Been made redundant? Here are your next steps

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More people in the UK were made redundant between August and October 2020 than since records began - and the clear culprit is the effects of the coronavirus pandemic.

But if you’ve lost your job this year, knowing you’re not alone won’t give you much comfort. So here are some pointers on what to do next if you find yourself in this difficult position.

Reflect on your next move

There’s a high chance that redundancy lands you in a tight squeeze financially - and so you don’t have the luxury of taking some time out to think about your options. But even a few days reflecting on what your next move might be could be time well spent.

You might have been unhappy in your role before the pandemic hit, or already mulling over a different career. This can be the excuse you need to make a change. So think about what you’re good at, your current priorities - and the value you can offer your next employer.

It’s also wise to think about how badly hit your sector has been in 2020 - and how easily it will bounce back. While hospitality, retail and aviation have been hit, some industries have boomed - including ecommerce (online retail) and healthcare.

Rebuild your CV around transferable skills

If you were in your most recent job for a while, you probably haven’t had to touch your CV since you were last looking for a new role.

Rather than add a few lines to the end reflecting your most recent career experience, we recommend writing it again from scratch - and this time, build it around your transferable skills.

The nature of the job market means that the role you were doing is much harder to find again - and showing how the skills you have can be transferred from one industry to another is a smart move.

So centre your CV around skills like communication, problem solving and team work – as well as covering your work history, achievements, skills and education. We cover more tips on how to make your CV shine in a crowded pandemic job market, here.

Don’t sit on applications

Before the pandemic hit, our advice was not to hurry over a job application. Taking your time meant being able to tailor your CV and letter to each role and make sure you got the details right.

You should still tweak your application to suit the role you’re going for - and employers will always think less of candidates who let typos and grammar mistakes slip through. But competition is now so intense that we urge candidates to submit their applications promptly. How prompt is prompt? Well, the same day the advert appears, to be safe.

This new sense of urgency is because some employers may be so overwhelmed by the sheer volume of applications they receive that they may only look seriously at the first lot they receive.

At HR GO we pride ourselves on being a responsible recruitment agency, and so we will always consider every application that arrives right up to the closing date. But the effects of a global pandemic mean that other organisations may be tempted to cut corners – and so when it comes to getting an edge over other job hunters, it’s worth knowing that speed may be a crucial factor.

Focus on next steps

Losing your job can be a blow to your confidence and self-esteem - and you may have real fears for the future. But remember it’s not your fault - it’s the fault of a global pandemic.

If your sector has been badly hit, getting a temporary role can tide you over until things look brighter - and at HR GO we have lots of temp roles up for grabs.

So after you’ve picked yourself up, make a plan of action and get clear on the steps you need to take to get back to where you want to be.

More information on redundancy next steps

You can read about your rights if you’ve been made redundant, here. The charity MIND has produced a guide on coping with redundancy, here.

Contact us

If you’ve recently lost your job and need some advice on your next steps, contact us for some valuable insights - and to find out the permanent as well as temporary roles we’re looking to fill.