This document provides advice on how to survive being made redundant from a job. It outlines 9 key steps to take including not taking the redundancy personally, understanding the emotional rollercoaster, using the time to better know yourself, getting support from others, ensuring your finances are in order, targeting the right employers, bouncing back from rejections, negotiating job offers effectively, and beginning new roles with enthusiasm.

1. 70 I GEELONG ADVERTISER, SATURDAY 8 NOVEMBER 2008 www.geelonginfo.com
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‘Whatdoyoudo?’Theanswerbecomes harder
WARREN FREHSE
The end of the road, or the beginning of a new one? There’s no point playing the blame game.
You may get a
fistful of dollars
when you are
made redundant,
but that won’t
increase your
status or sense of
direction.
BEING tossed from your job
not only means a loss of in-
come — the loss of status,
workmates and the routine of
going to work can be far more
stressful.
Losing your job is like get-
ting lost in the bush. You lose
your sense of direction. You
feel alone.
Some have described it as a
total loss of identity, of who
you really are. People ask,
‘‘And what do you do?’’ It’s
not a simple answer any more.
Even though many thou-
sands may be experiencing it,
it’s still very much a personal
experience.
The old saying about one
door closing and another one
opening often becomes one
door closing and another one
slamming in your face.
Is there a way to survive
redundancy? Consider these
steps:
1. DON’T TAKE IT
PERSONALLY
Most people having just lost
their job tend to personalise
it. ‘‘I’ve been made redun-
dant,’’ is the first thing they
say. Not correct. You need to
get into the habit of saying
‘‘My position has been made
redundant.’’
When you believe you are
redundant, your whole out-
look is negative. The blame
game lingers on, and you feel
unworthy.
But when you know that
you just happened to be in a
position that was no longer
required, you can remove
yourself psychologically from
that decision, and know you
have what it takes to move
forward.
2. UNDERSTAND THE
EMOTIONAL
ROLLERCOASTER
A loss of a job is a significant
event, so your reactions will
be similar to the loss of any-
thing significant in your life.
Expect to feel in denial,
shocked and fearful. Blaming
others and yourself is also
common. There will be a
period of chaos, confusion and
uncertainty before things im-
prove.
Accept these as normal and
try to explain to your partner,
family and friends that they
won’t last forever.
Just when you feel you are
making progress, you will slide
back into the confusion stage
again. This can be especially
distressing for those who like
to have everything under con-
trol.
But there will also be the
more positive feelings of ac-
ceptance, hope, renewed en-
ergy, and enthusiasm.
3. GET TO KNOW
YOURSELF BETTER
The advantage of being off
the treadmill for a while is that
you can really sit back and
reflect on what you really
want to do.
Have you had enough of the
weekday slog? Is this a time
for looking at other options
like small business, contract-
ing or consulting?
What are my personal
traits? Have I been under-
utilising them until now? A
career counsellor can help you
assess your career assets that
in clu de va lu es , s kills ,
satisfiers, signature strengths,
and personality type.
4.GET AND SEEK SUPPORT
FROM OTHERS
If you think you can do it all
yourself, don’t be fooled. Talk
to significant others, past em-
ployers and friends. They will
provide emotional and practi-
cal support. They also form
part of what every job seeker
knows is crucial in their job
search — a network.
Seventy-five per cent of jobs
are found through networks,
so you will need to muster all
their support and use leads to
seek out potential employers.
5. ENSURE YOUR
FINANCES ARE IN ORDER
A financial adviser can help
you to create a temporary pay
office using part of your re-
dundancy so you have peace
of mind during this stage.
6. TARGET THE RIGHT
EMPLOYERS
Many people make the mis-
take of firing off their resume
to anyone, applying for jobs
that really don’t suit and won-
der why they don’t get any
interviews.
Use this time to develop a
market-ready CV that focuses
on your achievements, par-
ticularly in the past five years.
List the kind of work en-
vironments you would enjoy
being in, the kind of boss you
would like to have, the ideal
salary package and con-
ditions, and proximity to
home.
All this puts you in the
driver’s seat. What you are
effectively doing is designing
an ideal job specification and
using this information to tar-
get those jobs.
7. BOUNCE BACK, AGAIN
AND AGAIN
If you get to the interview
stage, you are already doing
lots of things right.
But don’t let a reject send
you back into a downward
spiral. Ask for feedback: What
worked well? What could have
been done differently?
Build this insight back into
the next interview, and prac-
tice until you refine it well.
8. NEGOTIATE A JOB
OFFER ON YOUR TERMS
There is a tendency to ac-
cept the first offer or salary
figure you are given.
Don’t be tempted to just
accept any offer as this will
under-sell your worth. Under-
stand the importance of good
negotiation techniques, and
know what your market worth
is. Scan the salary ranges of
similar jobs in your field.
9. BEGIN A NEW JOB WITH
ENTHUSIASM
The first 90 days in a new
role are the most challenging.
As you take up your new
position, be aware of what
brand you wish to convey to
your new employer.
Always have a career plan in
mind and try to anticipate any
changes in your organisation
that could lead to other future
transitions being made.
Having survived redun-
dancy, you now have lifelong
skills to more effectively risk-
manage your career well into
the future.
■ Warren Frehse, Career Transition
Consultant, and Author of Manage
Your Own Career: Reinvent Your Job;
Reinvent Yourself
ASK KATE Raising kids at the interview
LAURA writes: Is it OK for a
prospective employer to ask if
you have children in a job
interview? I’ve been to a few
interviews lately and been
asked: Do you have any
children?
Of course I’m honest but I
believe it’s going against me. I
had all the experience
required for the roles but have
been unsuccessful in getting
the job. What can I do to
prevent this going against me
in the future?
ANSWER: Laura, employers
are on shaky ground with this
question but unless you can
prove they didn’t employ you
because you had children,
then it would be hard to claim
discrimination.
If you feel compelled to be
honest, ensure you put the
information in context.
They are asking out of fear
so make sure you tease out
their particular fear and
address it.
Example: So Laura, tell us
about yourself, do you have
children?
Answer: What an interesting
question. I’m curious as to
why you ask it. Are you
particularly family-friendly or
have there been concerns in
the past about employing
people with children? It might
help me supply the
information you really need.
OR: I have three fantastic
kids. I am not sure why you are
asking but if you fear lack of
commitment, my childcare
arrangements are x, y, z and as
you can see, I have x
qualifications and x
experience so focus and
dedication while also being a
mother is not an issue. What
about you? Do you have
children?
What I would really like to
answer is: Why? Do I need
children to do this job? Or:
What is the relevance of
having children to this job? Or
even: Wait, I need to switch on
my tape recorder. Now, repeat
the question. — KATE SOUTHAM
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