Job Search Tips: Find a Job After Being Fired from Work

Termination of employment is not an easy situation. Can you still land in a good job after being fired from work? How do you move on? These might be really tough questions to answer for you. Applicants oftentimes find it more difficult to look for a job when they were fired from their work. Most of them felt sorry for themselves. Some tried to lock themselves in their house and refuses to go out. There was even one couple in the news that committed suicide and killed their children because they were laid off from work. Some people tend to panic once they are in this type of a situation. While others remained calm. But what can we do to cope with this problem?

We need to understand first the difference between being laid-off and fired from work. Lay-off is the term used by the company when they need to reduce their workforce for some legal reasons in order for the business to survive. In some countries, this is also known as retrenchment. When a company is going to lay-off an employee, they will give you a written prior notice that is usually 60 days in the U.S. employment laws depending on your case. Other countries allow a 30 days written prior notice. The employee is also entitled to a severance pay depending on the length of service. Cases of lay-off are much easier to handle when you are looking for a new job. Prospective employers may already understand the situation.

On the otherhand, it may be more difficult to handle when you are being fired from work. It is also known as termination of employment at the discretion of the employer. Some reasons for firing an employee are non-performance of the job, insubordination, mishandling of funds, delinquent absenteeism, and a lot more. Perhaps, we can discuss the termination policy required by law in our future articles.

If such situation happens to you, here are some things that you can do to help you in your job search after being fired from work.

1. MANAGE YOUR EMOTIONS

A person needs to be able to control his/ her emotions before he/ she can move on. You might possibly undergo four stages after being fired from work.

1. Denial Stage - A person being fired by his/ her employer tends to deny the situation. He/ she refused to accept any fault at his/ her end.
2. Anger Stage - This is the stage that the employee felt some resentment towards his/ her former employer. The feeling of rage and revenge tends to rev up to the mind of the person. Not unless this is controlled, the person will find it hard to look for another job.
3. Depression Stage – This is the stage when the person already feels hopeless about his/ her case. He/ she felt that nothing can be done anymore. The level of self-confidence already went down. The person needs to open up to his/ her partner or family for support. He/ she needs to express his/ her feelings to them in order to help him/ her manage his/ her emotions.
4. Acceptance Stage – This is the stage that the person enables himself to evaluate the situation. He/ she now acknowledges what had happened and come to a realization that it is not yet the end of the world for him/ her. He/ she now learns to recognize that there is still hope. . . a better future still lies ahead of him/ her.

2. BE HUMBLE AND PRAY FOR GUIDANCE

It is not an easy situation when you are being terminated from work. You put too much pressure on yourself. It adds up to all the stress that you are experiencing in life. However, you need to pray for God’s guidance. In Luke 11:9 says, “Ask and it shall be given unto you.” It is always good to be humble and accept whatever mistakes you have committed at work. Do ask for forgiveness, too. Indeed, humility goes a long way. As the saying goes, “God uses our difficulties to develop our character.” Being fired from work, whether it is a rightful or wrongful termination, happens for a reason. You have to learn from your experience.

I have a friend who was terminated from work early this year because of some differences with her boss. She has been working with the company for two years. She made amendments with her employer. Actually, she was stressed out considering that the unemployment rate was rising. She was already 55 years old at that time. She feared that she won’t be accepted anymore because of her age. She was worried about her bills to pay. But she prayed and put her trust in God. She never lost hope. She worked hard in looking for another job. She was able to find a new employer after two months. She now works in one of the largest banks. Her present position fits her better than her last company based on her experience. She is now being recognized as the best employee of their branch. She is happy and thankful, too. The things that happened to her made her a better and stronger person. Indeed, prayer works for good.

3. DO NOT BAD MOUTH YOUR FORMER EMPLOYER

Usually, the first reaction of the employee being fired from work is to tell everybody about his/ her case. This is the most common mistake a former employee can do because it can affect him/ her. It would make it more difficult to look for another work.

Stop telling everybody you meet that you were terminated from work. Your immediate family is already enough to help and give you moral support. Just remember that your prospective employer will also do a background check. It would not be wise if they find it out through rumors. Your prospective employer can give you the benefit of the doubt even if you were terminated from work if you didn’t say anything negative about your previous company. Bad mouthing your previous company can implicate fear to your prospective employer. It is not good for your job search.

4. REGAIN YOUR SELF-CONFIDENCE

Being fired from work can affect the self-confidence of a person. You begin to feel helpless and sometimes worthless. How you see yourself before starts to change. You become moody, irritable and impatient. There are those who shy away from people. However, you should be able to regain your self-confidence and self-esteem in order to help you in your job search. Learn to differentiate self-confidence from bragging. Do not brag.

How can you regain your confidence? Try to make a list of the things that you can do and cannot do. Focus more on those things that you can do and within your control. Use these to your advantage when you apply for work. Do not highlight those that are uncontrollable. You will just feel disappointed. Any prospective employer would like to hire somebody who has confidence in himself. Somebody who knows what he/ she can do for their company. They are more interested on somebody who knows his/ her strengths and weaknesses.

Just remember that it is not the times that we falter and fall that matters, but it is the times that we stand from each fall.

5. UPDATE YOUR RESUME

A resume is also known as a bio-data, which is a short term for biography data. Every year you have to update your resume because of some possible changes in your work experiences, accomplishments or educational attainment. This is an important thing that you should do before you begin to apply for work. This is the information that your prospective employer will laid their eyes on before you can be scheduled for an interview. Be sure that this is simple, concise and complete. Try to search for new resume format. Do not be contented with your traditional style of writing. Ensure that you do not express any emotions through your resume. Do not include your story of termination from work. This should be more informative and factual about your qualifications.

6. START LEARNING YOUR WAY IN JOB SEARCHING

If you haven’t applied for work for a long time, then start learning your way in job searching. You may check out my articles on “Finding the Right Job” for a detailed guidelines. Tell your family and friends that you are actively looking for work. You don’t need to tell them about your termination case. Just asks them for some referrals. You may also read my hubs on “How to Handle a Job Interview” and “Job Rejection: Reasons from an HR Point of View” for additional insights. You will get busy and pre-occupied once you start your job search. Stay focus and do not dwindle on your bad experience.

7. BE SINCERE IN YOUR JOB SEARCH

You should always be truthful when you do your job search. We have one former employee who was terminated from work because of dishonesty and mishandling of funds. He applied for another company but he did not told them about his case. He got accepted. However, their company had an event and one of our Executive Vice-President saw him. Our EVP, without any malicious intent, mentioned to the owner that the male staff was our former employee who was terminated from work. They eventually discussed his case. That male staff was again fired from work due to dishonesty in his application. Is this legal? Yes, it is. You may check it in the application form that you signed and submitted to your prospective employers.

So, how should you respond when you are being asked why you left your previous work? You can tell your reason briefly. Be calm and objective about your case. Do not blame anybody for what happened to you. You may end your explanation on a positive statement by emphasizing more on your main accomplishments and what the experience has taught you. For instance, you may say that “I was terminated from work due to mishandling of funds. But I was previously awarded as the Best Teller for 2^nd Quarter of 2008. I learned much from this experience. I have to be extra careful in handling funds to avoid shortages and overages.”

These things are tips to make it easier for you to look for another job. However, you still have to work hard and do better in your job search. You will definitely land in a good job if you have that determination and commitment within you. Tell yourself that "I will get hired and I am going to start working to achieve it.” Go out your way now and be the first one to fill that open position!