I Was Fired From My Job Last Week! What You Need To Do To Get Back On Your Feet As Quickly As Possible.
Giving you the secret sauce!
Yes, for the second time in my career I was fired! Just saying that “Fired” tends to make my stomach tie itself into a knot. I hate it and its a word you never get used to even though you think you are prepared for it but your not.
My employer let me go on Wednesday right after the Labor Day Weekend. I was not prepared for it at all. It was not until the boss showed up from California unannounced that perked up my antennas.
“Something is up!” I remember telling myself that morning, maybe today is the day that I will be free from my bondage to pursue another and better paying position.
It was close to lunch when I got called to the Conference Room to be told that I was not working out for them and that they decided to let me go. Of course like I said before you are never ready for that as its a feeling as if being kicked out of group of friends. It hurts!
But at the same time I kept my composure and even though this is a negative event I could not help but feel relief that it was all over. You see I was never comfortable there, the atmosphere was very stressful and the micromanaging was too much! Every day I had to sit in the car for a few minutes and mentally prepare for drudgery that the place had. I had to force myself to get out of bed in the morning to face these people.
You know that when it gets to that point its time to go. Usually, I would have been speaking to recruiters at this time but I kind of allowed myself to get comfortable which is NOT something I should have done. For some reason I thought I can push along even though I hated there. I guess the God’s heard my prayers and off I went.
What To Do Once You Get Fired.
- Emotions:
Take some time to compose yourself and take control of your emotions as getting fired can really rattle your nerves. Your brain will probably be in shock even though deep down inside you knew it was coming. Now its here and now you can start a new chapter
2. Call Your Loved One:
It makes sense that if you are married or have a loved one with you, then call them and let them know what happened. This could be a chance for you to vent a little, notice I said “Vent a little.” as its not the end of the world for you so there is no need for an emotional breakdown. Realize that events like this has happen or is going to happen to each and everyone of us. Once you tell them go directly home as you have something that you need to start doing.
3. Time To Get Rid Of Stuff:
Once I got home the first thing I did was to change clothes. The company I worked for gave us work Polos to wear with the company logo. Now that I no longer worked for them I grabbed the polo shirts and quickly tossed them to the trash! I have to say it did feel good doing that and I actually felt a sense of freedom and my anger subsided again to relief. I did this because it helps in healing and forgetting about what happened. If I kept the polo’s I would have been constantly reminded of what happened and would have affected my emotions and made my anger worse. So throwing out the polos was the first step in healing, besides they were cheap ass polos anyway.
4. Start Looking For Employment:
Grab your Laptop or Desktop and wipe the dust off your Resume as its time to get into that job hustle. Opened up Indeed, LinkedIn and Glassdoor and started my search! It makes sense to use different job boards as it will help you find jobs that may have not been in the other job boards. Place the keyword on the search bar and get ready to blast through the wall like a Bulldozer, like a Tsunami send your Resume to everyone on that list! Especially the “Easy Apply” type of jobs which you can send your Resume without having to fill out anything.
5. Make Your Job Search A Job!:
I still wake up at 6am like I did every morning when I had a job so that I do not fall out of the routine I already got used to. Shower, Brush my teeth and get dressed was the routine and I grab my laptop and start sending resumes to job boards from 8am to 5pm and sometimes even longer. Yes, people would say I would be spamming the job boards but I don’t care! The banks don’t want to hear that you can’t make payments. I spam the fuck out of those job boards I mentioned above. I hit recruiters on LinkedIn as well, either by DM or by going to their LinkedIn page and asking for them to see if they have any job openings that require my skills. Many recruiters are more than happy to take your Resume, keep using them and talking to them email them as well. I cannot tell you how many times recruiters helped me get into a well paying position even with contracts.
6. Become The Robot:
Every day like clockwork continue sending your Resume to the job boards. Don’t stop the more your Resume is sent out the better chances you will be found and somebody reach out with an opportunity for you. Time is of the essence! You can’t be wasting time feeling sorry for yourself! Once you do this after a day or so recruiters and employers will reach out to you either by phone or email. Treat every single of these opportunities with great importance as there is alot of competition for the very same job they are offering you so call them back or email them back immediately. No breaks for you to watch TV or whatever you are unemployed and broke asses need to work not relax. The only breaks you should give yourself is when you need a bathroom break or lunch other than that keep the momentum going.
7. Setting Up For Videos:
By the third day of being unemployed I was getting call back for Interviews! My Inbox was filling up with requests for interviews and of course I accepted them and started scheduling with them what time I was supposed to speak to them and wrote it out on my Calendar. Most of my interviews will be done through Zoom and Teams which is great as I would usually dress up with dress shirt and Tie, shaved and hair combed. Always have eithet Zoom or Teams on your phone as it makes it easier to manage and to talk to. Also with your phone you can mount it on a dresser so its eye level and the moderators can see your face. Also with your laptop near by do a quick research of the company on their website as its the first thing they will ask you. Also have your Resume opened as well so you can take quick glances to remind yourself of what you have done.
8. Smile Have An Outgoing Personality:
I have seen and heard other people interview and many are abysmal! Yes it can be a bit nerve racking but you have to put your nervousness to the side and speak confidently about your skills and what you have done. Remember an Interview is when you need to learn how to sell yourself. Answer the questions as best as you can and or course smile! I find that smiling tends to calm my nerves a bit so its a natural thing for me to do. Also I little trick I do when I use either Zoom or Teams on my phone is that rather than looking at the Interviewer I tend to be looking at the same myself, like that it will calm your nervousness and you will be able to speak more clearly and confidently.
9. Be Confident!
Need I say more!
By the 9/12 I was already offered a position and a offer letter was emailed to me and i accepted! Now I have to wait to get the background check done, Drug Testing and have my COVID card ready to be accepted into their company as a full time employee.
Like I said before do not waste your time being angry and instead turn that anger into action! No Job is stable so to think that it is and that you will never be fired or let go is just dumb, everyone is replaceable and that is the truth, so it makes sense to protect yourself and know that when the shit hits the fan.
