Work Seeker, Part 2!

Were You Pushed? Or Are You Jumping?


The Trapdoor Opens…

So, one day, you’ve walked into your workplace and received an invitation from the boss to join him/her in the office for a “chat”…or maybe you walked into a group huddle, with a couple of managers holding court to your grim-faced colleagues…or even, the boss suddenly appears (ashen-faced) with a stranger or two, calls a mass meeting there and then, and introduces The Receivers… 

However the blow is delivered, the end result is the same – suddenly, you’re rendered ‘unwanted’, your job will be gone in one/two/four weeks (or even immediately, if the Receivers have taken over), your career seems to be in tatters; you have suffered an almighty dent to your ego, your heart and soul seems to be in free-fall…

 

STOP RIGHT THERE! Remember my scenario from the foreword in Part 1? Get a grip on the situation – don’t just storm out. From that point on, you need to control your own future – and this is where basic psychology can be your ally. 

Receivership aside, you owe it to yourself to show the boss what you’re made of, instead of collapsing into a heap of tear-soaked tissue – and I’ve found the best way to deal with that hard “Letting you go” cliché is to try smiling, and then say “Thank you” as flat-voiced as possible – then pluck up the courage to ask if there are any other positions within the company that you might fit into! If they say “No”, follow the request with another - for a good reference, and if he/she/they might know of any companies that may be able to offer you a post; “Nothing ventured, nothing gained” – a maxim worth sticking to! 

It may sound foolhardy, but it’s worked for me three times, now – and aside from fettling your mettle for the impending search for a new post, you may also have the satisfaction of regaining the upper hand as well as seeing some embarrassed, downcast expressions… 

If the answer was negative, however, then you may feel the benefit of this next simple exercise: walk steadily from the office/huddle/group meeting, take a ‘casual’ stroll outside the building…and utter whatever profanities that you like, as loud as you want (best out of earshot, though!). Once you’ve vented your anger, stroll back inside and visit the washroom; perhaps even sit in a cubicle and have a good cry if you wish, but try not to block the loo with soggy tissue, as your colleagues may wish to follow suit!  

When you’re through that stage, follow another simple exercise: step up to the mirror, close your eyes; take a deep breath as you pull your shoulders back and tilt your face to the ceiling – then slowly exhale, lower your chin and open your eyes, stare into that mirror – then say (or just resolve, mentally), “This is the first day of the rest of my life – I’m going to beat this!”… and mean it! 

It may seem like a trivial, childish thing to do, but it’s worked for me when I’ve suffered the blow of losing the jobs I’ve wanted to keep; it helps to retain confidence, and gives a boost to the morale. Making that 'resolution' is a declaration of psychological intention, and shows ‘grit’ when forced onto a slippery slope. It’s a ‘fighting’ statement, and from that moment on you have to fulfil that promise to yourself - there can be no question of failure, because your livelihood depends on your ability to bounce back, and that is what you must do! 

If there are no other opportunities within the company and no recommendations to follow up, then you need to exit with dignity and begin the search as soon as humanly possible, for your own sake and self-respect. Be sure to enquire if your ex-employer will allow you time off to find replacement employment – most companies will comply with this very reasonable request, even if it means using a day or two each week of notice from whatever holiday entitlement you may have (after all, they are the ones terminating the contract!).  

If you have no ‘leave’ available, then sadly, it will have to go unpaid; it’s much more important that you find new employment as soon as possible, than to wait until your time is up – especially if any or all of your colleagues are dropped into the same situation, as you will obviously be in direct competition when that time comes. The sooner you start your search, the greater your chances of success! 

 

…Or Perhaps The "Grass Is Greener"?

Of course, job or career change does not necessarily have to be under such duress; you may not have been “cast out” and under pressure of ‘notice to leave’, but instead, you might be looking to change your workplace because you may have “seen the writing on the wall”, perhaps even fallen out with a colleague (or the boss, for blocking your promotion or internal move, etc), or you may simply wish to move on to something new; a change of scenery, higher salary, better conditions, etc…  

The reasons for change are as variable as human nature, but anyone with experience of even a single job change will know that it can seem like an overwhelming task, very much a serious change that needs detailed attention – it could so easily go very wrong if you don’t take the right action at the right time. Whatever you do, though, when job-hunting from a position of employment, don’t tell anyone in your workplace (or anyone connected) of your intentions, as it will almost certainly get back to your Manager; life may become a little delicate until you have declared your intention to go or stay, once new employment has been offered elsewhere. 

For one instance, though, a few words of caution:  Sometimes it is tempting to think that making the threat to find another job might yield a pay-rise or promotion, in the belief that the management value your skills and knowledge and will throw out a lifeline to stop you from leaving…but don’t do it!  

Such blackmail very rarely works – more often than not your employer will show dismay then call your bluff and you’re immediately on a cleft stick, placing yourself in an untenable position with a tattered esteem; it would be “Put up or shut up”-time – so you’ll need a definite job to go to if the bluff fails. Without that ‘next-job’ safety net, you would be taking a very considerable gamble – and it will almost certainly fail, if your employer has background commercial issues that you may not be aware of; recessions can seriously weaken such standings, so attempting such a dangerous bluff can be disastrous. Be very, very careful – I write from personal experience … 

However, there can be interesting developments if you manage to secure another job, then hand in your ‘Notice’ and suddenly receive an unexpected retainer offer; you would then have the pleasant option to be able to negotiate a better deal with your boss – sometimes greater than he/she will originally offer in order to hold on to you. If that situation arises, you can then be in the advantageous position of choosing the best option, and have the satisfaction of saying “Thanks, but no thanks” to whichever party you wish! 

 

Your Search Begins... 

For those of you who have just lost (or are just seeking to change) a job for the first time, beginning such a work search can be doubly daunting – but it need not be so, as long as you always hold back from a headlong rush and consider every next step, carefully and patiently. You need to start your search in a calm state of mind, seek out what you feel you are best suited to – and the obvious places to start are all the local newspapers, followed by regional papers, then national dailies (if you seek to move to another area, perhaps, for a fresh start) – and of course, don’t forget the Internet – there are literally thousands of jobs listed on the ‘web, in hundreds of different fields, some job lists even ‘begging’ perusal on opening some Internet Explorer Homepages when you log-on to the web… 

It also helps to consider other paths back into employment - different avenues of occupation by way of skill-matching; in other words, if the right job isn't on the market at the right time for you when you need it, could you turn your skills and knowledge to work in other fields - at least until a better-suited post might come along? Several times in my own past, I have side-stepped into parallel employment (in engineering), somethimes taking a slightly 'backward' step into a role that I'd previously either worked at or bypassed from preference; each time this has happened, it was just a temporary step until better times, simply to keep an income flowing - pride must take a back seat when needs drive...

If trolling through the world’s job lists seems too tedious (you can obviously restrict an On-Line job search to region, as well as field), and you can’t find anything immediately interesting or feasible in your local/national newspapers, pull out your copy of the Yellow Pages and start by checking and cross-checking the Employment Agencies in your area – you would probably find it somewhat advantageous to begin contacting them for job and career postings, as they often deal with permanent postings that aren’t publicly advertised, because the Client company is employing the agencies to filter-out suitable/unsuitable candidates to save themselves a lot of referencing work. 

Don’t forget to ask for their advice on possibly working direct for these agencies as a Temporary Contract Staff worker; this method of working can have several advantages, beside variety of work - many people who begin Temping often end up permanently employed for the company they are sent to, as some companies use Agencies in this manner to “try out” staff without the initial full-employment commitment, then offer permanent contracts to the best workers at the end of the defined “Temporary” period. Agencies rarely lose out on this as they usually charge a form of ‘Transfer’ fee to the Client company, so it is not usually a problem to change to permanent in this manner if you find a particular post that you’d like to stay on…although sometimes, the salary can either dip or climb, depending on the value of the original Employer-Agency contract… 

I worked for one Agency (off and on, following the above pattern) for almost five years; a wonderful variety of work, both short-term [as little as three days!] and longer-term [one contract lasted seven months], and the experience helped me to brace myself for job change on a frequent basis - hence this Blog!

Again, there will be “pros and cons” working for Agencies, especially where holiday entitlements and sick pay benefits are concerned - these details need discussing at whatever interviews arise from enquiries anyway, whether the Agency itself, or their Client Employer; be sure to get such details in writing.

 

With some Agencies, however, you may be required to become “self-employed”, so you will therefore need to register with the Tax Office with regard to National Insurance & Income Tax payments. Some people thrive once self-employed, but many can find the change of status somewhat daunting – it’s very much an individual decision, best made with expert advice at every step; the choice is very much yours!

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Next: Part 3 - "Sorting Your "Toolkit"!