We Got Fired, and We Accept It – Here's How to Secure a New Role That Suits Your Needs

Two professionals discussing career transitions
Professionals discuss their journey after job loss in a new book.

A new year's onset is often a period for contemplation, and for a lot of us, that involves evaluating our career trajectories.

Two publishing professionals who left their roles after corporate restructures originally thought it was catastrophic.

"I invested my heart into that role... I believed in the values we promoted. Yet, when it came to me, those principles were absent," a former editor says.

The two chose to say "dismissed" and suggest that being transparent about the situation can help you handle the event.

"People rely on countless alternative phrases for losing a job. However, the quicker you acknowledge it, the faster you're candid regarding it, the quicker you can move on.

"That is the direct path to whatever you want to do next," she notes.

Today, they are thriving in different roles, where one leading her own firm and another holding the position of lead editor for a high-end journal.

If you've lost your job or are just considering a shift, consider these four approaches that can help.

1. Contemplate The Previous Year

Individual reflecting about career

It's common to feel a bit low about work post-festive period.

A careers coach stresses the importance of reflection prior to launching a new job search.

She encourages individuals to think about what they want to increase, what to decrease, and which factors energizes or exhausts their drive.

Reviewing your past successes to identify common themes is useful too. "Try not to just looking at the most recent period, because we all have a tendency for recency bias that can hinder your judgment," she states.

Another professional states it is vital to establish what place your job plays in your life.

This means being truthful about how much time you devote to work and its effect on your personal and family life.

After being let go, she advises preventing your identity be defined by your career.

2. Implement Gradual Moves

Person taking small steps

The expert says people can implement small steps for a career transition without diving in headfirst.

She required a long period to move from a traditional job to managing her own business entirely, working on her project concurrently with her role, which meant self-funding from the start.

"It needed additional time, but that represented the method I used without risk," she comments.

She recommends a test-run strategy.

This might involve volunteer work, joining a professional project that captures your interest, or accepting a different task at your present job.

"The worst outcome, you discover you don't like, but it's preferable to find out now than after you've made the move," she remarks.

Additionally, she suggests looking into interim roles. These may not be the perfect role, yet they function as progress in the right direction, for example a position that shares traits to your target field, though not in the exact field.

"It involves giving yourself the space to say this is suitable temporarily, but that isn't for all time.

"That represents an intelligent approach for getting nearer to your new career."

3. Acknowledge Your Accomplishments

List of achievements

For anyone who has recently lost your job, many are in the same boat – redundancy rates have increased significantly in recent times.

One professional held a senior role for a fashion publication, but a few years ago she and her team were laid off after the company discontinued the physical magazine.

Recognizing that this was not a reflection of her skills helped her handle the transition.

"Your experience doesn't go away simply due to lost your job.

"Do not surrender your self-worth, it's vital for all individuals to recall their own value."

The other editor was let go after a decade at a financial magazine due to leadership changes at the top and the appointment of a new editor.

She stresses that a lot of the stigma of job loss is self-imposed.

"Given that hundreds of thousands of individuals facing redundancy, it's usually not about you. Chances are not your fault, so avoid carrying that ball of shame unnecessarily."

4. Create a Professional Checklist

Individual creating a checklist

If you're urgently looking for work or are profoundly unhappy in your current role, you might be tempted to apply hastily for any vacancy – ignoring your own happiness.

But this is a significant mistake.

Instead, she suggests an exercise called "browsing" – filtering opportunities to only position summaries that sound interesting.

She advises browsing professional networks and collecting a selection of that seem promising.

"Look for {the words|the

Hannah Stafford
Hannah Stafford

A seasoned gaming analyst with over a decade of experience in the online casino industry, specializing in slot machine mechanics and player psychology.