That moment your manager calls you into their office and tells you that they have to let you go is one of the worst experiences any individual can endure. You’re fired. No matter what the reason may be- budget cuts, downsizing, or loss of a client, you’re about to be without a job. It feels like the world is crashing down all around you and soon fear starts to set in. You’re worried about how you’re going to find another job, and how you’re going to afford to pay the bills. You’re likely stunned, angry, and it’s entirely natural for you to be scared.

Although it may not be a consolation at the moment, do know this- life will go on, and the chances are high that you will find another job.
However, if you don’t make wise decisions while you’re out of work, you could make the situation a lot worse for yourself. It’s rather easy to develop bad habits that will make it difficult to manage your finances, find a new job, and maintain a healthy mental state. Avoiding these mistakes is the key to getting back into the job market as quickly as possible.

Spending As Normal

Hopefully, you can negotiate a healthy severance package when you leave your job, and have an emergency savings fund for situations precisely like this. That means you’ve got some money to live on, but the most important thing to keep in mind is that it’s limited. Now that you’re unemployed, you don’t know how long it’s going to be until you find another job. It makes sense to establish a budget if you didn’t already have one. The onus is now on you to take steps to make the money last longer by cutting back on optional expenses. There are many luxuries that you may have been able to afford while you were working, but now without a paycheck, you may have to consider cutting some of them out. Things like TV subscriptions, expensive mobile phone plans or eating out more than cooking. These are expenses that can add up quickly. Utilizing money management skills should help to take the pressure off and reduce stress, which allows you to remain focused on your job search.

Drinking To Drown The Disappointment

Being unemployed is a very stressful time, and people often use alcohol (or stronger things) as a stress reliever. Word of advice- be responsible. Excessive drinking may cause you to lose focus and could even lead to dependency. A lot of people in addiction treatment centers develop a dependency because they’re using alcohol or drugs as a coping mechanism in times of stress. You might think that you’ll never end up with this problem, but nobody ever does. Anyone can develop an alcohol problem, and it can easily creep up on you without you realizing. Buying alcohol is also an optional purchase and could negatively impact your cash flow.

Sleeping Like There’s No Tomorrow

Now that you don’t have to get up for work it doesn’t matter if you sleep in until 10:00 a.m. every day, does it? Actually, it does. Finding a new job is going to be a full-time job in itself, and you need to treat it as such. If you’re sleeping in late on a regular basis and you don’t have a solid routine, you’ll soon start wasting the days and getting no closer to finding a new job. Begin by setting a solid schedule, working the same hours that you normally would if you had a job. Having that routine will help you to get more applications in, and it’ll also help with your mental state. One of the best ways to remain motivated and avoid developing a pessimistic mindset is to establish and maintain a good routine during this time in your life.

Having Too Much Pride

Few people enjoy asking for help, especially women. For some, having to ask for help dents their pride and it leaves them feeling a bit embarrassed. But the thing is, nothing is embarrassing about asking for help. If you left your former employee on good terms, your manager would likely be happy to assist you in the job search process. Schedule a time to talk and ask if they’ve heard about any positions in the industry that you could apply for or people of influence with whom they can connect you. You should also think of any contacts that you had at your old job that might be useful connections. Recommendations and referrals work wonders in most cases.

Another problem that people often have concerning pride is their unwillingness to take a step down in their career, and that’s understandable. Often pride makes it difficult to take a job that pays significantly less money, or a position with a less impressive title. But remember, you just need a job to pay the bills right now. That doesn’t mean you won’t be able to move to a better one in the future.

Job loss is painful for everyone, and it’s easy to get yourself into a bit of a rut sitting around doing nothing all day. Hearing the words, “You’re fired,” rarely brings a smile to someone’s face. However, you need to maximize time management skills now and make sure that you’re being proactive about finding a new job. Take advantage of all of your contacts. Network, network, network until you have landed a suitable position that will help to secure your financial situation, even if it’s one for your “now” needs. Good luck!

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