Learn from the Experience
Nobody wants to hear that something was their fault and their fault only, but sadly, maybe you have made a professional mistake that led to you getting fired. Be realistic.
Analyze your actions and try to find the mistakes you made in them. DO NOT beat yourself up! People lose their jobs every day, and it’s the winners who learn from every experience. Make a list of professional and personal qualities that may need a touch-up and vow to work on improving them to avoid this from happening in the future.
Embrace Your Support System
Your family and friends will support you throughout this painful time in your life. Rely on them to take your mind off it by having a fun time together, use them as a network towards a possible future employment, and most of all, enjoy their company, which you might not have had time for while you were fully immersed in your job.
This might be the time to view certain relationships in a new light. Is someone you know secretly gloating that you are now unepmloyed, or making snide comments about it? Surround yourself with positive people, and weed out the negative.
Keep Your Professional Network
Maintain the contacts that you had, since you never know when one of them might mention a new position that just opened. Don’t be shy! If you run into someone you had contact with on your old job, it’s OK to say “I no longer work there.” Say it with a smile, don’t badmouth your former colleagues or employees, and point out that you are open to new challenges and possibilities.
Improve Yourself
Not having a steady job will give you more free time. Think about any type of professional improvement that you may want. Take an advanced course in your field, learn a new skill or language, anything that will add to your CV and make you appear more versatile for future employees.
Give Yourself Time to Relax
Losing your job is the eighth most stressful life-changing event on the Holmes and Rahe stress scale. This is not the time to fly into a frenzy of new commitments. Sleep and eat regularly, exercise, take care of your body and mind. You will be more relaxed and better prepared for any challenges life may throw in your way.
Small Steps
How about getting a part time job? Not having an income will make you feel inadequate and lower your self-esteem, so try to aim lower. Scan the newspaper and look around your community for a part time job that can be something out of your field. Challenge yourself in new ways, and maintain a source of income while giving yourself time to look for something new and “serious.”
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