How to deal with losing your job

How to deal with losing your job by Amber Rolfe Losing a job is never easy…Whether you’ve been made redundant, let go for reasons out of your control, or lost your job for any other reason â€" unemployment can be hard to handle. But dealing with it in the right way isn’t just essential. It’s also the first step to getting back on track.To help you put a positive spin on the situation, here’s our step-by-step guide on how to deal with losing your job:  Learn from it No matter what the circumstances are, losing a job is always tough.But if you’ve been made redundant, there are many possible reasons you could’ve been let go â€" many of which are nothing personal.Whether your role is no longer required, your employer needs to cut costs, or the business is closing down â€" redundancy is something you just can’t fight. But how can you learn from it?Firstly, consider what you can do to upskill. There are a number of courses out there which could help expand your skillset, and adding another string t o your bow will help ensure you’re indispensable. And with many free and discounted options available, they needn’t break the bank.Even if redundancy wasn’t the reason for your job loss, that doesn’t mean future opportunities have been compromised.Learn from your experiences (good or bad), and use what you know to help in finding your next role.How to deal with redundancyTake control What comes after losing a job? Denial, stress, guilt, anger, sadness?Although you can’t always control your feelings, you can make sure they’re not influencing your attitude in an unproductive way.For example, you might be acting on denial, convincing yourself that everything’s fine and not adjusting your lifestyle â€" ignoring the fact that budgeting and job searching should be your top priorities.Guilt can also have a negative impact â€" whether you assume your bad timekeeping and organisation skills were the cause of all your problems, or you put it down to your lack of focus. Although working on your flaws is good, misdirected self-improvement can often be nothing but a distraction.So instead of blaming yourself or avoiding the situation all-together â€" focus on what you actually need to achieve.Dwelling on the past (or refusing to deal with it) will never end well.  Assess your finances When it comes to losing a job, your finances usually take the biggest hit.But learning to organise them effectively is key if you want to make your money last.Whether this means dipping into your savings, setting yourself a strict budget, claiming benefits (or a combination of all three) â€" assessing your financial situation and necessary outgoings is the best way to reduce stress.After all, you’ll already be feeling a lot of things at this stage; financial pressure doesn’t need to be one of them.And with your money taken care of (even if only temporarily), you’ll have more time and energy to focus on picking yourself up and finding a new job.Six ways to supplement your i ncomeWork on yourself What’s the worst thing you can do after losing a job? Nothing.And although you won’t necessarily walk into a new career straight away, being proactive will allow you to use your unemployment time wisely â€" whether it’s through training, volunteering, freelancing, or interning.Because even though losing a job has its downsides, that doesn’t mean there aren’t any ups. Not only do you have the opportunity to realise what you really want to do, you also have the time to gain the skills needed to pursue it.And, by continuing to work on what you’re passionate about â€" you’ll be able to prove your enthusiasm and drive to future employers. You could even build the network of contacts needed to break into your preferred industry.Redundancy CV templateWhat is networking?Stay positive As hard as it may seem, you have to stay positive.And no matter how much panicked job searching and frantic money saving is taking over â€" that doesn’t mean you should ign ore your wellbeing. After all, attitude makes all the difference when it comes to getting back into work.So focus on learning, growing, and making goals for the future. Your current job status doesn’t have to define you, and a pessimistic mindset will only make things worse.Employers are attracted to optimistic candidates who see things in a good light, are able to find solutions to problems, and can make the best out of a bad situation. So this is a perfect opportunity to show them you can do just that.And if you’re struggling to find a routine? Make job searching your job. Make a set time to start and finish every day, and set yourself goals to reach â€" whether it’s to apply for at least two jobs, or just to refresh your CV.Out of work checklist: Things to do if you lose your jobStill searching for your perfect position? View all available jobs now