6 Simple Steps To Help Get you Back on Track After Losing your Job.
Before you begin the journey, relax.
All of us face challenging moments at some point in our lives, what’s key is how we react to them. How we react and what we do determines how quickly we move on and find success, or fall by the wayside and waste our time. Here are a few steps to help you get back on track quickly.
Step 1: Remain Calm.
It’s difficult to lose a job and have to go back to the drawing board to start all over again and know that it’s normal to feel unsettled and overwhelmed during this challenging time. But, to be successful during this time, you absolutely need a clear and calm mind. Take however long you need to recharge, reconnect, and find peace within yourself. Being in a calm frame of mind will ensure you are feeling good, thinking clearly, and ready to make the best moves for yourself. These are crucial moments in any individual’s life. Make sure you’re mentally prepared to tackle this moment correctly.
Step 2: Do The Math.
The second step is to be very clear and honest with yourself regarding your finances. This step is crucial because when you’re aware of how much of a financial buffer you have, going back to step one, you put yourself in a better position to be able to remain calm and free yourself from the stress and worry that money can bring. During the next few weeks, you want to try your best to focus primarily on the next steps. It will be difficult to do that if you’re worrying about your finances. Therefore, lay out all of your expenses, know what you have in the bank, and create a financial plan that will help keep you afloat until you’re back on your feet. This will also be a good time to start budgeting and being careful about spending money on any unnecessary things. Try to keep spending to a minimum during the next little while.
Step 3: Do Your Research.
Despite it being a difficult time, this moment could present a few exciting opportunities. During the next few weeks, as you’re planning and considering your next moves, you will want to give yourself some time to reflect while being brutally honest with yourself. Ask yourself, did I really enjoy what I was doing? what do I see myself doing admirably for the next five-ten years? Take some time to reflect on a few difficult questions you will want to ask yourself. You may not realize this, but you will have plenty of options to chose from; like applying to similar jobs but with different companies, or trying a career switch, maybe going back to school to learn a few new skills, maybe moving to a different city to try a new lifestyle, maybe taking a few months off (if you can afford it of course) to do the things you really wanted to do but couldn’t. The point is, whatever you decide your next move should be, you will want to jump into it excited and eager to make a huge impact. The way you will get there is by doing your research in advance.
Step 4: Update your Resume.
Alright, so you’re back on the job market and ready to showcase all of your awesome skills and the incredible knowledge you’ve accumulated over the past few years. What better way to do that than by preparing a kick-ass resume. Pull-up your most recent resume and give it a thorough assessment. Remove any unnecessary information, update your work experiences to add your most recent job, and make sure to add important accomplishment highlights. Pro tip: double check the dates from your previous experiences to make sure they are accurate. A solid resume is a great way to give yourself a quick and awesome introduction to prospective hiring managers, so you’ll want to spend some time to put together something good.
Step 5: Connect With People.
Networking is probably the single most effective way to find your next opportunity. You will want to be smart here to not waste your time or anyone else’s times. Based on your prior research from step three, you should have a solid idea as to the industry, company, or even position you are hoping to land based on your skills and prior experience. You will want to strategically connect with managers you’re interested to work with or companies you’d like to work at to help set you apart from the thousands of boring candidates who only applied online. Even a simple private message on LinkedIn to a hiring manager in a company you would like to work at expressing your interest in their company, or even a specific position, will help set you apart and create a positive first impression with that manager. Pro Tip: One effective method, perhaps not common to most people, to gain an edge over other prospective candidates are Introductory Interviews. They are great because they’re commitment-free for both sides and allow for friendly dialogue to see if you would be a good fit within the company. Don’t be shy to reach out and schedule some introductory interviews.
Step 6: Get on LinkedIn.
In this primarily digital world we currently live in, hiring and recruiting have changed so much from only a few years ago. LinkedIn has become a widely used platform among hiring managers and companies alike. If you do not have a LinkedIn account, create one. If you do, make sure it is up-to-date. You don’t need to spend a ton of time here. You only want to make sure you have a professional-looking profile with perhaps the two most recent positions you held. You don’t need to highlight any job-specific tasks or accomplishments on your LinkedIn profile either, this will be on your resume. Just think of LinkedIn as a very effective way to quickly and easily connect with the right people. Friendly reminder; make sure your profile picture looks professional and positive with a nice smile on your face.
I trust these tips will help get you on the right track. I hope you found them useful and helpful. You got this!
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