by Helene Taylor, managing director of jito.
Getting dismissed is one of those things you think will never happen to you. In reality, it could happen to anyone. If you do lose your job, it’s important to understand what comes next.
Pick yourself up. It’s going to take some time to recover from the shock of being fired or dismissed. You’ll probably spend a few days asking yourself, “Why me?” and “Where did I go wrong?” It’s OK to do this. Just don’t let those days turn into months/years of unemployment.
You can secretly hold yourself responsible for the career setback, whether you are or not, and get caught in a psychological web of your own making, unable to move beyond the position you no longer hold.
Find a self-esteem booster. Exercise, go out with friends, and motivate yourself. Positivity is essential for moving forward.
You have been handed an opportunity to decide what you actually want your career to look like. Often the worst things that happen in life actually push you in the direction of the best things in life.
You need to recover and jump back into the job hunt. This is a good time to reflect on what you’re passionate about and make sure your next step aligns with that. When you are happy you can perform at your peak.
In the meantime, landing your next job may take some time. It’s important to remain positive as you continue to recover from your loss. Don’t let the job hunt take over your life. Spend some time doing other activities to benefit your life and your career.
Start by letting the people in your network know you’re looking for a new job. Seek out new contacts who can help you land your ideal job. Leverage any connections you can to land the position you want. Make sure you set up job alerts on jito.co and update your resume and LinkedIn profile.
Discussing it in the interview. Now comes the tricky part. In your next job interview, you will almost definitely have to explain yourself. Employers will often ask why you left your last job. When this happens, you absolutely need to be honest. Don’t go into elaborate detail. Keep your answer brief and move the conversation towards what you’ve learned from the experience. Don’t fall into the trap of talk negatively about your previous job, company, co-workers, or boss.
If you were let go for reasons unrelated to performance, make that very clear. These days, most candidates have survived a layoff or two. Interviewers won’t look down on you for being let go as a result of downsizing or reorganization, especially if you weren’t the only one affected.
Just remember everything happens for a reason and five years from now will it really matter?
