Redundancy sucks. It can come with all sorts of feelings, from embarrassment to shame and even despair. But it sometimes comes with a bit of relief as well. A feeling of “I wouldn’t have quit, but I’m kind of glad I‘m not doing that anymore.” And then a bit of guilt, because you shouldn’t really be pleased that you haven’t got a job, should you?
MAYBE YOU SHOULD.
If it was making you unhappy, maybe now’s the time to think about doing something else. Yes, it’s easier said than done. The clock is ticking on the mortgage, bills are still coming in, you can’t stay unemployed for too long, but you do have options.
One possibility:
Take a job that pays ok but not particularly well and almost certainly not like your previous job. But it pays the bills and you don’t take it home with you – big bonus (shop assistant, customer service agent, tele sales, tutoring, pub/café/restaurant). You just do the shift/hours and go home. Meanwhile, you spend the freed up mental time (that you’re not wasting on hating your career) to work out what you really want to do. That’s actually the hard part, but it’s doable, and I have something to help you (see below).
“I was made redundant. I’m 61 and wanted some direction on what to do next. In the first phone call, Gabriel neatly summed up what she thought we’d cover and she got it spot on. Together with her, I achieved the goals I was after. She is really talented at making you look at issues in a different way. She’s never prescriptive and always encouraged me to approach things in a way that makes gradual progress. The change of mindset has been a positive change and a refreshing addition to my life generally. I’m now using it in other aspects of my life. Gabriel’s style is patient but she also challenges you to think about your life.She doesn’t judge but does make you think about the way forward. I relished her level of challenge.”
Stephen Palmer, Communications Manager
Another possibility:
Decide that you will take another job like the one you just left, BUT you will spend time and energy during that job (what I call a “stepping stone job”) to work out your next step. You’ll have a greater sense of financial security than the previous option. Yes – you have to go back to the kind of work you don’t like, but you’ve made the decision that it’s temporary and you have a plan for how to get out of it. MBA? Another qualification? Some kind of professional or technical training which will get you where you want to go? Working part-time on another income stream which you will switch to when it becomes viable financially? There really are a lot of possibilities.
And here’s another one: pay cut!
Yes, they’re all the rage right now. Some people have identified that what they don’t like about their job is the burnout, the stress, the working weekends and the complete lack of work-life balance. So maybe a company which allows you to do the kind of work you like but without the hours, and not so much money? Think about whether this is financially feasible for you and whether it’s something you could look into.
What do I do next?
…when you want to do something different, but you don’t know what. You’ve probably talked about it with a few people, and thought about it lots, but that’s as far as you’ve got. You don’t know what you’re looking for, but you know you don’t want to go back to what you were doing before.
Have a look at this,
and see if it helps:
Want to get clear on exactly what’s keeping you stuck? Download my 10 self-coaching questions and start making progress today.
It’s ten questions designed to help you think more clearly about what’s bogging you down with the problem or decision you’re wrestling with. Each question will enable you to nail down specifically where you’re stuck and show you what you need to do next. I encourage you to do the writing where it says so – there’s nothing like getting it out on the page to see where you are and where you aren’t.
Have a look at the websites below which might be useful. AND if you want to talk about whether coaching could help with all this clarity and decision-making, you know where to find me!