You've Just Been Fired!

#186
Originally uploaded by Noah K

So you've just been fired. What now?

1. Be honest with yourself. Were you fired because of your unacceptable actions? If so, maybe it's time to be honest with yourself and make some changes now.
   
2. Wake up early every morning. It might be tempting to sleep in or break your regular morning routine, but that is a trap you want to avoid. You still have a job to attend to. It now involves job searching, interviews, and finding gainful employment.
   
3. You're in good company. It's going to be easy to begin to beat yourself up and worry about the "what if's". You shouldn't. According to Business Weekly, the average employee has a 1 in 3 chance of being fired. Just remember that you are in good company. Lance Armstrong was fired when he learned he had cancer in 1997. It's pretty clear he bounced back. J.K. Rowling was fired from her job as a secretary when it was learned she was writing stories on the company computer. J.K. ended up on government assistance and wrote much of her first Harry Potter book sitting in cafe's in Edinburgh, Scotland. The list of people who have had to endure being fired is long and notable. Don't beat yourself up.
4. This is an opportunity. Sometimes the best thing that can happen to someone is to be fired. Baseball manager, Joe Torre was fired in the early '90's by the St. Louis Cardinals. His teams had been mediocre at best because team ownership was unwilling to spend any money at the time. Joe was then offered a job as the New York Yankees skipper. I think we all know what happened after that. Treat your firing as an opportunity. You have been provided an opportunity to better your life that you may never have taken if you were still working with your former employer.
   
5. Be honest with prospective employers. In interviews expect to be asked why your employment was terminated by your previous employer. The worst thing you could do is lie about it. It will come back to haunt you if you do. Be truthful. Even if it hurts. Most prospective employers will appreciate your candor. However, avoid trashing your former employer. Even if you at positive you were treated unfairly when terminated.
   

Many are saying we have uncertain and difficult times approaching us. It may be true. There could be a chance you will be handed your walking papers just because your company is not performing well in the current economy. These rules will still apply. There are jobs out there. The worst excuse you could find yourself making is the one that discourages you from turning your dismissal into a positive because, "times are hard".

So you've just been fired. Now what?