How to Stay Positive After Redundancy
The pandemic has had a catastrophic affect on the job market, causing a huge spike in redundancies. In fact, the Office for National Statistics reported that the rate of job losses linked to the pandemic has already exceeded the highest rate as seen during the financial crash, with those working in the admin and support services industry hit the hardest.
Many people who face being made redundant experience feelings of worry, anxiety and uncertainty. If you or a loved one have recently experienced redundancy, here are some tips on how to use this time to your advantage and turn that negative into a positive!
Separate Yourself from Redundancy
Redundancy can often feel like rejection or failure. However, it’s important to remember that the redundancy does not reflect your work or you as a person. Due to the pandemic, we’ve seen a colossal spike in global downsizing shifts and major financial restructuring; all things completely out of our control. It’s not a case of what you did or didn’t do, or what you could’ve done better. The challenge now is to reject these feelings of rejection and failure, and instead put your efforts into deciding how to market yourself and showcase these skillsets to secure your dream role.
Assess Your Situation
Before frantically applying to every role that ressembles your last, take this time to assess your personal career goals, needs and aspirations. Are you happy in your current field? Did you enjoy that type of working culture? If you weren’t fulfilled or happy in your last role, why not speak to a redundancy coach or careers counsellor. The UK government provides excellent free career services (linked below), such as a skills assessment which matches you to appropriate roles, courses to broaden your knowledge and a careers portal where you can browse over 800 jobs. Whilst job seeking, you can also enrol onto free courses to boost your skillset. Websites such as The Open University and Google Skillshop offer a plethora of courses, with some taking as little as 4 hours to complete. An excellent way to make your CV stand out and increase your employability.
Take Advantage of this Time
From the moment we accept our first job offer, we’re pulled into this continuous cycle of employment. It’s rare we get the opportunity to take a step back and relax. Take this time to reconnect with yourself, your likes and hobbies. Take care of yourself and do what makes you happy; mentally and physically. Whether it’s catching up with friends or taking up a new hobby such as photography or cross-stitching – don’t waste this opportunity by spending all your time feeling down about your redundancy.
Networking
It’s no secret networking is crucial to any job seeker. In fact, 85% of positions are filled through networking (source: Review42.com). There are hundreds of networking resources available to job seekers, from career sites and Facebook groups to job fairs and LinkedIn. It’s also worth speaking to your old employer, as they might be able to provide valuable contacts and connections to assist you in your job search.
Register with Recruitment Agencies
Registering with recruitment agencies is a must for any job seeker. Not only are they able to put you forward for any relevant roles that come up, they also provide CV and cover letter advice, interview coaching and provide constructive feedback from each interview and employer. Choosing the right agency for you is essential, the key things to consider are the agency’s specialties, ethos and benefits. For example, here at Hoop our main goal is to find you happiness, in work and in life. We offer many benefits, such as flexible and agile working, referral schemes and joining bonuses. We specialise in HR, Accountancy & Finance, Nursing, Social Care, Social Work, and Education roles. Research into agencies’ reviews and mission statements for a better understanding of whether they’d be a good fit for you.
For further career advice, give a member of our team a call on 02922 400 519 or email at enquiries@hooprecruitment.co.uk to find out how we can assist you in finding your dream role.
Sources
https://www.politicshome.com/news/article/ons-unemployment-rate-rising-coronavirus-pandemic
