Redundancies are well and truly in the air these days, with thousands of job losses announced already this year and many more to come. If you are lucky you will have a choice to accept a payout (or not) AND have time to prepare, plan for and secure your next job. If  none of these things apply to you and redundancy sneaks up on you quickly, then you may find my  Career First Aid tips helpful.

These 5 tips are for people whose career and work situation requires immediate and urgent attention. They are intended to help  ease the pain of job loss and get your thoughts and actions heading in the right direction. They are not a substitute for good career planning and management (please see my Healthy Career Checklist to help with that) but they are foundations for a strong and resilient work-life.

To me, one of the most critical things in surviving and even thriving through redundancy is adopting a positive mindset. Some years ago, redundancies were on offer at the organisation I worked for and after quite a bit of soul-searching and planning my next move, I decided it was the right thing to do. However, even in these positive circumstances there was still lingering  self-doubt about whether I was doing the right thing – to leave a job I had liked and which provided the financial security my family needed. As it turned out I absolutely made the right decision, as I was fast approaching my “use by” date in the role and needed to refresh my career.

For many people out there of course, redundancy is not a choice. It comes as a shock and is often a massive blow to their confidence and self-worth. It can then be an enourmous test of resilience to get past the anxiety and hurt and to take positive action. If you are in this situation (or know someone who is)  then I hope my career first aid tips help. Also feel free to send me a question and I’ll get back to you as soon as I can.

What are your thoughts about surviving redundancy? Share your story or comments.