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 nowFind a job What Where Search JobsSign up for more Career AdviceSign up for moreCareer Advice Please enter a valid email ad dressmessage hereBy clicking Submit you agree to the terms and conditions applicable to our service and acknowledge that your personal data will be used in accordance with our privacy policy and you will receive emails and communications about jobs and career related topics. How to start looking for work Life At Work

Why are cover letters so important University of Manchester Careers Blog

Why are cover letters so important University of Manchester Careers Blog This year I have conducted several rounds of recruitment and looked at a lot of CVs and cover letters.  For me the cover letter is becoming the most important factor in the application, and this is why The jobs I have been recruiting for are the types of jobs that graduates from any discipline could do as long as they have the right transferable skills and attitude.  So the CV as long as it covers what I have asked for, (and isnt appalling) is less immediately interesting. The cover letter, however, gives me an insight into  whether the applicant:  genuinely understands the role has considered why they want to work with us and our clients has thought about what is important to bring to the role has considered how it fits into their career plan Common mistakes A good cover letter for a graduate level type job should be about a side of A4 (with a small amount for address info) If its much less it is unlikely you will convey enough information to get noticed. Poor spelling and grammar.  Shows lack of attention to detail and makes you think you will have to monitor all this persons written work. Not addressing why you are interested in the role and organisation.  This makes your letter look generic and it will be assumed you have not researched the role and are not interested. Inaccurate or unrealistic expectations of the role and why you want to do it.   Again lack of research and reflection on your motivation for applying. Waffle!  Make every word count dont give me a paragraph of unrelated information about a past job and then not even bother to tell me why that might be relevant. Keep it short and to the point make me want to look at your CV for more information. Flim-flam. Generic comments about how wonderful you are without any evidence to back up your claims. If you make a statement and the how or why are left unanswered this needs to be addressed. You never know which document a recruiter will read first your CV or cover letter.  Its quite likely if you put them into 1 document its going to be the  first one on the screen or off the printer.  Whichever they read first make sure its not a disappointment! Before you start writing: Research the job and the employer   Read the cover letter guide to get some ideas on format   Look at the cover letter examples on this page too Check Is anything mentioned in your cover letter that is not on your CV.  I have seen several that mention jobs that are not on the CV! Has the employer any particular guidelines for the CV or Cover letter in terms of content and presentation.  Not following hints and tips on the employers website is at best, a missed opportunity and at worst a failed application. Get some help The first time you write a cover letter why not get a second opinion use our Applications Advice Service All Undergraduate Undergraduate-highlighted applications Applications and interviews CV job hunting jobs

Can I get advice on my CV University of Manchester Careers Blog

Can I get advice on my CV University of Manchester Careers Blog This is probably our number one enquiry, and the answer is yes! This is how the Applications Advice Service works It covers: CVs, cover letters, personal statements for jobs or courses, and application form questions. We can look at LinkedIn profiles too. So that we can give you accurate advice we need: A copy of the job description or advert for the job or course so that we can work with you to match the employers requirements with the content of your CV or application. If its a speculative application for a fair or part time job we will need you to consider what type of role you are applying for and tell us what skills and attributes you think the employers will be looking for. We need all this on paper so that we and you can write notes on it. There is no such thing as a general CV.   Every CV should be written for a specific purpose. What will happen? The adviser will ask you what you are applying for and ask if you have details of the job so that they can start working out what the employer will be looking for on your application. They will look at the presentation of your CV / application is it the right length, in a clear and sensible format? They will then look at the content and check that it matches what the employer is looking for. They will look to see if you have given good evidence of your skills. Can the reader assess  your competence at that task from what you have said? If  it is application question or personal statement have you answered the question fully? If you are unclear about what you should be applying for and not sure what roles involve you may be referred to websites to help you or to a guidance appointment for more assistance. What wont happen They wont write it for you. They wont correct all your spelling and grammar errors, although they will advise you to look at this further. Its not a checking service we cant ever say it will be perfect and definitely get you a job. Why is it only 15 minutes? It is for 1 document at a time. If  it is a  long application form you will be asked to prioritise 1 or 2 questions. If you have followed the guidelines and looked at our examples then your CV or application should be pretty good already. An employer will assess  a CV in around a minute. Its quick to see if its good or needs work. The aim of the session is to teach you how to tailor your application or CV. Using an example from your application we can demonstrate how to do this and then you can do it yourself. Its pretty intense and there will be a lot  to take in. If you need a longer session we recommend our workshops that run as events at peak times of year. Why are there limits on how many  I can have? We need to be fair, so that all students have a chance to use the service. You need to be able to do this yourself in the future.   The technique we are teaching you can be applied to any application you are making its all about understanding what the reader is looking for and providing evidence.   Once you have mastered this you really dont need us any more! So if you need some help why not book in Booking is via CareersLink or you can give us a ring. Appointments are made available around 9am one working day in advance, so that we have availability for urgent need. They can book up quickly especially in October and November so check early in the day.  Not convenient for you? We also let our consultants out on occasion and they can be found in buildings all over campus. They would love to talk to you about your CV or any other career question you might have.   Find out if they are near you All Undergraduate Undergraduate-highlighted applications Applications and interviews CV