When you have to leave your job because of redundancy it can be a very difficult issue to face. Suddenly, often without warning, you no longer have a job, or income, or colleagues to support you, or a way of filling your day. Then there’s the big question to answer: what do you next with your working life?
Having to face redundancy is, for most people, scary. For a few, there may be more hope because, if they never really liked their job in the first place, it could be a release, and a positive event.
However you feel about leaving your job, it’s likely that you will have to deal with your emotions. If redundancy is a bitter blow, you may feel a great deal of justified anger, especially if you’ve put your heart and soul into your job. And even if you’re glad to be leaving, you may find that your euphoria can get in the way of making a fresh start and finding a new job, or getting some new means of making a living.
For most people, the first priority after redundancy is to find a way of getting some income. This can be a drawn-out process which can last several months. For example, you have to find jobs to apply for, prepare your CV, send in your application, wait for the interview and so on. It can be weeks from seeing a job ad to finally starting work in a new organisation. For many, the job-hunting process can take months.
Apart from state benefits, support from the state isn’t available when you most need it – immediately after you leave your job. Some employers go the extra mile and provide outplacement packages which often involve travelling to a training centre, and attending lectures or tutorials. With some outplacement packages, you might have the luxury of some personal guidance from a consultant. But not everyone will get this first-class kind of treatment.
The state will only offer a helping hand with your CV or interview technique if you have been out of work for 6 months. Re-training courses can also take 6 months or more to become available. Until that time arrives, you’re on your own, and all that you can expect from the Jobcentre is a form or two to sign, and a brief question about how many jobs you’ve applied for. As one recently unemployed person said on BBC’s Newsnight “The Jobcentre is hopeless”. It’s not very encouraging, is it?
The most effective time to get some help and support is immediately after you’ve left your job. It’s during that time when you’ll have to deal with your emotions, and when you’ll have to do basic work such as revamping your CV and getting some interview practice. A lot of the ‘groundwork’ for job-hunting takes place in the first stage of unemployment, and if you get on the wrong track then, you may waste valuable time.
Getting support
When you leave your job, you may suddenly find yourself on your own. Even if you live with a partner, you may have to spend a good deal of each day on your own. This can lead to bad habits setting in order to to avoid the lonely occupation of job-hunting. No wonder someone I know ends up in the pub well before lunchtime, and then heads off home to snooze away the afternoon.
Support is one of those key ingredients that is going to get you back into work faster
Many of my coaching clients tell me they are scared. It doesn’t matter if they’re trying to get a new job, or lose weight, or get a better social life, or have a better kind of balance in their life. They can all find something to be scared about at one time or another.
But working with a coach can take away the fear of tackling something new. Or at the very least, it can help you deal with your fear so that it doesn’t stop you from moving forward t achieve your goal.
Make a plan and take action
Coaching focuses on taking action. Most coaches will guide you towards making a plan and deciding what actions you need to do in order to reach a goal, like finding a new job or career.
Managing on your own
Yes, it is certainly true that some people face redundancy incredibly well, get on with job-hunting and are back in work in a flash. Some people can be their own coach, or are lucky to have supportive partners who can offer practical help and assistance, and the much-needed emotional support.
But even people who are on top of their lives, and coping brilliantly with being unemployed can still benefit from having an objective ear listening to what they are saying, and asking objective questions to make them think more clearly and deeply.
