How to get a new job after being made redundant

We are living through unprecedented times, and are unfortunately seeing many people facing unexpected redundancies, lay-offs and insecurity.

If you are made redundant, we share below some advice on what you can do.

Keep Perspective

Being made redundant is recognised as one of the top ten most stressful events that can happen in your life. It can be a massive blow to your confidence and leave you feeling demotivated. However, a key thing to remember is that losing a job to redundancy isn’t your fault, it’s completely out of your control. Of course, it is hard to pick yourself up, but you need to make the most of the situation and the opportunities it presents such as a career change. When you’re unemployed, it can be easy to rush into the first job you’re offered, but take the time to decide what is that you want as that will help to keep you motivated throughout your job hunt.

Know Your Rights

You have legally protected rights when being made redundant on things including notice periods, statutory pay and consultation. There is an overview here from the UK government. You must be fairly selected for redundancy for example because of your level of experience or capability to do the job. You cannot be selected because of age, gender, or if you’re disabled or pregnant. If you are, this could be classed as an unfair dismissal. In the UK there are statutory minimums of redundancy pay which can be calculated here. It’s based on age, weekly pay and number of years in the job. Your weekly pay is the average you earned per week over the 12 weeks before the day you got your redundancy notice, but you only qualify after working for the company for two years.

Get Support

Contact Acas (Advisory, Conciliation and Arbitration Service) for help and advice on dealing with redundancy : Telephone: 0300 123 1100 Monday to Friday, 8am to 6pm. Or contact the Insolvency Service if your employer cannot pay your statutory redundancy payment because it’s insolvent. Insolvency Service redundancy payments helpline redundancypaymentsonline@insolvency.gov.uk Telephone: 0330 331 0020 Monday to Thursday, 9am to 5pm Friday, 9am to 3pm. 'Citizens Advice' say there may be an option to challenge your redundancy if your employer has not followed the correct procedure.

Be prepared to answer why you left your last job

It’s an awkward question, but it will likely be among the first questions a potential employer will ask in an interview. There is nothing to be ashamed of in being made redundant and you should definitely never apologise for this happening to you. Write out a response and internalise it so it sounds natural, and you are confident in responding to this question. The pandemic, Brexit and the economic downturn have left many good workers in the same boat.

It's never too late to retrain

If you were starting to get a bit bored with your previous role, redundancy could be the kick you needed to think about a new career. It’s never too late to start something new, and don’t be put off by how long any re-training will take, it is a learning experience in itself. Diving headfirst into a career change after the blow of being made redundant might feel daunting, but it could prove to be an invaluable investment and open new doors for your career that you had not considered previously.

Reach out to your Network

Now might be a good time to call in a few favours from contacts you have built throughout your career. Calling someone unexpectedly and asking if they have any jobs, may not be the best approach, instead, drop them an email and see if you can arrange a video-catch-up.. Even if the company they work for can’t help, you may get another lead you can follow up on.

Job hunting's a full-time job - but don't do it 9-5

When you are ready to start job hunting, it's tempting to treat it as your new full-time job, and you should work on it every weekday - but don't think you can do a full shift. Job hunting is stressful. A lot of people fall into the trap of thinking “I had a 9 to 5 job, I’m not working: I’ll look for a job 9-5” It’s not the best way to go about it - if you do that you’ll burn yourself out! Instead set aside a few hours every day to job hunt - but also spend some time with your family and interests. That will keep you much healthier mentally and give you more purpose when you are looking. Recruiters can spend less than 20 seconds selecting a CV- So having a strong CV is very, important. Don’t just write about what you’ve done or what the job was, think about the strengths you have and show what you achieved. That will help open more doors.

Get into a routine of being online by 9am and following a similar pattern of a normal workday. Set daily and weekly objectives to keep you motivated. How many applications are you going to make today? Which sectors are you going to research? Although it can feel like you are making no progress to begin with, persistence will pay off and give you the competitive edge you need. Create your profile on Monster for more help, including our comprehensive guide on 'how to get a job'

Keep a positive mindset

Most importantly, throughout the process of applying for a new job you need to try and remain positive. Ensure you are eating well and exercising regularly, as this will help you keep a clear mind and not let you slip into bad habits. Create a list of positive statements about yourself, which could include career highlights, that you can look at every morning and when you feel yourself slipping into a negative mindset.

Don't be Isolated

Above all, stay safe, and look after yourself. If you feel like your mental health is struggling with isolation, support and advice is available from organisations like Young Minds - "looking after your mental health while self-isolating" and Mind - Lonliness and The Samaritans. You can find more helpful advice on securing a new job on the Monster website here.