Please note: In this post I share a bit of my own story with unemployment and then head into the list, if you’re not in the mood for a story feel free to skip to the list.
Things started getting weird
I have technically been unemployed once in my working life. I had just started a new job and I thought things were going well…until things started getting a bit weird. My supervisor began asking me for a weekly report of tasks completed. These weren’t just ticking things off a list, she wanted a full report and if it wasn’t done I needed to provide an explanation and it had to be dated and signed. I thought this was a little weird but … maybe she was just changing her management style?
Then one random Thursday she came to my office – all somber looking – asking to speak with me. She spoke to me for a total of one minute and said something about “removing your position” and “budget”. She then handed me a letter and left the room after she introduced a lady I had never seen before. I think the lady repeated what my supervisor said but all I really heard was “let go” and “details are in the letter”.
I got “the letter”
I read the letter and then she asked me if I had any questions and if I understood what it said. I was being let go. It doesn’t take two people and a five-paragraph letter for me to understand that, but I nodded. She asked me for anything that belonged to the company and I handed over my company cellphone, the charger and the case.
I went back to my office to wrap up a few things and to leave summary notes for my successor (or whoever would be adding this to their list of duties since the position was being discontinued). Only to see the woman, whose name I didn’t bother to remember, appear at my office door – ‘do you need help to pack up?”
What I hadn’t realized is that I was being asked to leave right away. I thought I had until he end of the day to share information about my projects with everyone…guess not. The whole floor seemed to have gotten wind of the dismissal because none of my coworkers were in their offices and frankly I doubt I was in the frame of mind for goodbyes.
So, I guess I’m officially unemployed?
So there I was, on a Thursday afternoon walking home and calling my husband to tell him I was unemployed. On one hand I was confused and one the other I felt unnaturally free. To be honest, I had ZERO passion for that job (except for the fact that I got to indirectly assist disabled and disadvantaged people). I was happy to be able to explore these new opportunities – ones I would actually be excited about.
I suspect I could only feel this optimistic because I had quite a bit saved up and we had moved to a more affordable apartment. Getting let go is never fun, and even though you’re bummed for a few hours, days, weeks or months – there is always the silver lining that this is an opportunity for you to regroup and reassess your priorities.
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The 5 things to do when you’re unemployed
Here are 5 things to do when you’re unemployed, that will lead to a much brighter future:
- Revamp your resume. Does your current resume align with the future you want? Will this resume get you to the career you envision, the promotion you desire and the life you want to lead?
- Start volunteering. Volunteering does wonder for sifting through your abilities and strengths without the confines and limitations of a paid job. You are able to take on a bunch of volunteering opportunities and really work your way around activities until you begin to see a pattern for your passion. This will help you to better streamline options for your career path (and clearly outline a path towards your next step).
- Look for job titles that interest you, confuse you, excite you or make you wonder. Now might be a good time to step out of your comfort zone a bit (except if you’re on a very specific trajectory like a doctor or psychologist). Look for the titles you would want to add to your resume or the interesting corporations you want to work with. Look at these positions and the job descriptions. See how you can match these descriptions with your current resume content and make a list of where you are lacking.
- Do an aptitude/personality test.
- Armed with all this info: your current resume content; your volunteering passion projects; keywords and criteria for jobs you want; and information from your aptitude and personality test – line up all these documents and see where there is overlap, which words stand out to you. Nine times out of 10 this will be your passion, or at least a part of it. Something you want to explore a bit further to see if it will lead to the future you want.
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It’s all about confidence
Now that you have this information, it will also increase your confidence when working on cover letters and generally when you’re reaching out to companies about vacancies. You know this is what you want to pursue (for these specific reasons you’ve realized since doing the activity above) and you want to work with this specific company (because their values etc.. align with your vision).
It does take some time, but if you’re unemployed …you do have a bit more time to go through these steps and really spend some time to focus on your next step. Now, I am not saying that your next step will be the best step, and will lead you to being a CEO…but I am saying whatever job you get after a spell of unemployment will propel you on that path to your dream career.
Everything takes time, do not lose sight of your passion or your career goal. We may fall down, but we have to get back up.
I enjoyed this blog Nicolette, I can relate. I was experiencing something similar recently but not via being let-go, more of a situation where I was working my way out of a career trap. I did everything except volunteer (I’m tapped out lol) and do the aptitude test.