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RSS feedsRedundancy is a reality that we all face in our working life as business shrinks and grows, old roles become redundant to technology and new ones appear.
Remember, it is not you that is redundant it is your job. In the previous article we discussed the process of being made redundant, here we will look at what to do next and how to find your next job.
Self Audit
Begin by knowing yourself. It may be some time since you last went hunting for a job and both you and your profession may have changed significantly since then.
The harsh reality of mass redundancies is that it leaves a lot of people, with skills similar to yours, on the streets and creates a lot of competition.
It's important that you emphasise your unique skills and abilities, particularly your willingness to adapt and learn new skills quickly.
By sitting down and assessing your strengths and weaknesses, past instances where you excelled and difficulties you encountered, you will have a clearer idea of where to start looking for your next job.
During a time of increased redundancies, employers are inundated with applicants. The more desperate these applicants appear the less employable or valuable some companies perceive them to be.
With a clear indication of your strengths you will be able to target your job search at companies and vacancies that really are looking for people like you.
Don't out rule the possibility of a career change, or career 'modification'. In today's modern and fast moving world skills are interchangeable. There is always value attached to the business acumen that you have so far acquired in your previous jobs.
Experience such as dealing with clients, confident negotiating skills, accepting responsibility, supervising people, managing projects and meeting deadlines are transferable between seemingly very different roles.
Most importantly you need to keep a positive frame of mind intact from the outset. Begin by seeing the redundancy as an opportunity for a new direction.
Think of your redundancy package as a possible windfall if you succeed in promptly finding a job. Act quickly and keep the momentum going, as the longer the process takes the more your confidence will erode.
If necessary stay away from places such as job centres or menial temporary work which is likely to depress you. Maintaining your self esteem is vital for making the right impression at interviews.
Where to look
Knowing where to look for vacancies is a creative task that requires a lot of proactive effort from the individual, and the internet has made this much easier.
The task of looking for vacancies warrants a whole article on its own, so we'll briefly remind you about some advantages and pitfalls of the more obvious methods.
The company which has made you redundant should be offering you access to career advisors and recommended recruiters. An obvious place to start is to contact the company's HR department and ask to make contact with the recruitment company they previously used to staff your department.
Although networking is a task that is difficult to develop at short notice, it is surprisingly effective. Try to contact your company's competitors, as they may be interested in former employees of their rivals.
If you have been dealing with outside clients in a similar industry to yours approach them too, as they will at least have a good idea of your ability and may pass on recommendations to others in the industry.
If you have a highly specialised skill or a professional background then the most obvious first stop would be a recruiter in your industry. Their personalised attention can boost your confidence and provide you with targeted opportunities.
Make them do the work for you. The benefit of recruiters is that they have personally met you and discussed your background, they have the employer's ear and can secure you an interview without competing with hundreds of other CVs.
By searching the back pages of trade magazines or seeking recommendations from colleagues, it's relatively easy to track down profession-specific recruiters.
Alternatively you may wish to do the leg work yourself, but be careful about applying for too many positions. It may take several hours to apply properly for one single vacancy, so you need to be selective to avoid wasting time.
Traditionally magazines and newspapers were the obvious place to look but this has been upstaged by the internet, which offers the same service on a much larger scale.
Unless you're a graduate, lacking any meaningful experience, it's a waste of time to apply to companies on speculation as this can appear to be a desperate measure.
Of course there is nothing wrong with selecting a number of specific companies in your sector that you would genuinely like to work for and forwarding your CV to them, as long as they are companies that recruit regularly.
Job hunting online
It is estimated that more than four million people in the UK already use the internet to search for jobs.
One way or another you will end up using this invaluable resource, either to email your CV to a recruiter, search for vacancies, pick up tips and advice (such as this article), compare salaries, update your skills or subscribe to an email alert service.
There are many other less obvious applications such as using chat forums, keeping up-to-date on the latest industry developments (to impress the interviewer), researching the company you are applying to, doing online psychometric tests, downloading CV templates or even conducting a webcam interview.
All of these are offered by vnunet.com and many of the other job sites. In short, recruitment is one area that has significantly benefited from the development of the internet.
Many of the job sites in existence today are simply electronic versions of traditional agencies. The key to making the most of this resource is to browse several, register with them and gauge the response you receive, settling on a handful in order to cover all your bases.
It's important that you find a site that is easy to use, has a wide selection of jobs in your field, is refreshed regularly and offers more than just 'adverts'.
Some sites simply list jobs, making them not much more than a notice board. Others appeal to such a broad sector that you're likely to be applying for a job along with thousands of others.
Most professional sites will have some sort of email alert service which will do the searching for you and email you with a list of suitable vacancies. This can be a revelation provided that the search criteria work accurately.
Other premium sites also function as a proper recruitment company, asking you to register your CV with them.
Some of their clients prefer not to advertise to the general public and rely on the job site to sift through registered CVs using powerful matching databases. Be sure that they treat your CV and details confidentially.
The best sites will also provide you with comprehensive advice, such as tips on writing CVs, succeeding in interviews, applying for jobs, interactive Q&As, free career assessments, salary checkers and more.
Some even go so far as offering workplace advice to try and lure in non-active job seekers. It can be refreshing to fulfil all your needs from one site.
Like all activities on the internet it requires a little surfing before finding a site that really suits you. The ultimately test is the quality of jobs that you find on the site.
Finally, there are a number of websites offering advice specifically to those who have been made redundant. You are not alone; many others have experienced this (including the author of this article!).
Once again, it is important to remain positive and see the career movement opportunities from the experience. With the above advice you should be well on your way to something better.
Useful websites:
All IT Careers and skills
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