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So You Were Fired From A Job… Great Ways To Bounce Back!

Getting fired from a job is a scary experience. For many people, it is the scariest thing that can happen to them. Nasty thoughts on how you are going to manage without money, how to pay for your mortgage, what to do about all the expenses you are used to having, start plaguing your mind. It is not the time to let yourself get overwhelmed. It is time to get back in the saddle and win back your life!

Tip 1 -> Do the things you longed to do but couldn’t

You do not have to see you being fired as a life-ending event. Actually, think about the free time you now get as an opportunity to catch up with all the things you wanted to do but couldn’t because you were always busy with your work. Take a long walk on the beach, read a book, or have lunch with someone you have not seen in years.

How will that help you? You need to reconnect with your life and with yourself. From there, you will gain the necessary strength to start searching for a job again.

Tip 2 -> Manage your expenses

The biggest fear people suffer from when they are fired from their job is that they will not be able to cope with all the expenses they have, now that they no longer receive their monthly salary. Instead of letting fear wash over you, get in charge. Place every single expense you have on paper, and see where you can cut down costs; you will be amazed to see how many things you are used to spend money on without really needing them.

Do not hesitate to lay down in front of your eyes the worst-case scenario. Chances are it may not be as bad as you think. As long as you are prepared for the worst, it will be easier for you to come up with a plan and put it in action.

Tip 3 -> Think up new ideas

You are only without a job, and not without a brain. The ideas that made you good at what you do are still there, and the same brain that came up with them is still there. You just need to get it work once again. After getting some rest to recover from the shock – anyone is entitled to freak out a little – you must think up new ideas. These will get you closer to a new job that will reward you.

Tip 4 -> Connect with people from your industry

There are many reasons for being fired. Whether the company had to cut down on employee costs, or they needed to shrink their activity, your expertise may have nothing to do with these reasons. Now, seeing that you can be a valuable asset for a company, it is time to connect with other people working in the same industry as you (or another industry if you’re looking for a change).

While you may take the traditional path of searching in newspapers for a new job, this approach can often bring you closer to a new workplace fit for you.

Tip 5 -> Polish your job hunting skills

Now that you are on the hunt for a new job, you should invest some of the free time you have to polish your hunting skills. There are now plenty of resources on the Internet on how to do that, so you will have some serious study time to consider.

Tip 6 -> Catch up with novelties of your target industry/function

In order to increase your chances of getting a new job – and possibly, better than your former one – you should invest some time in catching up with the novelties of your target industry/function. This way, when you will be called for interviews, you will be able to show the interviewers that you are up to date.

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How To Deal With Subordinates That Are Older Than You

Probably one of the most important challenges for a young manager is dealing with subordinates that are older than him or her. When you start on your managerial career, you will have quite a hard time handling your seniors who now have to accept you as their boss. Instead of stressing yourself over such details, you should learn how to deal with them.

Accept that you are the boss because you earned it

The first step you need to take in order to handle your older subordinates better without feeling like you are sabotaged by them at every single decision you take, is to accept that you have earned your position because of your skills. If you do not trust the fact that you got to be the boss because you worked hard to get there, it will show right away. This will only lead to a wave of mistrust from your subordinates, especially those that are older and consider they have more expertise and experience than you.

Show them that you value their opinions

Your subordinates are assets placed at your disposal. For a manager to be successful, especially a young manager, it takes all the team’s experience and expertise. Do not disregard your older subordinates; they have invaluable information to provide you with, and, if you know how to handle them, you will increase your success and your team’s success.

Show them that you respect them and that you value their opinions. Older subordinates often react in a hostile manner towards a younger boss, because they feel left out and threatened. Instead of cultivating mistrust in your office, make sure that each of the team members you are working with knows his or her place and how to contribute to the success of the entire team.

Create a culture of trust by setting common goals

Your team should be a team, regardless of the projects you are working on. There is no better way to cultivate trust inside your team than by setting common goals. Encourage everybody to share opinions, especially older employees that can bring a lot of value to the team work with their take on a certain subject.

Take their special needs into consideration

Senior subordinates may have, at least from time to time, certain special needs, such as medical leaves, or better medical coverage. Show them that you are flexible and that you take such special requirements into consideration. This way, they will feel appreciated and they will be willing to share their expertise with you, for the success of your common projects.

Body language

Situations that may lead to conflicts between a young boss and older subordinates stem from the way each generation sees things. While young managers are very energetic and ready to implement new ideas, older subordinates feel compelled to be sceptical and recommend caution.

In order to have your point of view understood by the employees under you, you need to show confidence in your own ideas. For this, body language is very important. If you do not think you get it right, do not hesitate to practice at home, in front of a mirror.

Keep your body in a relaxed pose, but do not slump your shoulders. Do not show rigidity, either. Also, when you talk, do not raise your voice, and do not try to overcome the others. Let them speak their minds, but bring arguments to your position so they can understand your point of view, as well.

Be delicate

Senior subordinates’ feelings can easily get hurt, especially when they are dealing with a new, younger boss. Sometimes it may feel like you are walking on thin ice when talking to them. Show them that you are willing to listen to what they say, without feeling to back down from your initial position. However, make sure that they do not feel like you are trying to impose yourself on them. As long as you succeed in maintaining this delicate balance, you will be able to work with them, for the good of the entire team.

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Workshops And Seminars For Professionals: Which Ones Are Worth It?

As a professional in any field, your day is probably busy and spending time attending workshops and seminars can be a waste, if you do not choose carefully. Let’s divide the workshops and seminars into categories and then decide which ones are worth the investment of time and money.

Workshops and seminars organized by your company

In general, do attend many of them. You might think that this 25-year old communication expert has nothing to teach your 50-year old experienced self, but your company obviously thinks otherwise. Think of it this way: companies do not waste their money. If they offer you workshops and seminars, it is an investment. They believe that their employers will become more efficient and deliver a better quality of work.

Seminars and workshops offered by your company might also give you the chance to work in different positions within the company or shoot for higher positions. If, for example, at some point you want to become a manager, attending management seminars can be of great help. The same goes for all seminars linked to skills that might be offered.

And of course, if your company provided seminars to train the employees to newest versions of software or hardware, do not miss them under any circumstances. Technology nowadays is fast and a specialist can teach you tips and tricks that would take you ages to find out by yourself. This is why your employer offers you such seminars: to save your time and his money.

Workshops and seminars not organized by your company

This can be a bit tricky, because you might need to take some days off work to attend a seminar or workshop that is weekly or takes place far away. In case the subject of the seminar will help you become a better employee for your company, you can let the human resources department and your boss know about it. They might give you a few days off and they might even encourage and fund more employees to join.

In the case, however, that you want to join a seminar that you will have to pay out of your pocket in order to enrich your CV or because you are looking for a career change, it’s obviously best to not be so open about it. If you know that you might meet people from your professional environment at the seminar, be honest with your boss about where you are going to be those two days that you will be off. Again, try to focus on how this seminar could make you a better employee. People do not like it when someone is about to leave their company.

In case you are working and need to attend seminars to prepare for a career change, try to find the ones that are organized during the weekend or even attend the ones offered online. These have the advantage that are often cheaper (both due to the lower admission fee and the fact that you do not have to travel there) and you can also attend them while wearing your pajamas. You can also take as many notes as you like, as organizers often send a video link of the seminar to the participants.

Seminars for freelancers

If you are a freelancer, you are your own boss. You are the one deciding where to invest your time and money. This is why you should make sure that a seminar is relevant to your goals and ambitions, before paying the admission fee. Searching on line for reviews about the organizer of the seminar and the background of the speaker always helps. Mailing the organizers and asking for details will also help you understand if they are really experts in the topic they are presenting. Keep in mind that a high quality workshop or seminar organizer should be able to provide the goals in clear bullets. If there is a lot of general information and no focus, save your time and money for something else.

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How To Prepare For A Radical Career Change

Many employees and even freelancers at some point in their lives realize that their job does not fulfill them. If you are one of them, you might be hesitant to change your career in this environment of financial insecurity. You need to consider however that people who love their job perform much better at work and are healthier and happier individuals. If you are trying to be a great professional in a career field that does not suit you, you are likely to end up with a burnout that will not even be worth it.

What is defined as “radical” career change?

It is important to clarify at this point that if you love what you do, but you do not like the company you work for or your colleagues, you can try for an evolutionary career change. This means that you still stay within your niche, even within your company, but you try to change what bothers you. A radical or revolutionary career change is about changing not only work environment, but also the nature and/or subject of your work.

Emotional preparation for a career change

A radical career change can be the best choice of your life, but in order for that to happen you need to think thoroughly and plan carefully your next steps. Especially if you are an enthusiastic person who changes preferences every few months, you will need to do quite a bit of soul-searching and goal-setting, before embarking on a new career journey. Knowing exactly what you want from your career is the only way to work efficiently towards getting it.

The first thing you need to do is to write down what you have learned from your current job. What are the things you like about it and what are the things you hate? For example, if you work in the PR department of a large firm, you might enjoy the contact with people but not like the pressure. This way you already know that a smaller company with less pressure might be a better option for you. Writing a list of the qualities you love and hate in your current job can be an excellent guide in your job search.

Then you need to ask yourself if your plans for your new career are really what you want or just fantasies. When we get emotionally tired by something negative in our life, we tend to go the opposite way, without knowing whether that is the right direction for us. If, for example, you work 12 hours a day as a financial adviser and you are full of anxiety and stress, you might decide that you want to live peacefully on the country side and raise livestock. But would you really enjoy this lifestyle change?

Once you conclude on the career path you want to follow, you need to check that your skills are enough. You might need some extra training in order to pursue a new career and in some cases that can be provided by the company. But if your work subject is going to be very different, expect that you will need to attend at least some workshops and seminars. A mechanical engineer who wants to work as a civil engineer has all the necessary engineering background, but still needs to update his/her knowledge according to the new field.

If you have your heart set on a new career, you need to check that the people who will be affected by this change agree with your plans. This usually includes your partner and children. A career change might mean that you will be working more hours or that you will be earning less. It might even mean that you will not be working at all for a while, if you need to train on a new field. Is your partner supportive? Explain to them how important this is for you and why and you will manage to find a solution that pleases both of you.

Financial Preparation for a career change

This is the part that usually discourages most people from radical career change. Especially if you have a family and you are the one earning the most money, it is hard to decide on taking a risk. There are two ways to deal with it: saving and keep working.

If you have your heart set on a career change, you should start saving as soon as possible and have at least 6-month worth savings before resigning from your current position. You will likely find a job much sooner, but it is good to have this safety net.

If you keep working in your current job while job hunting, you are more likely to find a job as well-paying as your current one, or even more. Employers trust people who are already employed more than other job-seekers. In case you find a job that is close to the definition of your dream job, but the salary is lower than your current one, discuss with your partner if you can afford to take it. Maybe older family members can support you with your career change, until you get a raise. Happiness is priceless, after all!