Cope after losing your job

● Losing your job can be devastating and your finances may take years to recover.

“While a job loss can be devastating, especially in today’s uncertain economic times, it does not have to be the end of the road. Keep pushing, learn as many lessons as you can, and do not give up hope,” says Lyndy van den Barselaar, MD of ManpowerGroup South Africa.

She has the following advice on how to cope during this time:

● Make sure as many people as possible know you are looking for work;

● Mentoring from people in your industry can make you more employable, so get together with others in a similar predicament and act as peer mentors to boost each other’s skills and confidence;

● If you are eager to learn a new skill, volunteering is a great way to do this;

● The process of finding work can be soul-destroying as rejections mount and your despair grows. Van den Barselaar suggests using Jack Canfield’s rule of five: apply for five jobs, connect with five people online, set five face-to-face meetings or research five companies every day; and

● You are likely to ask for many favours during this time, so keep a balance by helping out if you can. – Margaret Harris