The Steps You Can Take After a Job Loss

Losing your job can be a life-changing moment and it can bring up feelings of anxiousness, anger, and even dread. It is a terrible way to feel, but job loss happens and you do have control over the next steps you can take.

Create a Timeline and Set Daily Objectives

Many times, losing a job can actually lead you to a better job with more job satisfaction overall. So while it’s okay to allow yourself to feel upset, remember that it’s important to not take your job loss personally.

After giving yourself enough time to experience what you’re feeling, go into planning mode. Think about a big-picture timeline and then create a daily agenda or schedule for yourself. Set objectives for each day; for example, set a goal of applying for 5 jobs per day and doing 2 informational interviews per month. You can also use this time to dive deeper into what jobs are a great fit for you and consider those careers your “target” jobs. Additionally, take this time to research different companies and find out what kinds of benefits they offer.

Find Career Training and Coaching Opportunities

The first step to finding the right career training and coaching is doing an inventory of the skills you already have! You can use Insidetrack’s Skills and Strengths Inventory to create a comprehensive list of transferable skills and strengths that you would like to leverage as you advance professionally.

You can also use SkillUp’s resources to help you move forward in your career following a job loss:

• Career training: Elevate your career by searching for training opportunities based on industry.
• Career coaching: Work with expert career coaches in our free virtual sessions every Wednesday.
• Other resources: Learn more about careers, access financial support and connect with others who are facing similar challenges in their career journeys.

Gain the Confidence You Need to Apply and Interview

If you’re ready to start applying and interviewing again, remember these tips.

Generally, you should wear professional or business attire to an interview. This applies to both in-person and virtual interviews! For an in-person interview, make sure to look professional, tidy, and polished. Bring a neat notebook or portfolio and pen to take notes with. For a virtual interview, wear professional attire, make sure your background is simple and clean, and take the interview in a quiet room. Some examples of clothing include a blazer or sportcoat, trousers or slacks, a blouse or button-down shirt, flats or loafers, and a skirt or dress.

When preparing for an interview, remember the PAR and/or STAR methods. The PAR method stands for Problem or Project, Action, and Results. You can use this method to answer interview questions about previous roles such as, “can you tell me about the toughest challenge you’ve solved in the past year?” The STAR method is similar but stands for Situation, Task, Action, and Result. The STAR method can help you answer similar questions but also lets you provide additional context from previous experience.

Learn more about SkillUp and our training catalog here.