More often than not, being made redundant comes as a shock.
Either you may have known about it and have had some preparation time, or you may not have been aware at all that it was coming.
You may be confused about what your retrenchment really means. You might doubt your employer is making your position redundant for genuine business reasons and wonder if they are simply trying to get rid of you.
Either way, the biggest thing you have to deal with at this point is your confidence. Despite the temptation to sit and cry in the corner, I wouldn’t. Instead here are three important and positive things you can do at this critical point.
First up, take a break.
This is time to refresh and energise. Everyone’s circumstances are different. If you have a payout, use some of the time the payout covers, allowing yourself to think about the future. If you don’t receive a payout, still allow yourself a few days and use the time wisely to consider the variables in your situation. Give your mind a break.
Being made redundant is a bit like a relationship break up. Everybody knows you don’t fall in love on the rebound, so panicking and immediately going on the job hunt is counterproductive.
Be in the moment and think about what you want to do next. Remember when you started in your job and the career aspirations you had? Think about what you want to do and consider what you would do if you could choose any job at all.
Write down your goals, aspirations and targets. Strategise and recognise if you don’t have the skill set for the job you really want. Consider if you need to acquire new skills. Be realistic.
Reassess your personal brand.
After retrenchment, your personal brand could be a bit damaged – either in reality, or in your own mind.
Pick yourself up and ask yourself a few questions: “Who am I?”, “What do I want to do?”, “Where am I going?”
Identify your personal brand. For me, personal brand is a combination of reputation, influence, opinion, appearance, communication, feeling, instinct and attitude – all tucked neatly away beside your personality. It’s what other people think when they hear your name. It’s how you present yourself publicly.
You have control of your personal brand. You can decide how you would like people to think of you.
Look around. Consider people you admire and how they present themselves.
Plan what you are going to say about your current situation and where you want to go with your career, because people will ask about your job or what happened to you. Think carefully about the words you use, because this is what people are going to walk away with.
When you have pinned down your personal brand, nurture it. Work on being that image.
Do it, say it and be it.
Up-skill.
This is an important time to take the opportunity to bring new skills to your experience.
Are you digital/social media savvy? Could you be doing a leadership program? When was the last time you learned anything?
Learn new things and meet new people. Update your CV with your fresh skills.
Consider getting coaching or mentoring. You can either go through a professional organisation or perhaps someone you know may be happy to mentor you free of charge.
A mentor is someone who you can talk to and who will share genuine knowledge and experience. You can talk openly about your circumstances or ideas without feeling they are judging you, because they are on your team.