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Follow our tips to stay motivated during the most difficult period of your carreer!

Layoffs, nowadays, can happen anytime, to anyone. In the times of crisis and recession, you don’t have to be a second-class employee to wake up one day and find yourself losing your job. Even worse, it can happen totally unexpectedly.

How to stay motivated after a layoff

The airline industry has an apt term describing the first ninety seconds after a disaster. They call it “the golden time”, because if you are able to act quickly in this short period of time, your chances to survive the plane crash dramatically increase. Similarly, rapid and appropriate action is inevitable if you want to stay on the surface after unexpectedly losing your job. Follow our tips to do just that.

Don’t panic

You’ve read Douglas Adams’s The Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy, haven’t you? Avoiding panic is the first and most crucial rule if you find yourself in a situation to which you were unable to prepare.

Unlike a plane crash, losing your job won’t threaten your life in any way. Although it may endanger your carreer and it may also cause long-term damages, there’s no real reason to panic. Chances are, that you’ll just find another job, and everything will return to a normal daily schedule, but being laid off can also be a possibility to find a better job, than the one that you’ve just lost. You don’t know what’s ahead, but it may have been the best thing that could happen to you.

Update your resume

You’ll have to dust off your resume as soon as possible. This step is crucial, firstly to “get you in the mood” for looking for a job, secondly to draw a balance of your last position.
When you update your CV, by filling in your responsibilities and achievements, you will be able to see clearly what you have gained from the last couple of years.
You have surely become more experienced, more mature and ready for bigger challenges.

Get What’s yours

Sure, your boss has told you that the company was in trouble, and they regret it, too, but don’t let yourself be lured into generosity towards your own company. They’ll never return the favor.
Talk to a lawyer and ask for everything that’s yours. It’s useful to know the Labor Codes in most countries are very biased protecting the employees: you can ask for a broad range of things, as the employer will do its utmost to avoid a lawsuite.
A win-win situation may not be achieved (as you are losing your job in the first place), but get the most of the situation for yourself, and don’t let emotions drive you.

Prepare a plan

Losing your job definitely hurts, but it’s a huge opportunity to step back and evaluate your career from a slightly bigger distance. Before you start looking for a job, you will have to know exactly what you are aiming for. Ask yourself whether you want to stay in the same industry, or start something completeley different. Ask yourself if you aim for a first class position at a smaller company, or you settle for a lower post, but you want to work for the market leader. Don’t miss this opportunity to start over, if that’s what you really want.

Use your network

It’s essential that you don’t feel ashamed of your situation. Tell your friends and partners about it, but instead of complaining, focus on the fact that you are free to be hired. Use all available resources, like the numerous social networking websites, such as Facebook or LinkedIn, and tell your old classmates about the position you’re looking for. Send them your CV as well – if they can’t help you, they may forward it to someone, who can.
If you’ve been building a “favor bank” while you were in your previous position, there surely are a couple of people out ther, who “owe you one”. Now it’s high time they return the favor.
Never underestimate the power of your personal network.

Relax

If your previous period was really stressful and busy, just feel free to recharge your batteries before you dive into an active job search. Give yourself a couple of weeks, spend time with your family, find a hobby that you always wanted to do, just never had the time for it. Start studying something, be it a new language, or a professional skill you lacked. The time and money you invest in yourself will surely pay off, when it gives you a carreer boost.
Looking for a job requires a real effort, so make sure you get ready, before you start it. When you begin attending job interviews, you’ll have to make the impression of a competent and a confident candidate. If you haven’t slept for weeks, you’ll fail.

Start freelancing

You may not be able to find a new position immediately, but you’ll almost definitely find works that are need to be done. Start freelancing, or temporize with part-time jobs, even if you want to go back to a cosy full-time employee position.
The experience you gain and the references you collect will make sure that the “carreer gap” between your last position and your new one is not wasted time.

Photo: ramenlover