What To Do When You Lose Your Job

Do you know what to do when you lose your job? Hopefully, it never happens to you, but just in case, be sure you are prepared!

“You’re fired.”

These two little words might be the most feared of every working man and woman in the world — and their spouses! Not understanding, depression, anger, and maybe even self-loathing run through our minds.

What the heck am I supposed to do now?? 

As a career coach, here are my top 5 tips for what to do when you lose your job:

1) Reflect.

Is this the kind of work you want to do for the rest of your life? If yes, fantastic! Hop on the job boards and start applying for other jobs in your field!

If not, take a couple of days to do some self-discovery work using personality profiles, interest inventories, and skills assessments. I always recommend starting with the Wired That Way (formerly Personality Plus) Profile to understand your basic personality type and those of coworkers, family, etc.

I can help get you started with Personality Plus, then schedule a 30-min phone call to walk through your results and how they can apply to your life and job situation.

Next, jump over to the Myers-Briggs Type Indicator (MBTI). Many colleges have agreements where they can do these assessments for free, as a service to their students and alumni.

If you live near your alma mater or another local higher education center, check in to see if they would be willing to let you take the MBTI with them and have them do your interpretation. If you tell them you’re thinking of switching gears, they can explain your results in ways that will be most helpful to you.

2) Pay the bills.

Getting laid off can be one of the scariest experiences of our lives, especially when we have a family depending on us to keep a roof over their heads and food in their bellies. At this point, when finances are tightest, it helps greatly to have an emergency fund already stashed away.

But what if you don’t have an emergency fund?

You go out and find a job at Lowe’s, Walmart, or Taco Bell that you can start immediately. It’s never the most pleasant thing to do, but as we discussed in “When It’s Okay to NOT Love Your Job,” there are times where priorities have to take precedence over passion. Just keep the bills paid and use your downtime to continue searching for your next dream job.

My husband was out of work for nearly a year, which was SUPER hard on our family – especially since I was diagnosed with Follicular Lymphoma a month after his position was cut. Crazy doesn’t even begin to explain that season. But, Erik landed a job driving for Uber locally, which helped pay some of our bills, and I started a resume writing business to help fill in some of the smaller gaps.

Thanks to the generosity of friends and family, we managed to stay afloat.

3) Automate your search.

Most of the major job boards allow you to create search agents based on what types of jobs you’re looking for. Then you’ll receive email or SMS notifications anytime a job is posted that meets your criteria.

Scanning job boards manually every single day can be draining and time-consuming. Put automation to work in your favor and set up several job search agents to make your life a little easier in these stressful times.

Along the same lines, be sure to POST your resume to these job boards, as well. Often, employers will scan job boards in hopes of finding highly qualified candidates. My father-in-law was actually called by two headhunters after they saw his resume on CareerBuilder! Plus, he was immediately offered both jobs after a quick interview.

4) Hire a professional resume writer.

Had my father-in-law not had his resume revamped by a professional, I doubt he would have been so highly sought-after on CareerBuilder. A polished, focused resume is KEY to presenting your best self and experiences to employers.

Hiring Managers spend as little as 6 seconds scanning over a resume before deciding to dump it or pass it on. Your impression has to be made quickly and your best accomplishments have to be presented clearly and up front.

If you haven’t heard already, a professionally crafted resume gets more interviews every time. When time is of the essence, hire a professional to guide you through the resume creation and job search process. Get those polished resumes ASAP, and the cost QUICKLY pays for itself since you’ll be earning a new paycheck that much sooner.

You can schedule a FREE 30-minute call with me here to see how I can help you with your job search!

5) Pray.

I can tell you this: my prayer life has been all over the spectrum in the past couple of years. I’ve been angry, depressed, blaming God, desperately seeking His help and guidance, feeling guilty for not doing whatever-it-was correctly that MUST have caused this mess. But, I’m praying… like I have NEVER prayed before. My prayers are more raw, transparent, and brutally honest than they have ever been.

What’s the use in holding back how we really feel? God already knows. He allowed these situations to happen all at once for a reason. Scripture tells us everything happens for the good of His People and for His Glory. Rarely will we see either of those promises in our lifetimes, but I’m sure itching to ask God a whole MESS of questions when we are finally face-to-face.

Losing your job is definitely one of life’s really tough things. Hopefully, with these 5 tips in your toolbox, you’ll be able to regroup and get back to work quickly.

If, however, you find yourself in the position of needing to go back to work after being home for a while, be sure to check out my best tips for tackling the SAHM employment gap on your resume! You can even grab my FREE SAHM Resume Template & Tip Sheet here:

 

Have you or someone you love ever found yourself suddenly without a job? How did you handle it?

What’s your best advice for someone going through this struggle right now?

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