It’s stunning when a job that we had yesterday, is no longer there today. Losing a job is more than losing the “work” that was in your inbox and on your status sheet. It’s about losing a way to make a living, a purpose, a community, a team, and a dynamic experience that shapes our lives. Whether it was time for you to move on, or moving on was decided for you as a result of layoffs, role eliminations, or workforce reduction due to budgeting and economic turbulence, you may feel shock, confusion, and uncertainty about what to do next and how to move forward. The Knock Method is a 5 step framework for building high quality career connections and relationships. And before you begin to build relationships with others, the relationship you have with yourself matters the most. Feeling grounded, focused, a sense of clarity, and regaining a sense of purpose will help guide you as you seek your next career opportunity and build your meaningful career.
Here are 6 C’s and steps to follow to get out of your head, step aside from the worry and doubt, and begin to generate ideas and take action to move forward with intention and positivity. These 6 C’s are outlined below, and download the corresponding worksheet: 6 C’s: How to Move Forward After Job Loss to guide yourself to your next fulfilling career opportunity.
Here’s a preview of the worksheet.
CARE
Take care, accept care. Take care of yourself by getting rest, exercise, and healthy nutrition. Make sure you’re leaning on others and connecting with loved ones. Grieve the loss and get support from a mentor, manager, coach, therapist, or doctor as needed. Take a look at these tips for taking care of yourself after job loss.
COMPASSION:
Receive acts of compassion. Dr. Jane Dutton and Dr. Monica Worline, the authors of Awakening Compassion at Work teach us that compassion is an active response to suffering. While you may feel embarrassment, reduced self-esteem or confidence, or feel like detaching, those who care about you may be taking action to offer their support and help. If you’re able to, accept those acts of compassion, whether they are introductions for job leads, referrals, recommendations, or references for future employers, or just to take you to lunch, these acts of kindness can help. You can pay it forward when you’re back on your feet.
CONNECT:
Connect for Resilience. You may feel isolated as the result of your job loss. To counteract this feeling, reach out to connect, whether it’s with a family member or friend who will listen, a former colleague who works at a great company and knows about future job openings, a mentor, manager, or coach, building and nurturing relationships will help you feel cared for, and take steps to move forward towards your next great job opportunity. Connecting with others and leaning into relationships will help you build resilience and strength to move forward. (Learn about when a work project didn’t go so well and how I recovered. by leaning into relationships)
If you want to build new career connections and build your professional network but you’re not sure where to begin, join the next KNOCK Neighborhood Night, a monthly free career chat hosted by me, Rebecca Otis Leder, where you can bring your questions, get feedback, ideas, and career growth resources, and meet others also looking to build their meaningful career.
CARRY OVER:
Determine the carry-over: What did you like about your former role, team, and employer that you’d like to carry over into your next opportunity? What skills were you using that you got fulfillment out of that you’d like to continue to use to contribute to your next role and employer?
CUT OFF:
Take control with a cut-off: After experiencing a layoff, individuals may have a sense that they’re not in control of their own career. Take the power back by adding the parts of your recent role and employer that you wouldn’t be disappointed to leave behind. Here’s your opportunity to decide what you don’t want to do and what you can remove from your plate, and when doing so, it would make you happier.
CARRY ON:
Set direction to carry on: Have you heard of a friend or former colleague who likes their current employer and it piqued your curiosity? Write it down and reach out for an informational interview. Do research. Go broad before narrowing in on opportunities to pursue (unless you already have something in mind). Conduct a Linkedin search for skills, role titles, and your professional interests. Explore job descriptions and notice the common requirements and characteristics to start to set direction. Identify which skills your desired roles are expecting. If you already have them, great! If you have room to grow, look for ways to build those skills to position yourself for those optimal roles.
While losing a job can be a huge knock to your confidence and feel like a big setback, take these steps to pick yourself back up and build resilience, leading to your next best career move. See this as an opportunity to grow in the way that you want to. Onward and upward!
How I Can Help
I’d like to help you along your career journey as a career coach, resume or cover letter editor, or mentor, submit a coaching request form, grab a copy of my career development bestseller, KNOCK: How to Open Doors and Build Career Relationships that Matter, or schedule a call and let’s see how we can help you move towards a fulfilling, meaningful career.
If you’re looking to help your teams move forward with resilience after a restructuring, or to help them build the skills to handle any career challenge that comes their way, schedule a consult and let’s chat about a career, talent, or leadership development workshop that fits your needs, such as my team building and employee leadership workshop: Build Career Relationships and Resilience.
