Wednesday, September 16, 2015

Changes

When changes occur in life, are you ready for them? Does the situation control you, or do you control the situation? Recently, I and others that I worked with for a number of years had a situation occur. The one thing I know is that I am not going to allow job loss to define me, or control me, but rather, I will define my future.

What are some things that you can do to better control your situation?

  1. Make your FT job, finding your next opportunity
  2. Network, network, network
  3. Get out of the house
  4. Don't get into lazy habits - watching TV, playing video games
  5. Update your resume, but also have others provide you feedback on your resume
  6. If you are on LinkedIn, get recommendations
  7. Practice writing cover letters, you are going to need to do this a lot!
  8. Define what you want to do for your next opportunity
  9. Look outside of your neighborhood - Sometimes the best fit may not be around the corner
  10. Update your skills through education, webinars, free or low cost conferences, etc.
  11. Schedule non-job search related activities
The most important one of this list for me is the last one. The job search can be very overwhelming, and since this is now a FT job, you need to separate from the job to maintain that work-life balance.

It's important to not allow your situation control you, but rather you control your situation! That new opportunity may arrive very quickly, or it could take weeks or months. Stay positive, stay connected and know you do have value and skills.

What are some suggestions that you may have to assist others?  Please comment so others can share in your experiences as well!

2 comments:

  1. Love the post Mark. I would also add in the following.... 1. allow yourself to feel and go through the cycle of emotions following a layoff. For many it's almost like a sudden death or breakup that you were not prepared for. You may feel some, or all, of the 5 stages of grief: Denial, Anger, Bargaining, Depression, and Acceptance. If you suppress feelings, they will likely resurface with an explosion. 2. Allow yourself to dream about other possibilities - this may be a unique opportunity to change your career path... shift from operations to sales, go back to school... give your dreams some attention, even if they are 'pipe dreams'. and finally, 3. Don't be afraid to use your network of connections. Don't feel like you are begging for hand-outs... what would you do for your friends/connections if the shoe was on the other foot??? EXACTLY! You would help them get connected, keep eyes open for a job posting, etc. Best of luck on the job search my friend!

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  2. If you have a supportive spouse, this will be a great asset to help get you through the shock and tension of a job loss. Also, if you are eligible for unemployment compensation, by all means apply for it. You are entitled to these benefits if you are laid off. So go through the hoops and collect this money. You will most likely need this money right away....

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