Job Loss and Recovery (Part 2 of Things to do when you lose your Job)

19 Oct Job Loss and Recovery (Part 2 of Things to do when you lose your Job)

We can dislike what’s happening and wish for the past which we thought was secure and stable, but that reality is gone.  Many of us grew up with thinking there was such a thing as job security, life-time jobs, being financially secure and being able to retire at 65 or sooner (remember Freedom 55, well not so much).  We are in a world of globalization and whether we like it or not it’s here to stay.  Globalization has been around for a long time but has been accelerated due to ease of travel, new technologies, improved global communication, the internet, multi-national companies, trade agreements (such as NAFTA), reduced tariffs, interconnected financial systems (which also created the 2008 financial crises in the USA), mobility of capital and labour.  While Globalization provides us with cheaper goods it also created a wage disparity where certain industries can no longer compete with countries producing goods at a cheaper price.  Many traditional jobs have been lost, especially in manufacturing, and many have to enter service industry jobs to survive.  Many couples find that: each partner has to work, deal with rising childcare costs, live paycheque to paycheque and find it difficult to save.  The average person according to research Canadian can expect to hold 15 jobs in their lifetime (http://careers.workopolis.com/advice/how-many-jobs-do-canadians-hold-in-a-lifetime/). Many may have several career paths.  So we have to adjust our expectations, our attitudes and become more creative in job creation and job searches.  We also have to work together as communities to foster new ideas about work and creating new sustainable businesses.

Before we get too carried away let’s look at some steps that might help us readjust:

1. If you have lost your job now is the time to re-evaluate where you are at, what you want to do and to dream of things you haven’t tried before but want to. Write these things down.
2. Take a vacation, whether at home or elsewhere. This will give you time to refresh yourself, clear your mind and de-stress from having lost your job.
3. Spend time with positive people, those who not only lift you up, but can offer you suggestions that can help your job hunt. Rehashing your job loss story can lead you down a spiral of depression or feelings of anger which is not a good place to be when looking for a job.
4. Find at least 7 things that are good about your job loss. Write these down and keep them somewhere you can see them on a daily basis.
5. Socialize and get out there and speak with people. This could be at the hockey rink, the karate club, the Optimists, church, mosque or wherever.  People actually like to help others.  Look what happened after the Fort McMurray fire.  Wow, do we ever pitch in when needed.
6. Form your own job search group. Meet at Timmy’s or wherever.  You never know who will join you or what connections others have.
7. List what you do well and take notice of your skills and abilities. Practice talking with others about your strengths.
8. Write out what you learned about your job loss experience. What was the culture like, did you fit in, should you have left earlier, were there other opportunities within the company but you were too afraid to go for it?
9. Make sure you engage in self-care. Continue with hobbies or things that interest you.  You need a diversion from the job search.
10. Remember your job now is the job search. Be as engaged as you were at work, or would have liked to be.
11. The world now offers new opportunities. You need to explore and find these.

Need help on any of the above? Call us at (519) 884-6784 and ask for Jurgen!