Job hunting after a redundancy

Redundancy can be a very stressful thing to go through. It can be challenging to have job security and then have it taken away, but most redundancies are not down to the employee. It often comes down to wider problems within the organisation and you should never blame yourself, if this has happened to you in your career. The important thing to think about, is how do you turn this negative into a positive?

Reasons for redundancy

• Your role within the company is no longer needed
• Your role no longer exists
• The company is cutting costs
• Business is either closing or moving

The reasons stated above are just a few potential reasons for being made redundant at work. The company is responsible for giving you an understanding as to why you are being made redundant. It helps with some closure and you should know your rights in this situation.

• Make sure your employer has given you a reason
• Make sure your employer has given you your notice period
• Have they offered or checked if there is alternative work within the company?

For more help and understanding regarding your rights, Click here to be redirected to the Gov.uk page where they can assist you further.

How to restart your job search

After you have had some time to process and understand your redundancy, you can begin to restart your job search. Depending on how long you were employed with the company, you may need to take some time to brush up on your CV writing skills and update any professional media profiles. Try and take some time to read, evaluate and make some changes to your CV. After all, depending on your role and length of service, your last role is still very important to your career development.

Try not to leave out your last job on your CV, employers will want to hear about your experiences, the skills you learnt and your achievements whist in that role. As long as you’re honest and stay positive, from a professional perspective, the redundancy shouldn’t bother them. So, make sure you talk positively about your experiences on your updated CV.

Take some time to think about what kind of jobs you want to apply for. Are you going to be looking for roles with a similar job title or are you going to try for the next step up? Take this in your stride and try and see it as another step in your career development. Find out what you want and start applying.

If you are going to restart your job search you need to be positive. This can be hard to ask of some people, redundancies can cause negative impact on your work life, so take the time you need and evaluate all of the good that came out of your employment there. Once you see the achievements and positive affects you had on the business, you can start to sell yourself better in interviews.

Finally, try and tailor your CV from the start of your job search. Use any spare time you may have to re-write and tailor CV’s to the different employers. This can help if you are under a time restraint and need a new role asap. Companies tend to pick up skills in your CV that are also in their job description requirements, so take a look at our past article ‘How important is it to tailor your job applications’ for further help on this.

Work-life balance

It may seem tempting but try not to spend every hour of everyday job searching. The less you rush around and the more you begin taking some time for yourself, you can start to see better results. Taking time and tailoring your CV, taking regular breaks and giving yourself some space from your job search, you may find yourself enjoying the search. It takes away some of the stress and allows you to have a more complex and refined job search. Applying for any job, anywhere can lead you to being unhappy and ending up with a job you do not want. Try your best to balance. Sometimes, time is a restraint and taking your time is not financially viable. Take this into consideration but pushing yourself too hard can have negative effects.

Interviews

When you are invited to interviews and asked about your last role, it is always important to tell the truth. You can let them know that you were made redundant and you can always let them know the reasoning, but always remain positive. Do not talk negatively about your previous employer, talk about your achievements and what you enjoyed about the role but how you are looking forward to developing in a new role. Never disrespect a company in an interview.

Restarting your job search after a redundancy can sometimes feel forced, but it doesn’t mean you can’t get the most out of this experience. Take the negative and turn it into a positive, you have the ability to find something new and continue positively in your career. It is an opportunity and you will see this when you start your new role.