Dealing with Losing Your Job
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For most of us the loss of employment ripples into many other losses: loss of identity, loss of financial security, loss of health care. These losses affect not only ourselves but those who we live with.
We may feel many emotions simultaneously: guilt, sadness, anger and anxiety about our future.
The first step after we find out we have lost our job is to give ourselves permission to take a breath and absorb what this means.
It is best if we can take the time to sort our out emotions and get clarity about what we want for our next step before looking for another job. To do this we also need to talk with those we live with about their concerns and to elicit their support in coping with fears and frustrations of job hunting.
The next step is to take stock of our finances and how long we can remain unemployed before we are at financial risk.
Many times I find that when people do access their situation they are able to relax knowing that they can take many months before they really need to worry.
This is important so that we can feel more confident in looking for a new position we really want rather than grabbing the first job we are offered.
The third step is to gear up our resumes and to begin to network.
While everyone has some concerns over going back into the interview process, those who have been involuntarily terminated have more fears regarding how to now market themselves in this competitive work world.
Exploring how one can answer difficult questions during an interview process is key to developing the confident needed.
Because of my extensive experience in dealing with many of the companies in Silicon Valley I can help you think through issues about how to market yourself and tackle interviews.
Susan Cohn, MFT & LCSW
Licensed Marriage and Family Therapist
Licensed Clinical Social Worker
21710 Stevens Creek Boulevard - Suite 101
Cupertino, CA 95014-1179
(408) 257-5772
Whether we lose our job due to a lay off or we are force to quit, many of the issues and reactions we have are the same.