I’ve had a number of friends that have recently been fired (laid off if you prefer) from their jobs. In some cases it was a feature of the business (ie. the business no longer exists) and in other cases they were the casualty of a corporate restructure. There are a thousand reasons why someone loses a job and often times people get totally blind sided by the news.
With these people in mind, I was really intrigued by this article on LinkedIn about being fired or laid off from your job and how you should react. They offer three great suggestions:
1. Never Let Them See You Sweat (or even turn red)
2. Don’t Try to Control The Weather
3. Don’t Judge Yourself by Your Job! (aka,Your Career Is Not What’s in the Mirror)
The article goes deeper into each subject, but they make a lot of sense on their own. The reality of all three suggestions is that you should keep your head up. Losing your job doesn’t mean that you’ve lost value as a person. It doesn’t mean your talents are any less than they were when you had a job.
The best way to find the next job is to stay confident and realize that you are much more than your job.
After the initial shock wears off (and there will likely be some initial shock), develop a strategy for finding a new job. That may start with brushing up your resume and hopping on LinkedIn to make sure that it’s up to date for those who might be looking for someone with your skills. Look at this as an opportunity for career growth as opposed to a death sentence.
In fact, I’ve known many people who’ve later discovered that losing their job was the best thing that happened to them. It offered them the opportunity to take a frank look at their life and their career and evaluate their career path going forward. Sometimes the shock of losing a job is what’s needed for us to wake up to the reality of our current career and find a better path forward.
