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How to Cope with Losing Your Job

Written by: RICS Recruit
Published on: 13 Nov 2020

How to Deal with Losing Your Job

As the number of redundancies in the UK rises to the highest it has been since records began, an increasing number of people are facing the fact that their job may be in danger due to effects on companies because of Covid-19.

No matter how you have lost your job, whether it is because you have been made redundant, lost your job for reasons out of your control or any number of reasons- losing your job can be hard. Your next steps after suffering a job loss are essential to getting you back on track.

RICS Recruit have a list of things that you can do to help you cope and keep you thinking positively.

 

Reassess Your Identity

Losing your job can often mean for some that they have lost a large part of their identity.

When describing yourself to someone you have just met the question, what you do as a job is often one of the first things that people ask each other.  When you have lost your job you might begin to wonder who am I now? Make sure you don't lose your identity along with your job and find other ways to define yourself.

 

Learn From It

Losing your job of course is always tough. 

It is important to remember that it is not necessarily your fault. If you were made redundant (like many others during this time, you are not alone) there can be any number of reasons for this so try not to take it personally.  Your company may have had to make redundancies because they have had to look over their finances due to the recent effect of Covid-19 and need to cut costs. How can you learn from this?

Perhaps use this time to upskill? RICS have courses, training and seminars for surveyors to learn everything you need to know. All of which are now online so are easily accessible. Microsoft also offers free courses so that you can develop or refresh your knowledge.

 

Focus on What You Can Control

Process your feelings, you have suffered a loss, of course, so you are going to feel a whole range of feelings. Allow yourself to feel those feelings for as long as you need to. 

Once you have processed those feelings, it is time to focus on what you can control. Be proactive, use your time wisely, by upskilling, volunteering, interning or freelancing.

Take this time to re-evaluate what do you want to do next? If it is not the same job that you have left then get the skills you might need for another role you may be interested in.

 

Assess Your Finances

When you lose your job, you most likely lose a big chunk of your income - if not all - and this will no doubt put a strain on your finances. You will need to work out your finances to make the money last.

This may mean setting yourself a strict budget, dipping into your savings, or claiming benefits (find out what you are entitled to and how much you could claim with the Benefits Calculator)

Assessing your finances and how you can live for the weeks or months ahead will help relieve your stress. 

 

Stay Positive

Try to stay positive (this may seem easier said than done after losing your job) but your mental wellbeing is just as important when you are in the midst of trying to look for a new job and manage your finances. 

Staying positive can make all the difference when searching for a new role, especially when you have an interview, the optimism will attract potential employers. This is your opportunity to show them that you are a candidate who can solve problems and find solutions.

To keep positive give yourself a routine. Make looking for your next role your full-time job, get up, get dressed as if you were going to go to work and set yourself a task every day. This might be updating your CV or looking for a couple of roles it will put you in the right mindset and at the end of the day make you feel like you have achieved something.

View all the RICS Recruit surveying jobs online