It’s a professional world after all. Needless to say, most of you must have lost a job in one or the other way, either by being smart and quitting or getting fired. While the first option is really common and a natural phenomenon, the second alternative is not really what we get to see more often. But have you been one of those who has been called by your boss and informed “We no longer require your services. You’re fired. That is all”. What next? Clearing your desk, while wiping your tears, is surely the response one can expect to see you go through. But, wait, stop, and think for a second. Probably, the firing is a blessing in disguise. Could it be God’s way of saying “You’ve slaved for long. You’ve been wasting too much of your time on this undeserving job. Why have you been focusing on the wrong things? It’s time that you move on and look for the right job; else you will continue to block my blessings.” So, now that you have been fired, give yourself some time to rejoice your freedom and dance happily. With a new world waiting to value and identify your worth, you can leave behind the misery and despair you went through at your previous organization. Scroll through the lines below to check out what to do after you’re fired.
What To Do When Fired
Unemployment Insurance
You may not be willing to opt for it right now; but you have to agree that you have lost your job, be it even through firing. Besides, you might even comfort yourself with many excuses for not applying for unemployment insurance, such as “It is embarrassing, a stigma”, “It means I really was fired”, and “I’ll have a new job before I get the first payment”. Reasons are many, but know that this isn't the end of it all. You would be employed eventually and then would have a fair chance of repaying the amount.
Avoid Lunch Dates with Employed Personnel
It makes no sense meeting people, spending your entire day on non-happening events, and splurging your earned money on them. Remember, you are unemployed; you need to utilize your saved earnings efficiently. If you want to network, which you must, offer the other person to meet him/her at his/her office. Keep the meeting short, say for about 15 minutes and be direct about asking for his/her help. Leave immediately after you are done with your work.
Rewrite your Resume
Depending upon the duration you spent on your last job, you should decide whether you want to include it in your resume or not. Say, for instance, if you had spent just one month there, do not include it and you shouldn’t, in fact. However, if you were in the company for more than a year, figure out what new you learnt from there and put it on the resume. Similarly, think of a person at the company who can serve as a good and reliable reference to be placed on your resume and can be contacted for verifying your employment by future prospective employers. Since you’ve been fired from the company, not all people would be willing to divulge good.
Never Indicate Your Firing on the Resume
Managers always look out for fair and open-minded hiring; thus, they instantly dismiss any candidate who has been fired from his job. Since your cover letter and resume is the first thing that a hiring manager will evaluate to check whether or not you are eligible for the job, mentioning that you were fired will get your application cancelled at the first glance. As such, avoid mentioning reasons or explanations for your firing in your resume or cover letter. If you have been short-listed for the interview process, you can explain the full situation in a positive light to the interviewer.
Start Applying
Contact an employment agency or headhunters for finding a suitable job for your qualifications and experience. Do let them know the exact reason why you were fired from your job. This way, they will be able to guide you with what to include in your resume and what to speak about it at the interview. You can also post your resume on job sites or look for job openings in the newspaper and start applying for ones you are interested in. Consider all the options you have and take the matter into your hands, by not completely relying on the internet or headhunters.
Give Samples
Much like products, services too can be tried and tested through samples. There are numerous ways of giving samples of the value you hold and can bring to the organization or industry in which you wish to work. Since you are out of job, volunteering for half day or one day per week in the industry you want to work can help you get your abilities identified. Write articles on topics or blog about them online. Keep on trying; there will be someone who will get back to you in the form of a job offer.
Firing you was their choice. What you want to do after is yours. Do it right and find out the goodness in store.
