It is important to remember, if you have been made redundant, that this is not your fault and it is not reflective of your ability to carry out your role; redundancy is something that is out of your control and, in most cases, it can indeed come as a shock. Firstly, don’t panic (easy to say I know), but allow yourself some breathing space, take a deep breath and start to make a plan of action.
So, what are you going to do next; when we speak with our clients who are going through this we always remind them that this is actually an opportunity, have a think about what you want to do next – what did you like about the role(s) you have had in the past, equally what you didn’t, and start to form an idea of what your next role will look like and write it all down – keep a list and just add things as you think of them, if nothing else it is a great exercise to get you thinking about the future and can be a positive step forward
Now get your job search tools in order; not everyone is prepared with an up to date CV (Free CV Review) we are all probably guilty of not keeping up with our social media most of the time, so now is the perfect opportunity – update that CV with your last role, ensure you do this in an upbeat and confident mindset so you capture all that positivity and also, think about your list, focus on your likes and you will find this is where most of your achievements will be!
Next update your LinkedIn profile, let your contacts know you have been made redundant and you are open to new opportunities – the more people who know, the more they can help. Just a heads up, always remember when job searching, all your public profiles are up for scrutiny by recruiters, if they are looking to shortlist you for a role then they might just check out what you have been tweeting about, or your latest Instagram updates; keep all your social media channels clean, positive and professional (even if just whilst you are job seeking!).
Do your research; there are companies still recruiting during the pandemic, but it has to be appreciated that this is not as buoyant a market as it has been, so you may need to spend some time doing your research. Set up profiles with online search sites, ensure you get updates of latest vacancies and visit the sites daily to look and apply. Who are the main advertisers, maybe contact them directly if you can and sign up to their job alerts! Also, think about who you would like to work for, look them up and see if they are hiring, and if not then seek out the Head of Personnel / Head of Talent Acquisition at the company via LinkedIn and express your interest for when times improve – there are so many options and opportunities, it is simply a case of looking for them.
At some point during your job search you will be speaking with someone about your redundancy, you know, that question of ‘why did you leave your last role’, I could probably write a whole new blog on this subject alone, but for now just a few tips – keep positive in your reply, speak of your time with the company and your role based on what you achieved during the time you were there, and maybe discuss some of the plans you had for the future, redundancy is disappointing but it has given you the opportunity to be sitting here and discussing how your future career could be with them now, how they can benefit from you being in the team.
No-one can say how long the process will be, every job search is unique and in this current climate there isn’t a statistical level to gauge it against, but just remember to keep positive, overcome any obstacles and if you are not successful with an application or interview, then ask for feedback so you can improve next time.
Keep safe and well, keep positive and remain ever hopeful,
Claire