How to be resilient during redundancy…
There’s a lot of change going on at the moment. A lot of companies are looking at redundancy. There are also a lot of employees who feel there’s a lot of uncertainty ahead and therefore want to make a change themselves, be more resilient. Some have worked in the retail and hospitality sectors most of their life and are now wondering if it’s time to make a career change. A lot are also wondering if they have the skills to go from hospitality to an office job…
Change is not something to be afraid of.
I know it’s easier said than done and the world can seem a bit scary right now, once you embrace the idea that this could be the thing that defines you then nothing can stop you from achieving the life you really want. You can be resilient during redundancy…
Here’s my story…
I was made redundant 3 times in a 4-year period, the first time it happened I just wanted to cry all the time wondering how I was going to afford the bills/mortgage payments. I kept thinking I’ll never find another job as I’d applied for so many and wasn’t getting anywhere, then 7 weeks before redundancy date I was headhunted to work for a large financial institution (something I’d never done before).
All of a sudden I was a lot happier about my approaching redundancy, especially as I was receiving a pay rise as well…
The second redundancy came around, I didn’t feel quite as bad this time, I’d made some great contacts and built strong working relationships with people around me, in the meantime I’d also had another pay rise and worked in a role 2 grades above my previous role so I’d managed to pick up some fantastic skills and earned credibility.
I managed to secure another role before I actually became redundant and I had a nice 2-month break before starting the next role.
Eight months later I found myself being made redundant yet again, I’d applied for countless vacancies internally but because there were so many redundancies I was up against a very large number of people, I was getting interviews – something a few of my team were not getting.
In the run-up to the redundancy date (there was no payout as I’d not been there 2 years) I was allowed to use some of my work time for sourcing other external roles, at this point in time I wasn’t upset at all about the redundancy, in fact, I was looking forward to it.
So how do I become resilient…?
I decided that enough was enough this time, so I re-trained in a totally new area to me, web design and development, I gained my level 3 qualification and decided to look into setting up my own business, it was going to be highly unlikely that I would make myself redundant…
I searched the internet looking for help and guidance in this area and this was where I found all sorts of free workshops that I could attend locally via the Chamber, I made the most of the workshops and the time I had and attended as many as I could, including networking events which is something I’d never done before.
I’ve made some great contacts and also some new friends who understand the step into the unknown – self-employment. We support and help each other along the way.
I also made sure I took advantage of the free training Google offers through their Digital Garage programme, through this, I’ve earned myself the Fundamentals of Digital Marketing qualification.
I created my own website and I’ve even started writing a blog, something I never thought I could do and also something I always thought ‘Why would people want to read about me?’
I borrowed books from the library on business, basically anything and everything that I could get my hands on for free, I gave it a go.
Utilising free resources…
In the last year, I’ve also attended multiple free 5-day challenges through Facebook, where I’ve learned all about Instagram marketing, how to boost your SEO, how to supercharge your website, run podcasts, write content, how to run my own challenge, growing your email list, how to get leads on LinkedIn and also skills on writing a CV that will get you noticed.
There are lots of ways you can help yourself, for free, when you are going through redundancy and there are a lot of ways you can boost your mindset – the hardest part is telling yourself you’re ready to try, once you’ve realised there’s a big world out there and there are lots of other things you can do, then the world truly is your oyster.
Build up your skillset and your mindset – you can do this…
I offer two free 3-day challenges. One covers Excel Efficiency and the other covers budgeting and forecasting finances
Now I’ve realised I have a great deal to offer. I do this by way of Excel training helping small/medium businesses and individuals learn the Excel skills they need to help make them more efficient, be office-ready and develop their skills further if they already use Excel.
Early 2021 I was approached by someone who had a job interview coming up. The interview included a test on Excel and she asked if there was any training she could jump onto to refresh her skills.
I took the info she gave me on the test and what it involved and created my Excel Refresher Training. I realised that there are a lot of people in similar situations and decided I could help them too – this is something that can be completed in your own time.
Check out my Excel training here
I take you from Excel Zero to Excel Hero
To me, this has been a great adventure and it’s only just starting…
Read all about it…my redundancy article
I wrote a piece for the local paper on redundancy. This piece was published on 15th February 2018. I tweeted about it and added it to my business Facebook page. Since then the head of content also mentioned me (tweet embedded on my blog page) and the tweet has been re-tweeted often. As a result, I’ve gained one of the biggest increases in Twitter followers since I started and I’ve had new followers on Facebook. The column was very well received and I had great feedback on it.
It just goes to show people do read and take an interest in what you write. The link to the online copy of my column is here:- https://www.doncasterfreepress.co.uk/news/opinion/column-redundancy-it-s-not-the-end-of-the-world-1-9016634