With inflationary pressures and companies tightening up their payroll, it’s not uncommon for companies to let employees go. Being laid off is one of the most difficult things to experience, especially if you are like many people who find themselves unable to get into a new job quickly. Whether you were fired or laid off, moving on to the next thing should be your focus. Here are some tips and details to keep in mind.
Laid Off Versus Furloughed
One of the first things to do is to know your status with the company. A furlough often occurs when there are temporary changes to employment, such as the need to pause a project you’ve been working on. If you are laid off, that means you no longer have a permanent position with the company, and it’s time to move on. Most often, furloughed employees will still maintain their basic benefits, like health insurance. That does not happen when you are laid off from work.
Once you know what the company’s long-term plans are for you, you can then begin to determine your next steps. If you’re furloughed, you may want to look for part-time work, but if you’ve been let go, it’s time to think about your future.
Register for Unemployment
You may qualify for unemployment, a way for the state to help you fund some of your expenses while you are looking for work. Whether or not you qualify depends on your history with the company and the reason you were laid off. Still, it’s a good idea to check into unemployment opportunities since this could help you to stay on your feet financially as you work towards your next opportunity.
Know Your Rights
Before you start looking for your next job, take a few minutes to consider where you stand right now.
- Does the company offer severance pay? Don’t assume they will give it to you. Instead, ask if this is provided and what it entails.
- Learn about your health insurance options. Most often, you’ll be eligible to purchase COBRA insurance after your health insurance benefits expire, but this can be expensive. It’s best to ensure you set up a plan for putting health insurance in place now.
- Find out if you had vacation time owed to you. If you were laid off, the company may still owe you these funds.
- Transfer your retirement benefits to your own account. It’s always a good idea to work with human resources to know what your rights are here, too.
Stop and Take Inventory
If you’ve been fired or laid off, it’s time to think about your future. Take a few minutes to sit down to think about your needs and goals, examining the most important aspects of your life.
- Do you enjoy the field you’ve been in?
- Do you want to pursue something else?
- What about your schedule? Does it fit your life?
- Do you have physical limitations that have worsened over your lifetime?
- Perhaps you don’t want another temporary job but a career.
It’s also important to pay attention to what you’re feeling right now. For example, you could be angry that you put in a lot of time at the other job and were treated like this. You could be afraid and confused. Recognize that’s normal. No one likes to see a layoff letter or receive a phone call like this. Now, it’s time to focus on your future, though, and you’re fully in control over what happens next.
Consider the Value of More Education
It is quite common for people who leave a job to find themselves wondering if they can take another path, perhaps in a completely different field. That is a possibility. The key here is to brush up on your skills even if you plan to remain in the industry you’ve worked in at some time in the past. The key here is to recognize that getting more education helps you compete against people who may not have much training or haven’t freshened up their skills in some time.
Look for various educational options available to you. You certainly could go to college or consider a community college for those who are interested in an associate degree. On the other hand, you may want to invest in a new skill and may wish to enter into a trade program. These types of courses can be empowering to you when taking on a new future.
Take Some Computer Training Courses
Today, more than ever, the need to have good computer skills is critical in many areas of the workforce. If you do not have a lot of experience in that area, you may feel as though you’re being left out of core opportunities. The good news is there are options to help you.
For example, Goodwill of Central and Northern Arizona offers free programs to help people to pick up on these highly valuable skills. You can learn the basics of computer use and how to present those skills to your potential next employer. This is one of the easiest ways to boost your skills and qualify for your next job.
Freshen Up Your Resume
Next, check out your current resume. Is it accurate? Does it really paint the story of a worker that’s reliable and ready to take on any challenge? If not, it’s time to freshen it up. Goodwill of Central and Northern Arizona can help you here, too. The employment services provided not only can help you find a job and get the skills you need but also help you to create a resume that’s impressive and actionable, one that people want to use to hire you. Take some time to consider the wide range of skills you have that you don’t even realize are valuable to your next employer. Goodwill will help you to do just that.
Work to Boost Your Online Profile
All forms of social media are a component of your next job application. Worried about that? There’s no doubt that employers take a look at the social media accounts of those that are considering hiring because they want to get to know you.
If you haven’t done so yet, create a LinkedIn profile and showcase the work you’ve done. Speak positively and in an engaging way, limiting any type of comment that would seem to be inappropriate from a business standpoint. Make sure that whatever you are posting online is going to help you get a job and not take away from it (you can always limit who can see your posts).
Check Out Job Services
Goodwill also provides help finding a job. Perhaps you are just needing a bit of help networking and finding a position that’s not posted online. This is an excellent reason to turn to Goodwill. Here, you can work with the team who can help you to locate available positions, some of which are not readily advertised.
Keep in mind that there’s no cost to you for using any of these employment services. Meaning it’s real help that can change your future that is available to you simply because you live in the area. Reach out to learn what resources are available to you today.
