Numbers don’t lie! Latest stats say 40% of Americans are fired at least once in their lifetime. As common as it is, specially in the tech industry, getting fired still feels like a ‘bullet’ in the head. And, why not? Your whole world seems to come crashing down and you do not have much time to mull over it and need to start looking for a new job immediately. I experienced it way before (in 2019) mass-firing was a trend.

It took me and my colleagues some time to digest what had happened on that fine Monday morning. My manager had called us all into a meeting room with an HR personnel and said, “I am sorry I have to let the whole team go”. It was that straightforward, the meeting got over in a few minutes, it did take its own sweet time to sink in though. It was one of the best jobs in my entire career!

Those few months of job hunt were difficult but as I reflect back, here’s what I learnt from that chapter of my life. This is something I personally want to share with anyone who is feeling dejected and disheartened with their current situation.

1.Shift your mindset.

We often end up doubting ourselves and our performance in this situation. So the first thing to do is, stop that. Remember, no matter how valuable you are to the company, how good a performer you are, how many late hours you put in, how good a working relationship you have with your manager, you are still a $ number on a spreadsheet. At that moment, cost cutting is the only thing that matters to your company – the same company that says ironically, they treat you like a family. But, having been there, I realized you should not be holding any hard feelings. Instead, ask around for help for your next role.

2. Everything happens for a reason.

“You can’t connect the dots looking forward; you can only connect them looking backwards. So you have to trust that the dots will somehow connect in your future. You have to trust in something – your gut, destiny, life, karma, whatever. “

– Steve Jobs

You may feel like your world has come crashing down, but once the dust settles and things get better and you land up your next role, you will know all this has lead to something good. All you need to do right now is to stand up, dust off your shoulders and work towards finding yourself the next job. It’s not easy, but isn’t this the reality of life. Nothing is permanent; neither the good times nor the bad.

3. Work relationships are important.

Never burn the bridges, as much as you can. Even if you are sour because of what happened. Your work relationships can go a long way in acting as a stepping stone to your next job. All the jobs that I have landed are because I had good working relationships with ex-colleagues who then gave a referral for me for a job or have been excellent references. It is difficult to make a cut in those long piles of online applications, a recommendation has personally helped me to get an interview, almost always. It’s all about getting that interview, sometimes there are literally 100s of applications for a single job.

Again, there is no need to be shy in asking around for help. You may reach out to 30 people, out of which 5 could refer you and may be, you convert one into an interview call, which could be your next job!

4. Upskill yourself.

In this day and age, everyone is replaceable, even if you are the founder of a company(as in the case of Steve Jobs, when the board of directors decided to dismiss him from Apple). Everything is changing so fast. Any job can be obsolete faster than you think. You may have worked on skills needed for a new job, in the form of projects and assignments, but certifications and courses give that added advantage from other candidates, in case those skills can’t be justified through a 45 min interview. They will outshine on a 2 page resume. Make sure they are visible on 1st 10 second glance on your resume. One way to do it is to include official logos of the courses on top of the first page. And, update your LinkedIn profile as soon as you can. 🙂

All this is easier said than done! But remember, it’s just a phase. This too shall pass, until then you just need to be a stronger version of yourself and keep taking action that brings you one step closer to a new job!

And yes, once you get a job, don’t stop. Always look for opportunities to upskill and improve yourself. Build your skillset. Make yourself resilient for the future such that when the time comes, you can leverage on it, for your next dream job.