Five Positive Ways to Confront Job Loss
Strategies for Making the Most Out of Temporary Unemployment
May 8, 2009
No one enjoys being suddenly unemployed. But if armed with the right tools, there are ways to confront temporary job loss and positively triumph. After making the necessary adjustments and plans for your immediate fiscal future, sit back and plan your next moves by following these five job loss survival tips.
Stay Informed and Stay Connected
When you’re unemployed, it's easy to lose touch with former co-workers and career news. Maintain contact by making casual phone calls, just to say “hi.” Stay alert to what’s going on in your industry through trade publications and newsletters. Networking has always been one of the most effective means of finding work, so set up lunch dates with friends and former colleagues to discuss your situation. Do not be shy about letting them know you are actively looking for work. Join an online professional networking website (such as LinkedIn, and Xing), and market your skills to a worldwide audience of potential employers.
Keep Your Skills Up-to-Date
Workplace technology is constantly evolving and it seems to change even more quickly when you're not reporting to an office on a daily basis. Acquiring in-demand skills and knowledge, and staying current in computer software and new programs, can make or break opportunities for employment. Take courses at a local college, at the community library, or via the internet. Learning will do more than just jazz up your resume' and provide practical, marketable skills for work: It will boost your self-esteem and supply an added dose of much needed confidence when presenting your qualifications for a new job.
Explore New Directions
Temporary unemployment presents the opportunity to change direction in life. Why not take this time to do something vastly different from anything you’ve ever done before? Ever dreamed of writing greeting cards, or being a chef, or starting your own web-based business? Why not give it a try now? If you’re fortunate enough to collect unemployment, or have enough severance pay to cover major bills, contact a local job agency and take a temporary or part time job in a field that might give you more pleasure than income. Turn the negative of unemployment into a positive and take advantage of the opportunity to enrich your spirit, even if it doesn’t do much for your bank account.
Invest in Yourself and Others
A period of unemployment can be the ideal time to start a diet and exercise program. You’ll need lots of energy and resolve to tackle the task of securing a new job. Going for a daily run, a bike ride, a swim, or even a brisk afternoon walk around the park will release natural, mood-enhancing brain chemicals and revitalize you. Unemployment could also be an excellent opportunity to improve relationships with neglected family, friends and your community. Get involved by volunteering at a neighborhood center, a local school, or at your house of worship. The more you give of yourself to others, the more you get in return. You will feel useful, necessary, and sustain the essential knowledge that your unique contributions as an individual are still of value to others.
Maintain a Positive Outlook
Being unemployed can lead to stress, depression and other unhealthy states. Certainly, losing a job is a serious matter, but it is vital to keep it all in perspective and to not fall prey to pessimism and defeatism. Setting specific goals (such as making five job search calls before noon, or swimming five laps in the pool without stopping) can help to regain a sense of achievement and competency.
In times of trouble, it is always better to look on the bright side of things rather than the dark, and it is always more beneficial to pat yourself on the back rather than kick yourself when you’re already down. Instead of dwelling on past failures, concentrate on looking forward to new successes. If you are ever going to regain the self confidence and determination you need to move forward, the first place to start is on the inside, and by changing the way you look at the world.
Losing one’s job can be a catastrophic, life changing event. But it need not be the end of the world, or the end of one’s ability to grow and contribute. Making the effort to remain focused, diligent, upbeat, and involved will pay off in ways you might never have imagined. While you’re waiting for the phone to ring with a new job opportunity, use that time to gather experience, acquire knowledge, work on improving yourself, and strengthen your relationships. When the phone does ring (and, it will), you’ll find you’re more than ready, willing, and able to face new employment challenges and possibilities with a renewed sense of hope and a sound frame of mind!
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