We Got Fired, and We Accept It – Learn How to Find a New Job That Suits for You
The start of a new year is frequently a period for contemplation, and for a lot of us, that encompasses thinking about our professional paths.
A pair of editors who left their positions after corporate restructures originally thought it was catastrophic.
"I invested everything into the position... I trusted in the values we stood for. Yet, when it came to me, those values were absent," she remarks.
They both decided to say "fired" and argue that being honest about what happened can help you handle it.
"People rely on so many soft terms for job loss. Yet, the sooner you acknowledge it, the sooner you're honest about it, the faster you can move on.
"That's the fast track to anything you wish to pursue next," she notes.
Now, they are excelling in new positions, where one leading her own media company and another working as lead editor for a high-end journal.
For those who have been made redundant or are simply contemplating a change, consider these four approaches for guidance.
1. Consider Last Year
It's natural to feel a bit low concerning your career post-festive period.
A careers coach highlights the importance of looking back prior to launching the search for a new role.
She suggests people to consider what they desire to pursue more, what to decrease, and what energizes or exhausts their drive.
Looking back at your achievements to spot underlying threads is useful too. "Avoid focusing solely on the last month, as people often have a tendency for recency bias that can impede your judgment," she states.
She also says it is crucial to determine what place your job occupies in your life.
This requires being truthful regarding the hours you spend working and its impact on your family and family life.
After her own experience, she recommends preventing your identity be dictated by your job.
2. Take Small Steps
She says people can make gradual progress towards changing careers without a complete leap.
She took several years to move from her corporate career to running a company full-time, building the venture while still employed, which enabled she could pay herself.
"It needed a bit longer, but that represented my approach in a sustainable way," she comments.
She recommends an experimental strategy.
This can include pro bono work, joining a professional project you find appealing, or agreeing to a different task within your current team.
"If it fails, you find out it's not a fit, but it's better to find out now rather than after you've made the move," she adds.
Additionally, she suggests exploring short-term "bridging roles". These may not be the dream position, yet they function as progress towards your goal, for example a position with similarities to the career you want, yet not in the same industry or sector.
"It's about giving yourself the leeway to acknowledge this is suitable temporarily, however, that is not the same as forever.
"That represents an intelligent strategy for getting much closer to your career change."
3. Remember Your Accomplishments
If you've just left your role, you aren't alone – layoff figures have risen markedly recently.
A former editor held a senior role for a fashion publication, but in 2022 her entire team were made redundant after the company closed the print version.
Realizing that this did not reflect of her performance allowed her to handle the transition.
"What you've learned doesn't go away just because you were let go.
"Do not surrender your power, it's vital for everybody to remember their own worth."
The other editor was let go after ten years with a finance publication after a change in senior ranks and the appointment of a new editor.
She stresses that a lot of the stigma of dismissal is in your head.
"Given that hundreds of thousands of individuals facing redundancy, it's rarely personal. Chances are not your fault, so refrain from bearing that burden of shame around with you."
4. Create a Professional Checklist
When you're actively hunting for work or are utterly miserable with your present job, the temptation is to apply hastily for any vacancy – disregarding personal fulfillment.
Yet, this can be a big misstep.
Instead, she suggests an exercise called "browsing" – narrowing your search to only role profiles that seem appealing.
She recommends searching professional networks and collecting several that appeal to you.
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