry changes and innovations. This way you stay on-trend and don’t need too much preparation.
Update your resume
Ensure that your resume reflects recent experience, ensure that it is optimized for the Applicant Tracking Systems that are usually employed in selecting candidates. Include your most relevant skills and qualifications for the job. This will give you the best shot at getting your job. Most employers look at your LinkedIn, Instagram and Twitter pages to get a feel of what you are capable of. This is a chance to ensure your social media properly reflects what you do. So ensure your LinkedIn profile is up-to-date.
Speak to your network
It’s usual to be embarrassed about your job situation but it is good that those around you (or those who you think can help) are aware so they can be on the lookout for opportunities. A helpful way you can do this is by avoiding the urge to lament about your circumstances. Directly tell them you are looking out for a new employment opportunity and what role you want to get employed in.
Adjust your lifestyle
Regardless of the number of income streams you have, one is down, so a lifestyle adjustment has to take place. This is not the time to accumulate debts and one way of avoiding it is to cut down on expenses and spend the barest minimum so if you don’t find any job in the next few months you can afford necessities
Keeping an open mind and taking very definite actions will help this period to pass much quicker. There is always something better out there and we are certain that you can get it. You do not have to go through a job loss alone. Our services ensure you land your dream opportunity. As always we’re approximately five clicks away.
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