Neil ODonnell - Job Search After Job Loss

Losing a job is an extremely painful experience. If you are reading this, you likely understand this all too well, especially given the loss of jobs due to the COVID Pandemic. When I was laid off, I could barely eat or sleep in the days that immediately followed. Because it was the week before my wedding, I think you can imagine I was beyond anxious, starting a family with no job. Job loss shows us just how integral to our personal identity a job is. Without the job, we tend to lose focus in our daily lives; a reality that leads to struggles in multiple areas of life: relationships, hobbies, and relaxation. Consequently, it is critical for individuals to immediately embrace their job search and make every effort to seek employment opportunities daily. Dont know where to start a job search or how to create job application materials (rsums, CVs, or cover letter)? No worries thats what I am here for.

So, what the hell do I know about job searches, rsums, and career counseling? Im glad you asked! I am a nationally-certified, professional career coach (CPCC) and professional member of the Professional Association of Rsum Writers & Career Coaches. My certification was attained after hours (and hours) of study and successfully completing testing on rsum writing (and submitting sample rsums), interviewing skills, and career counseling.

My actual career-counseling experience spans two decades and includes helping recent graduates and recently fired/laid off professionals who were not far away from retiring. I myself was laid off from a job the week before my wedding, so I know all too well the pressure of losing a job. It is a gut-wrenching situation that pummels an individual with stress, fear, and feelings of inadequacy. Since my own battle with unemployment, I have successfully worked to help hundreds find jobs. This includes providing career counseling for sales associates, engineers, computer programmers, psychologists, social workers, chemists, chefs, waiters, librarians, authors, biologists, event planners, teachers, criminologists, artists, nutritionists, business managers, editors, journalists, marketing & PR specialists, and accountants. For the record, the strategies I use with clients to find a good job are the very strategies I used after getting laid off. The results of those strategies for me? With degrees in Anthropology and living in a city whose economy had been struggling for decades, I found a better-paying (Anthropology-related) job in two months, which was within walking distance of my home.

Getting fired or laid off is truly traumatic, because those in such situations usually arent expecting it. Then, in the immediate aftermath, a fired/laid off individual endures an emotional journey with thoughts of never finding another job or questions of what the individual did that caused the job loss. From my experience, it is often months before a fired or laid off worker is emotionally ready to truly focus on a job search. That is why I wrote this book. Waiting to invest quality time into a job search hurts, because any delay leads to more stress, a loss of job opportunities, and a loss of potential earnings (immediate earnings, health benefits, AND retirement savings)! The wait also can take its toll on a job seekers health and wellness, which alone is reason enough to invest quality time and effort into searching for work immediately.

Lets pull the Band-Aid off! You lost your job! Regardless of the reason for the job loss, it is usually unexpected and almost always heart wrenching. For what you are enduring and for what you will endure, I am extremely sorry. For those who were laid off due to budget cuts/loss of grant funding, I know that this feels like someone pulled the rug out from under you. I know at least that is how I felt when it happened to me. For those fired for a job mishap, no words I say will likely soften the blow. Justified or not, getting fired is painful! By the way, we all mess up at work; no one is perfect!

Whatever the cause of a job loss, it is a painful experience that causes us to feel alone, helpless, defeated, ashamed, and/or without hope. Well, Im here to tell you that that is all the time we have to dwell on the job loss. Do you feel better? No, the sting from a job loss stays with you for quite some time. However, it is imperative that you dont dwell on the event itself. Why? First of all, your health and general wellbeing is at risk if you dont put things into perspective. As a career counselor and stress management coach, I can tell you that individuals that dwell on the job loss event generally lose a lot of sleep and fail to eat properly. That loss of sleep and nutrition causes many individuals to ultimately need medical attention, which costs money a newly unemployed person needs for rent or food. Do you see the trap? Likewise, as an individual who has battled an anxiety disorder for his whole life, dwelling on such a traumatic event can lead to long-term health issues, which wont become evident until years later. For these reasons alone, it is imperative that you accept the event and move on.

Still dwelling on the event? Consider this.

Every day spent dwelling on the event of losing your job is a day spent away from getting out and searching for a new job, which delays actually obtaining a new job. The result of this means a loss of lifetime earnings, a reduction in funds built up for retirement, and a delay in gaining the satisfaction a job often brings to a person. Think about it: our jobs, even on bad days, often provide us direction and the satisfaction that we have worked towards some goal. Yes, many people find things outside of employment that give them satisfaction. However, we generally have much of our pride tied to our jobs. Dwelling on a job loss delays our getting back to having such a driving force in our lives. For these reasons, it is imperative that you put the job loss event behind you. Learn from the experience and move on.

As I previously remarked, I was laid off unexpectedly AND I have battled an anxiety disorder my whole life. Needless to say, I was put in a tough position of having a difficult time letting go and not dwelling on the job loss event. Whether you have an overriding health concern or not, you too may find it difficult to put aside the job loss event on your own. In such circumstances, I implore you to seek help. First, look to colleagues and friends, your network, for encouragement during this time. Yes, I understand its embarrassing to tell people you lost your job. However, your network of colleagues and friends can help you boost your ego and alleviate your stress, which is critical to your physical and mental health. As for your primary care physician, he/she can help alleviate your stress as well, whether its through consultation or medication. In my case, given my anxiety, my physician prescribed an antidepressant in addition to referring me to a psychologist to help address the job-loss stress. I am forever grateful for what my doctor did for me, and many will likewise benefit from medical assistance. Talk to your doctor immediately after a job loss to determine what assistance you may need.