It is very easy to get swept away by the news of thousands of job losses and you won’t be alone if you experience running anxiety about what the future might hold. Yet even though there may be worse economic news still to come, a number of employers are doing what they can to avoid redundancies and retain talent.
KPMG has asked staff to accept temporary contracts if the need arises and in Japan public and private sector firms are seeking to emulate the Island of Himeshima. In an attempt to keep everyone in work the island’s inhabitants sacrifice wages and regular working hours to keep everyone in work, and as a result have not been as hard hit by the global economy. In the US Obama’s message to the American people is that ‘we’re in this together’ and companies such as the car firm Avis Budget Group will freeze management pay to keep job losses down.
If job loss does become inevitable then finding work after redundancy is a full time job. Try these 10 tips to get you on back on track.
1. Recognise that losing your job is an emotional experience which can make you feel sad, happy, elated, frightened and anxious, so don’t be afraid to ask for personal, practical, financial and professional help. That way you will be in a good place to make wise decisions about your next opportunity
2. Create a vision for your future. This is often the perfect opportunity to take a step back and get in touch with long buried hopes and dreams. Create a vision board of inspiring pictures, words and photographs to keep you motivated.
3. Take time out to review your transferrable skills, interests, achievements, values and ambitions. It will give you a strong foundation for your job search and applications.
4. Seek professional help for your CV and covering letters. As these are the first documents employers receive you will need to ensure your details match the criteria and stand out from potentially hundreds of others. From my own experience of recruiting it was not uncommon to receive over 200 applications for one post.
5. Get plenty of interview practice. There will likely be more good quality candidates on the market for jobs so you will need to really be adept and standout at the interview stage
6. Creatively brainstorm all the possibilities for your future. Could you retrain, work abroad, sign up for Voluntary Work Overseas (VSO), set up a business, become a consultant or specialist in your field, work as an interim, take on projects, work part-time, volunteer to get new experience?
7. Get active with professional, social and online networks and increase your visibility. Don’t be afraid to let your contacts know exactly what work you are looking for as others are usually very willing to help.
8. Establish a routine and set yourself targets to achieve; such as numbers of job applications, phone calls, meetings. You will feel that you are making progress with a sense of purpose and direction.
9. Practice extreme self care which means regular exercise, plenty of sleep plus relaxation and fun
10. Outsource administrative and research activities. There are a number of organizations where you can hire virtual assistants by the hour. By outsourcing time consuming administrative and research tasks you will free up time and energy to focus on contacting companies, meetings, interviews and networking.
If you have experienced job loss or you are just making mental contingency plans, keep in mind that there is light at the end of the tunnel and many go on to lead dream lives.
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