{"id":82020,"date":"2020-08-23T03:14:47","date_gmt":"2020-08-23T11:14:47","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.pickthebrain.com\/?p=82020"},"modified":"2020-08-27T00:15:41","modified_gmt":"2020-08-27T08:15:41","slug":"how-i-bounced-back-after-losing-my-job-at-26","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.pickthebrain.com\/blog\/how-i-bounced-back-after-losing-my-job-at-26\/","title":{"rendered":"How I Bounced Back After Losing My Job at 26"},"content":{"rendered":"
<\/div>\n

\u201cSurviving failure makes you bold. Out of devastating failure comes spectacular events.\u201d<\/em>– Linda Gottlieb<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

In the space of about a minute, I received a call that rendered me jobless. \u201cWe\u2019ve decided to let you go. Today will be your last day.\u201d As the news sunk in, my heart started thumping\u2026I was officially unemployed. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

All at once, visions started galloping through my mind like energetic horses: my hard-earned savings disappearing like rainfall down a drain, moving home, watching everyone move upwards. To lose my job within the midst of the pandemic felt like a nightmare.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

And what followed were days and days of stress. Losing my job felt like such an ugly, almost criminal mark on my record. I was full of self-pity.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

After the fifth day, I knew I needed to refocus. I\u2019d always been career-focused, so I decided to take action.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

1. I focused on my health<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

They say you should count your blessings, and that\u2019s what I did. I was only 26. I had a roof over my head. I had some savings. I had some experience. I wasn\u2019t alone. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

So, I decided to combat my issues with anxiety. You don\u2019t know how long you\u2019ll remain unemployed, so I\u2019d say it\u2019s a suitable time to focus on yourself physically and mentally (as well as consider how you\u2019ll cope financially). <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Start the road to recovery if you\u2019re suffering from a mental health problem (or any other health problem). Seek advice from your doctor. Take the time to understand your mind, body, and soul.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Other things to consider: you could also start a new exercise regime, learn to cook healthy meals, or try a relaxation regime, such as mindfulness, ASMR, or EFT tapping. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Don\u2019t forget to rekindle your passions or start a new one. You\u2019ll feel more confident in your abilities.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

2. I looked inwards<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

I researched ways to make money from home, freelance careers, alternative careers, you name it\u2026unemployment is the perfect time to look inwards and figure out what you actually want<\/em> to do with your life rather than what you think you should <\/em>do. We\u2019re often a slave to money and prestige. You have a blank slate. Use it.<\/p>\n\n\n\n


3. I revamped my employment profiles<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

My CV needed a serious revamp. I was still using a template I\u2019d downloaded from 2015! So, the first thing I did was pass it through a free CV check. This was really useful in giving me advice in terms of layout, keywords, and accessibility.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

I then tweaked my LinkedIn profile to improve its search engine friendliness. Sure, my CV and LinkedIn profile probably still need some work. But as my career progresses, I\u2019m looking forward to tweaking them, and my CV looks a lot more polished. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

4. I didn’t apply for a million and one jobs<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Thanks to my savings, I was in a lucky position. I didn\u2019t have to get a job straight away. So, I set myself the deadline of 3 months to review my job search and then widen it if necessary. But I think a tailored search is much more important. They don\u2019t say that \u201cquality is better than quantity” for nothing. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Because I had some time to look inwards and figure out what I wanted to do, I just didn\u2019t want <\/em>to apply for everything.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

5. I filled the gap on my CV<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

I was actually worried about having a gap on my CV, so I sought a volunteer job at a non-profit within my industry.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

I highly recommend the volunteer route if you need to build on or gain experience. If you do well, you could ask for a work reference, or you could even be offered a paid job. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

There are so many volunteer opportunities out there, and you don\u2019t even have to leave your home. You can be a volunteer barista, marketer, software developer, chef, editor, fundraiser, writer, teacher\u2026you name it!<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The final note<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

I tried to make sure I was doing \u201csomething productive\u201d each day in terms of my career, health, or personal development. And, eventually, I found the right opening.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

At the end of the day, it took me 9 weeks to get another job. Ultimately, I feel quite proud of myself for getting through uncertainty. A period of unemployment really opens your eyes to your intrinsic values and prompts you to assess what you actually need to survive and thrive. If you\u2019re going through the same situation, I believe in you!<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Biography<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Jenny Leung is an editor and digital learning professional, passionate about education, and motivating others. As a child, she could be found writing how-to guides and instructional worksheets (when most kids were writing stories). To find out more about Jenny or to get in touch with her, visit her profiles on Twitter<\/a> and LinkedIn<\/a>.<\/em><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

\u201cSurviving failure makes you bold. Out of devastating failure comes spectacular events.\u201d– Linda Gottlieb In the space of about a minute, I received a call that rendered me jobless. \u201cWe\u2019ve decided to let you go. Today will be your last … Continue reading →<\/span><\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":19208,"featured_media":82035,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_monsterinsights_skip_tracking":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_active":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_note":"","_monsterinsights_sitenote_category":0},"categories":[37,9,30,21,112,7748,31],"tags":[4645,7805,4629,198],"yoast_head":"\nHow I Bounced Back After Losing My Job at 26<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"A period of unemployment really opens your eyes to your intrinsic values and prompts you to assess what you actually need to survive and thrive.\" \/>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/www.pickthebrain.com\/blog\/how-i-bounced-back-after-losing-my-job-at-26\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" 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