If you’ve ever been in a position where you have to figure out what to do when you lose your job, you know it can be scary.
Not knowing how you will financially provide for yourself or your family can cause an immense amount of stress. I know because my family has been there before. But what I’ve learned during those times is that there are things that can help during a very stressful time.
Because of what is going on in our world right now there are many people in a position where they have lost their job. For some it’s temporary, for others it’s permanent. It doesn’t matter how long you’ve lost employment, either way it’s difficult.
So what should you do if you’ve lost your job? Here’s some tips.
WHAT TO DO IF YOU’VE LOST YOUR JOB
TAKE A DEEP BREATH.
I know it’s scary. I know in the moment it looks really, really bad. But tons of people have survived job loss. No matter how bad you are financially, there is a way out of it. So take a deep breath. Trust that even though things look difficult today, they WILL get better. Allow yourself to cry, to get upset, to grieve the loss of your job. And then take a deep breath and tell yourself it’s going to be okay. Because it will.
I would also suggest praying. As a Christian I am a firm believer that prayer helps calm us down, and reminds us that God’s got this and that none of what is happening in our life is a surprise to Him. He has carried you this far, He will continue to carry you.
Sometimes I like to look back on the difficult times on my life. The reason being? I see one re-occuring theme and that is that God got me through it, and over time life got better. Hard times never stayed forever. No matter how dark it has gotten in my life there were more good times to have, more laughing to be done, and more joy to be found.
The same will be for you.
APPLY FOR NEW JOBS
You may have lost a really good job in your field of study. In the meantime it’s a good idea to apply for jobs that may be in your field of study, but also apply for ones that AREN’T.
When we lose a job we may need to work at a job we don’t love and feel overqualified for. That can be temporary. While you are at a new job that is just paying the bills you can take your time finding and applying for jobs you REALLY want. But for the time being take what you can get to pay the bills.
Years ago I remember watching an episode of Dr. Phil and his guest was without a job. Dr. Phil’s advice to the young gentleman was to make looking for a job his new full-time job until he found one. His point was that you need to be pounding the pavement as hard as possible when you’ve lost your job so that you can once again be in a position where you are financially stable.
CUT EXTRA EXPENSES FROM THE BUDGET
If you lost your job it’s a really good time to look over your budget and see what you can cut. Do you have subscriptions you can cancel? Are you paying too much for your cell phone service? Eating out too much? It’s time to stop spending money on those expenses for the time being. Basically, any extras need to be put on hold. that means just buying the essentials until you are back on your feet again financially.
SELL SOME ITEMS FROM AROUND YOUR HOME
We often have furniture or other items in our home that we don’t use anymore. Now is the perfect time to sell some of those things to make some extra cash. Use some online marketplace sites like Craigslist, Kijiji, or Facebook. Need some ideas on what to sell? Check out 10 household items you can sell for some quick cash.
PICK UP A SIDE HUSTLE
While you are looking for a full-time job to replace the one you lost, consider working a side hustle in the meantime. This could be anything from babysitting to online opportunities. For a list of ways you can make some extra cash on the side, check out this post here.
APPLY FOR UNEMPLOYMENT
Often you can apply for unemployment benefits which will give you a percentage of your paycheck you used to receive. While this won’t be the full amount of your previous pay, it will definitely help until you find another job.
SPREAD THE WORD
Often the last thing we want to do when we lose our job is tell others we aren’t working. However, this is a moment you will want to swallow your pride and let others know.
Why? Because people hear about jobs being available and if they know you are looking they will most likely share the opportunity with you. Depending on their connection they may even put in a good word for you!
CONSIDER A NEW CAREER DIRECTION
Maybe you’ve always wanted to change careers which would require you to either head back to school or take a big risk by leaving your current job. Sometimes when we lose a job it can be life changing for the good! Consider using this time to do what you always wanted to do. Go back to school, open up your own business, or retrain in other some form to finally go after the career you’ve always wanted to do but never felt it was the right time.
WHAT IF YOU’VE CONSTANTLY TRIED TO GET A NEW JOB AND IT JUST AIN’T HAPPENING?
The truth is, there are times in life where people do EVERYTHING they absolutely can and still can’t seem to find work. Maybe we’re in an economic downturn where your area has few jobs available. Maybe you’ve injured yourself or you have an illness that prevents you from working. Maybe you have dependants that you can’t leave to go to work and you are unable to find care.
Don’t beat yourself up about it. Do what you absolutely can in your circumstance. That might mean applying for unemployment for awhile and cutting back everything you can. If you know you won’t be working for a long time you might need to make the difficult choice of downsizing. Move to a smaller residence, get rid of one vehicle if you have two, and lower your overall living expenses.
For some people they’ve even had to make the difficult choice of moving from their area to a place that has a lower basic cost of living. If you live in an extremely high cost area and know you won’t be working for an extended period time, this might be a choice you will want to consider.
Whatever the situation, know that while the initial shock of losing your job can be painful, it can get better and you can be in a better place in your life. As the saying goes, “time times don’t last, but tough people do.” You are going to get through this, especially now that you know what to do when you lose your job.
