5 Things to Do When You Lose Your Job

5 Things to Do When You Lose your job.

What did I do first? I promptly made an enormous bowl and attempted to soothe my bruised ego with dessert. But—as good as it feels to take a well-deserved time-out—the quicker you curtail the wallowing and get back to the grind, the better for your career.

The following is an uncomfortable but important to-do list anyone who’s been laid off should follow, based on my experience:

Instantly after you’ve been let go, you may find yourself experiencing a range of emotions: fear upon saying goodbye to a normal paycheck, exhilaration as you embrace life without a set routine, rage when you reflect on all the long hours you devoted to your old position—the list goes on.

Instead of get caught up in each of these, realize that they’re all normal. But then—and this is the difficult love talk everyone desires in this situation—move on and focus on the future.

In the case of both my layoffs, multiple collaborators were let go at the same moment. Proving the old adage “misery loves company,” we assisted as our own little support group, commiserating jointly, motivating each other, and sharing leads.

If you find yourself alone and attempting, entering a group or talking to a professional can provide comfort and encouragement and help you reign in those negative emotions.

Opportunities are, your self-esteem has carried a hit, and saying “I’m unemployed” aloud makes it that much more true and devastating.

However you may be enticed to keep your status a secret, friends and family can’t proceed to help if they’re not informed. Letting people know you’re free for new vacancies is the first step in getting your job search off the ground. (This email template will make it easier).

After losing a job  , attend friends party and upon meeting pals, you may be asked what do you do?”  reluctantly tell people about your layoff and continued to be flooded with boatloads of pity.

But what you may get rather was actually solid assistance.

Pro tip: When discussing about it, focus on what you want to do next—rather than what occurred.

Speaking money is awkward, but knowledge is power. Figure out actually what you’ve got to work with so you’re not acquiring debt at a time when you can least afford it.

The distinction between the paycheck you lost and what you earn from severance or unemployment will determine if you want to make some adjustments to your spending—and just how big those should be. And this budget worksheet can help you get established.

It may appear counter intuitive to waste money at a time when little is coming in, but check this up to the old, “It takes money to make money.”

If joining in a class or two will make you more marketable and you can afford it, go for it. I took various writing workshops during my downtime and found that they improved my self-esteem and gave me a positive outlet. These also gave me a reason to alter out of pajamas and practice looking presentable again.

If you need assistance polishing your resume or could benefit from the advice of a career coach, consider the cost a down payment on your future success. Once you’ve locked down an interview, treat yourself to a new ensemble and reap the advantages .

You may want to put your layoff behind you, but there’s no denying it’ll come up during a forthcoming interview.

Appear with an honest but experienced narrative and practice it a lot.

So though you may want to depart for a while and wallow in everything from comfort food to compulsive binge-watching, the nicest thing you can do is catapult yourself back into the job arena.