9 Tips For What To Do When You Lose Your Job

By Elana Goodwin on February 4, 2016

Besides giving us financial security, our jobs often somewhat define who we are — which means if and when you lose your job, it’s hard to cope and figure out how to handle it. Over the course of your life, you’re bound to probably lose your job at some point, so it’s good to know how to accept it and move on.

Here are some tips that will help you deal and know what to do when you lose your job.

Photo Credit: Shutterstock

1. Stay positive. After you lose your job, you’ll probably feel sad, angry, and maybe even scared — but it’s important to stay positive and not panic. Take some time to grieve and accept your job loss but look for the silver lining; maybe you really hated your job or your boss or that morning commute. Look at losing your job as an opportunity and a fresh start and focus on your future.

2. Take some time for yourself. While being able to do this will depend on your financial situation, it may be beneficial to take some time for yourself after losing your job if possible. Dealing with losing your job may take some time so if you can, do something for yourself or take a vacation. During that time, think about what you want in your next job, what your goals are, and whether or not searching for a similar job to the one you had is the right move.

3. Don’t burn any bridges. It may be tempting to badmouth your ex-boss or blame others for you losing your job and it’s important to find a safe outlet for your feelings. But no matter how you feel or whether or not you think you lost your job wrongfully, don’t burn any bridges. You never know when you may need your former employer to act as a reference or if you’ll end up working for the same company again in a different capacity. Take the high road, be civil, and remain connected to your former employer.

4. Update your professional profiles and resume. Since you’ll have to look for a new job soon, you’ll definitely want to make sure to update any profiles you have, like your account on LinkedIn, and check to see that your resume is current. Besides your LinkedIn profile, you may also want to clean up your Facebook and Twitter accounts — you never know what a future employer will look at!

5. Network. Shortly after losing your job, you’ll want to start thinking about your next move career-wise. Reach out to friends, colleagues, school alumni, and others, and build your network of contacts. You never know who a job lead will come from by way of word of mouth or who may be a good person to know when it comes to job applications and interviews.

6. Watch your money. Finding a new job can take time so you may need to set a budget for yourself and take a good look at your finances to figure out how much money you have and can afford to spend during your transitional phase between jobs. Prioritize the bills you have to pay and don’t pay off your debt until you know where your next paycheck is going to come from. Don’t be afraid to spend any money, but carefully consider your purchases and be smart.

7. Connect with family and friends. You may feel embarrassed after you lose your job and want to shy away from speaking to or hanging out with them — but your family and friends are the support system that will help you get through this difficult time and will want to be there for you. Don’t isolate yourself but instead spend some of the time you have between jobs to reconnect and spend time with your family and friends — because when you have a new job, you may be too busy to spend that kind of quality time with them.

8. Take care of you. Your physical health can affect your mental and emotional health and vice versa. Losing your job is stressful and can cause anxiety so make sure you don’t neglect your physical well-being. Take up yoga, meditation, or some other form of exercise to make sure you’re continuing to release endorphins, dopamine, and serotonin, which will all help your mental well-being and make you feel happy.

9. Search for a new job. Of course, after you lose your job, one of your next steps will be to search for a new job — just be sure to take that time for you and don’t put extra pressure on yourself to find a position right away. It’s a competitive job market and applying to jobs takes time, energy, and effort — and it won’t always reap rewards.

Lots of people lose their jobs at some point or another; so don’t feel like you’re alone. And even if it seems like the end of the world at the time, it’s not — and you’ll be okay.

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