Many people find themselves entering the employment market as a consequence of elements beyond their control, e.g. downsizing, relocation of function(s), a company exiting a market, a company going into liquidation, merger fallout, other changes in corporate strategy and, more recently, as a result of the global pandemic. Once over the initial shock, the reality sets in that a new role needs to be found. This can be a nerve-racking experience for anyone and the longer a person is looking for that new role, the more difficult it can be to stay level-headed and put the best foot forward during the search.

Down through the years, I have worked with many people who found themselves out of work. I encountered reactions ranging from accepting and positive to disbelief and panic to complete surrender and depression, with many variations in between. If you unexpectedly find yourself looking for a new job, the following tips will help you stay focused and sane:

Stay Positive: It is human nature to get disheartened if, for example, the CV you sent has been rejected for the umpteenth time, or you are not getting any/enough interviews. There is nothing to be gained in getting caught up in the negativity of perceived failure. Whatever the situation, staying positive will help you make the best of it.

Accept the change as an opportunity: Embrace the situation as an opportunity to make a change in your career for the better. If the search is not going well, make adjustments along the way. And when things go wrong, adjust your focus and concentrate on how you can do better.

Keep your eyes and ears open: Keep in touch with peers from your industry and specialist recruiters. Review industry job-sites and keep in touch with industry news daily, ideally first-thing, and apply immediately when you see or hear of a vacancy.

Stay flexible and adaptable: Apply for any role in your space you feel you could carry out, even if it’s not ideally what you want long-term. Companies generally seek to keep good employees happy, so as long as the career potential is there for you, embrace any change in direction and put all your efforts into securing the role. Many leaders in organisations now carry out roles far removed from their first role – the most successful people are the adaptable ones.

Create your own success: You can take responsibility, or you can blame others and lose all control. The right thing to do and the hard thing to do are usually the same. Accept the responsibility for your progress and stay focused.

Accept knockbacks as normal: You will likely have a number of false starts before securing a new role. The process can be both frustrating and challenging from day one. There may seem to be no reason why, say, that employer hasn’t called you for interview or that you were not successful following an interview which you perceived to go well. There are many factors at play when a company is making a hire, so if you are knocked back, accept it as part of the process and move on to the next opportunity.

There are only outcomes or excuses: The only way to ensure you'll secure a new role is by making no excuses today. For many people, the only things standing between them and their goals are the stories they keep telling themselves about why they can't achieve these goals.

Stay determined and persistent: Successful people know that persistence always wins. As Winston Churchill said, success is stumbling from failure to failure with no loss of enthusiasm.

Above all, when the going gets tough, keep going!

Frank Whelan - Managing Partner