Recently Laid Off? Here Are 4 Ways You Can Rebuild Your Confidence

The emotional toll of losing your job can be stressful, overwhelming, and, oftentimes, a traumatic experience. As someone who was once laid off, despite welcoming the relief from a toxic CEO, I was consumed with worry for my future and whether or not I’d be able to find another job. While I was lucky to have a substantial amount of savings and a rather generous severance package, that’s not the reality for everyone. According to a recent report conducted by LendingClub, 61% of workers are living paycheck to paycheck with an average savings of $1158. Interestingly, the report found that a majority of those living paycheck to paycheck (42%) are six-figure earners. Regardless of one’s salary, being laid off can be a stressful experience both financially and emotionally.

Not surprisingly, many individuals suffer from Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) after being laid off or let go from their job. There’s no timeframe for how long PTSD can last. It can be months, years, or even decades. Symptoms may include the inability to sleep, anxiety, depression, emotional numbness, guardedness, heightened reactions, and more. The rejection experienced from losing one’s job is enough to turn the most confident person into a diffident one.

Here are four ways you can rebuild your confidence after being laid off.

Take Care Of The Tactical Stuff

Age-old advice recommends job seekers spend eight hours a day applying for jobs. This advice is problematic because it focuses on quantity rather than quality. Additionally, those who are focused more on quantity are less likely to research the types of companies to which they’re applying, and whether or not they’re a good match. As such, they’re more inclined to act out of desperation and take the first job offer that comes their way which could result in them ending up in a toxic workplace.

Some tactical next steps you can take are:

• Review your financials and create a budget
• Review severance documents thoroughly before signing so you understand exactly what it entails; Reach out to an employment attorney or seek out free employment legal advice through your local city/county agency if you’re unsure. Don’t be afraid to negotiate your severance
• File for unemployment
• Look into alternative/temporary insurance for when your insurance ends
• Update your resume and LinkedIn
• Reach out to your network to let them know you’re in the market for a job
• Reach out to former colleagues or managers to ask for a recommendation

Dive Into Self-Care

It’s normal to feel a range of emotions after being laid off from a job. In most instances, those who have been laid off feel like a failure. They view being laid off as a form of personal rejection. The reality is that most layoffs are about saving the company money by restructuring departments and eliminating redundant positions.

Now more than ever is the time to dive into self-care and focus on your mental health. You can use this time to visit friends and family, go on hikes, join a walking club, catch up on books you’ve been wanting to read, practice yoga, take up new hobbies, etc. When I was laid off, I took the summer off and traveled around the United States to visit friends before starting grad school and my job search.

Additionally, reaching out to a counselor or therapist is a wonderful way to help you work through the emotions and fears you have from losing your job. The biggest misconception people have about therapy is that it’s only for the weak, crazy, and mentally ill. That’s simply not true. Therapists help individuals work through difficult situations and develop coping mechanisms to move forward. Likewise, they provide a great outlet to vent to while navigating the emotional struggles that come with job searching. Furthermore, most therapists and counselors have the option of sliding scale fees in an effort to work with you and your financial situation.

Assess Your Skills

One of the biggest mistakes most people make while they’re employed is not documenting the projects they’ve taken on and contributed to, skills they’ve acquired, and knowledge they’ve gained. Consequently, as they try to reflect on those things post-job, they forget many of the contributions they’ve made. For this reason, it’s important to spend time reflecting on everything you’ve done in previous positions. After assessing your skills, you’ll want to update your resume and LinkedIn accordingly.

As you revamp your resume, you’ll want to leverage your friends and family to review and provide feedback. Don’t hesitate to reach out to your alma mater’s career center for help in crafting a resume and cover letter. Most colleges and universities also offer mock interviewing so you can improve your interviewing skills. These services are free of charge to current and former students to help them be successful in the job market.

This is the ideal time to evaluate the tasks and projects you didn’t particularly enjoy. Knowing these will help you to better navigate job descriptions and weed out positions with a heavy emphasis on things that aren’t aligned with your strengths and interests. Likewise, if you’ve identified weaknesses or areas of opportunities that you want to improve upon, you can take classes to build up those skills. This is the time to evaluate your career path and determine what it is that you want for your future. You might discover that your passions lie elsewhere or you want to try freelancing instead. All of which is okay. It’s never too late to try something new or different.

Reflect Upon And Define Your Needs

Most often, people who lose their jobs act out of desperation to quickly find a new one. As such, they miss the red flags and end up in a toxic workplace or situation. I’ve been guilty of this myself. Thus, it’s crucial for you to take some time to reflect on what’s important to you.

Some questions to ask yourself when reflecting upon your needs are:

• What’s important in the next company I join? (core values that are aligned with mine? a product/service that I’m passionate about? a hands-on leadership team that takes employee feedback and concerns seriously?)
• What is it that I need from a manager and team?
• What benefits are non-negotiable? (remote/flexible work? a certain number of PTO and sick days? vision and dental? mental health benefits? 401(k) plan?)

From there, you’ll want to develop questions to ask during the interview that target those needs. For example, if you don’t want a micromanager, you might ask a question like “tell me about your management style.” To see if your opinions, perspectives, and ideas will be valued, ask a question about how the company has handled change or what changes they’ve made as a result of employee feedback. Remember, the interview is just as much about you determining if they’re a fit for your own needs as it is about them finding a good fit for the role.