When Your Job Goes Away: Seven Tips

Q. "What do I do after a job goes away?"

A. Many people believe that job losses are like earthquakes and computer meltdowns. It's not "if" the Big One is coming. It's when.

Sometimes you decide it's time for a change. At other times, you're surprised by events. Either way, your life can be disrupted. Many people are surprised at their own feelings, even if they couldn't wait to leave that job.

Here are some steps to take with the Big One is here.

1. Discuss your resources with a qualified financial advisor. Can you stretch your funds beyond six months? Equity loan? Brokerage margin loan? Short-term jobs?

2. Explore feelings, if need be, with a qualified specialist. Many people grieve lost careers, houses and cities -- even those they hated the most

3. Go slow! Sell the house, move to Wyoming and live in a tent? By December, the tent is cold and the bears have confiscated your computer to play hibernation solitaire. "Career winter" is no longer a metaphor.

4. Explore free or low-cost career resources. Check out the Chamber of Commerce, your alumni career center, SCORE, and the unemployment office. If you have trouble staying focused or making a plan, paying your own career coach may be a good investment.

5. Do something fun at least once a day. Take the dog to the park, eat an ice cream sundae, visit a museum. Malls and television are (usually) distracting but not satisfying.

Caution: If "fun" has gone from your life and your vocabulary see #2 -- right away.

6. Get physical. Walk, run, work out, play a sport every day. Exercise creates energy and keeps you healthy.

7. Get creative. Write, paint, take a ceramics or poetry class.

Seems frivolous? No You'll need to be creative when you plan your next step. Get the juices flowing.

Above all, keep a journal. Life will look very different a year from now and you will be amazed how far you have come and how much you have learned.

I offer one-to-one consultations on business and career strategy.

About The Author

Cathy Goodwin, Ph.D., is an author, speaker and career/business consultant, helping midlife professionals take their First step to a Second Career. http://www.cathygoodwin.com.

"Ten secrets of mastering a major life change" mailto:subscribe@cathygoodwin.com

Contact: cathy@cathygoodwin.com 505-534-4294


More Resources

Get Beyond Your Tasks
Ever hear the story of the two masons working side by side at a building site? They're doing the same work under pretty much the same conditions. Then, one day a stranger comes along, approaches one of the men and asks him, "What are you doing?" "I don't know and I don't care," replies the man, his voice brimming with irritation.
References: Choose Wisely
Sophisticated job seekers know and understand that sometime during the interview and hiring process you will be asked to supply references. With this in mind, here are five concepts to focus on in developing your reference list.
Job Tips For The Frustrated Job Seeker
There is nothing more frustrating and depressing when you are out of work and trying to find a job and your job search is going no where. Don't feel bad, you are not alone and there is a good reason why searching for a new job can be so difficult.
From The WorkWise Collection: Ten Ways to Win the Job Search Mind Game
Are you one of the thousands of job seekers who question their sanity, marketability, and capacity to make smart decisions-just because you've lost your job? Are you wondering how to overcome these psychological challenges, rebuild your self-confidence, increase your marketability, and regain your sense of sanity?In today's competitive job market you need more than a killer résumé and great interviewing skills to survive. Twenty-first-century job seekers must be able to deal with ambiguity, maintain a winner's mindset, demonstrate customer focus, and have a blow-your-socks-off résumé and excellent interviewing skills.
Get Off Your Butt and Out of the Rut
It's amazing to see so many people who are prepared to sacrifice their lives for the sake of their careers.I'm sure you know of someone like that.
Is A Career a Calling or Choice?
How much of our career path is destiny and how much is free will? In my opinion, it is 50/50. We are given a life map at the beginning of our lives, and there are things we are meant to learn, people we are meant to meet, work we are meant to perform.
3 Creative Job Search Tactics
It's a fact: the best jobs attract loads of competition. So it pays to do whatever you can to stand out as a persistent, creative candidate, one that any sane employer would love to hire.
21st Century Career Success
When it comes to modern career development, one thing we can all count on is change. With the advent of technology, telecommuting, and E-commerce, how work is performed is in a state of reinvention.
Corporate World: Jungle Or Paradise?
The road to the top is not easy, it is bumpy and dirty. Along the way, we meet interesting creatures.
Drive Your Career Change - A Direct Approach
If your career has gone off the road, take control and drive back to job satisfaction with a direct approach.When you're looking for that new job or a career move it's easy to think that 'they' hold all the cards.
Resumes and First impressions
Hunting for a position in a new career field? Trying to take your new education or skills and transform them into a job with a future?I've spent the last few weeks working in a placement service trying to help people find that first "career" job; trying to help them make the transition from student to employee. I see the same mistakes over and over again.
Hello Work World, Im Un-Retiring
For many years, you looked forward to that day when you would bid the world of work a fond farewell and ride off into the sunset of your golden years.Initially, it felt wonderful not to have to go somewhere each morning.
Seven Tips to a Job-Winning Interview
These days, interviews don't come easily. When you get The Call, make the most of your time -- and go for it!1.
Back to School for a Career Change
Q. I hate my job as a computer consultant.
Why Employers Want an Employee with a Degree
You wake up in the morning, head to work, and find out your company is downsizing and you are being laid off. No big deal you think, you have experience, you've worked at the same company for years.
How to Reach Your Next Job Faster with Fewer Potholes, Roadblocks
Complacency damages your career more than lack of qualifications. The most obvious roadblock you'll encounter on the race to find your next job is usually regrets about skills, education, and professional knowledge.
How To Receive Payment as a Freelance Translator?
A problem most freelance translators are facing with is how to receive payment. In particular: How to receive payment for small jobs.
Ten Things About Your Career Development
There are some tactics you can action whatever you wish for from your career. Whatever you might think right now, you have all the tools you need for a career which give you joy and fulfilment.
Make Your Resume Keyword Rich and Scanner Friendly
If you haven't looked for a job recently, there are new tactics that hiring professionals are using that you should be aware of before updating your resume.Employers and recruiters increasingly rely on electronic resumes, resume posting boards and job banks to find job candidates.
Unemployment Survival: Creating a Sense of Security
In a time of economic downturn, international turmoil, company restructuring and corporate mergers run amok, thousands of people are either out of work or fearful of losing their jobs.Is there, then, such a thing as job security?No job, in itself, is totally secure.

More Careers & Employment Information:

Related Articles

A Bit of Pollyanna
"Stop being such a Pollyanna," a trusted, more experienced colleague counseled as we took the long route back to my office. He had just witnessed my project idea annihilated as co-workers eagerly argued why my idea wouldn't work, where it was flawed and why it shouldn't be funded.
Career Change: A Glittering Invitation To The Emotional Stalkers
As much as you are yearning for career-change, and as much as the trends actually favor it, just contemplating a shift is a glittering invitation to four emotional stalkers who love nothing better than to play a nasty game of team-tag at your personal expense. When you unmask these bandits -- even a little -- they begin to lose their emotional charge - leaving you free to more fully explore the opportunities to re-invent yourself.
Can Nurses Be Entrepreneurs?
Yes, Nurses can be entrepreneurs. In today's market place nursing has a unique service to offer not only to hospitals but nursing homes, private care and doctor offices.
Top 10 Resume Writing Tips to Get You the Interview
There are many reasons why you could be in the marketfor a new job right now. Perhaps.
Job Lead Websites To Use in Your Telecommuting Search
Let me ask you a question: are you tired ofusing job sites only to find scam after scam? I bet you're noddingyour head in agreement to that question. I know that I was sickand tired of spending all my time online searching fortelecommuting jobs only to find scams.
Networking Masterclass - Part 1 - Practicing Empathy
Practicing Empathy - A vital part of your networking skills is your ability to build rapport quickly and effectively with others. To build rapport successfully with another individual you need to understand 'where' they are coming from and have 'empathy' with them.
Job Search -- One of the Secrets of a Trade Show
A trade show is a great place to network, look for a job, find a new employee or develop a partnership.Are you in the market for a change? Maybe.
How to Tell if You are Fired and Just Dont Know It
No one should be fired and be surprised about it. There are always warning signs.
Job Search Tip for College Students
Today everyone is looking for that special job that will suit their exact needs. In this day and age we all have circumstances, situations, obligations, etc.
Get In Career Shape
Research suggests that as many as 8 out of 10 employed adults are in the wrong job or career! They are in poor career-shape or have little or no career-stamina.If you are one of the 8 or your goal is to shape up, it is important to have a good understanding of some basic career management principles for a healthy career workout and to help you make the best decisions about your career on a day-by-day basis.
De-Bunking The "Follow Your Bliss" Myth
Hello Fellow Seekers!I don't know about you? but I'm pretty tired of hearing about how you can "follow your dream" in three or four easy steps. I've seen plenty of people leap before they sufficiently looked --and end up dissatisfied or broke, or both.
Become an LPN, the Fast Path to a Nursing Career
Licensed Practical Nurse (LPN) CareersLicensed Practical Nurses provide the most amount of direct patient care within the nursing category of healthcare. If you're interested in a healthcare career dealing directly with patients, becoming an LPN is a rewarding opportunity.
Job Hunting Tips: Containing Anxiety
It hangs from the ceiling above your bed while you toss through the night hours. It waits inside the door of every employment office you enter.
Find Passion for Your Work
Most people spend approximately 25% to over 67% of their waking hours working. Eventually, most everyone will want to work in a career that they enjoy and are paid well enough to live a prosperous life.
Top 10 Skills for New World of Work
There are many changes coming in the world of work, such as increased competition, the need for more education and certifications, and the trend to change careers 5-7 times in a lifetime. No matter what job or career path you decide to take, there are some basic skills that all employers look for.
During Midlife Change: Are You a Jumper or a Clinger?
Over the years, I have identified two kinds of midlife career changers: Jumpers and Clingers.Jumpers thrive on energy, enthusiasm and improbable luck.
How to Write Cover Letters That Increase Your Chances of Winning an Interview
Submit a poorly written cover letter and the chances are your resume will end up in the trash bin without even being looked at.On the other hand, a well written cover letter can almost guarantee you get an interview.
Franchising Offers NO Guarantees --
You have to ask --- IS a FRANCHISE FOR YOU?There are NO guarantees. You invest your money and take your chances.
Love What You Do!
"To love what you do and feel that it matters, how on earth could anything be more fun?" --Katherine GrahamI want to share with you a great success story from one of my clients, Susan*, because I am so proud of her. Susan had been working in the computer industry since college (8-10 years) and though she was financially and professionally successful, she felt dissatisfied with her career.
Job Hunting: Its Still The First Impression Stupid!
In the 1992 USA Presidential election, political strategist James Carville hung a sign in Bill Clinton's Little Rock campaign office that read, "It's still the economy, stupid." His intent? Simply to keep everybody focused on the most important issue of the day.