Life often surprises us with unexpected twists. Unemployment was certainly a plot twist that I didn’t see coming, or welcome.
On a seemingly ordinary Monday, I received a message asking to jump on a call with the client services director and CEO, for a catch-up call. At first, I didn’t think much of it, this wasn’t an unusual request, however, something felt different this time. Both of them had their cameras on, which was highly unusual for our normal Slack huddle communications.
As I turned on my camera, they dropped the bombshell – they had spent the weekend reviewing the market, our client contracts, and the department’s future. The outcome? I was being let go.
“This is not a reflection of you, it’s unfortunately just the state of the market”
Questions to Ask When Facing Job Loss
When I was told I was losing my job, I was shocked and my mouth literally dropped open. I felt a bit breathless and honestly, a bit humiliated. I thanked everyone for the opportunity and experience and left the call as quickly as possible. After about 10 minutes, after my laptop had been disconnected, I regretted not using the call in a more practical manner. I had lots of questions and hadn’t asked any.
Looking back, although this is never something you could prepare for, I wish I had prepared better. Here are some questions I wish I had asked and if this ever happens again (hopefully it doesn’t) I would try and ask in the meeting, or at least in an email afterwards:
When will you be telling the team?
I wanted to reach out to people and let them know that I had enjoyed working with them, but I didn’t ask when they would be told so I was in limbo not wanting to say anything out of line, but also not wanting to leave without saying goodbye.
What will you be saying to the team?
Although I was being let go because my role was being dissolved, I hadn’t been at my previous company long enough to be ‘made redundant’. I spent too long fixated on the wording I could use to tell people that I had been ‘let go’ or ‘made redundant’. Understanding what others were hearing, would have made me more confident with sharing the news, and who knows, maybe I wouldn’t have waited half a week to post publicly on LinkedIn.
What is the process for returning company property?
I wish I had asked HR for an itemised list of what they needed me to return so that I could share the dimensions for collection. I complicated the process by trying to send everything back which it turns out wasn’t required.
What is the status of my accrued vacation days?
This is a question that I asked later via email. Something that was worrying me, was that I didn’t know how much I would be paid in my last pay cheque and I wasn’t sure of my immediate financial standing.
The HR team kindly provided an itemised breakdown of pay for employment, vacation dates, PILON (Payment in Lieu of Notice) and expenses, so I had a clear understanding of what I could expect.
What is the timeline for receiving final paychecks or documents?
It’s not uncommon for final pay to be withheld until all company property is returned. I had forgotten this and left sending my laptop off until I was back from holiday, which added some unnecessary stress.
Are there any non-compete or confidentiality agreements in place?
Although these agreements will be in your employment contract, contracts aren’t always the easiest thing to read. I asked friends to read my contract because the terminology had got me so confused about whether or not I could apply for jobs at competing agencies.
Navigating Uncertainty
Productivity became a serious challenge in the days after losing my job, as I wasn’t sure of my next career move. Should I stay in an agency role or return in-house, explore a different role level, or even consider freelance work? The uncertainty left me feeling lost and made everything so much harder. How do you write a CV, when you don’t know what you are applying for?
As the days passed, I really struggled with motivation. I was angry that I was in this situation, but I had nowhere to place my anger. I couldn’t blame my previous employer, it’s not their fault the economy is what it is. Maybe I should have blamed Rishi Sunak and our government, but often I blamed myself. This piled on the difficulty of the situation. It was really challenging to apply for roles and reach out to people for openings when I had so much self-doubt in my mind.
Something that weighed on me quite heavily was the pressure I was putting on myself based on other people’s comments. I kept hearing “You will walk into another role” and “You have nothing to worry about, you will find something in no time”. I felt a bit like a fraud hearing this knowing my inbox was filled with hopeless messages saying “We have no roles at the moment” and “We’re not looking to hire”.
Seeking Support from My Network
The advice and encouragement I received from my network and especially the NWMN played a crucial role in my journey forward. It really only takes a few conversations to help you change your perspective on a situation.
One conversation I had with Grace Appleby really helped, where she validated my feelings and shared that if she was let go she wouldn’t know what her next career move would be. In a world where everything on social media is sculpted to seem like everyone has it together, feeling like I didn’t really alienated me. Hearing someone else share that how I was feeling wasn’t wrong and that they would feel the same way, took so much weight off my shoulders.
Something else that really helped was having a friend hold me accountable. Amira Bird invited me to her house and whilst she worked on one side of the table, I sat on the other and updated my CV and cover letter and got on with everything I was procrastinating from. It was also very supportive to have someone non-judgemental to ask questions to and bounce ideas off. Amira even listened to my idea about selling my eggs to fertility clinics, when I was spiralling about not knowing what roles I wanted to apply for, luckily she helped me realise that wasn’t the best idea.
Speaking with Jess Ford and Matt Finch at the Norfolk Women’s Marketing Awards was also very reassuring. Jess has been made redundant in the past and hearing from someone who had been in my position and is now successfully heading up the marketing services at YAWN, was uplifting.
Reaching out to recruitment agents was very encouraging and helped me understand that there are roles out there, and even if there aren’t any immediately that people were willing to help in searching for roles with me.
Helping Support Your Network
If you know someone in the network that you want to help, endorsements, recommendations and posting about them on LinkedIn is an incredible way to show your support. If they are in the right headspace, you could offer to look through their CV or send them job postings you think they would be a good fit for. Most importantly, the best way you can support them is by checking in, checking that they are okay and checking if there is any way you can help them.
Remember your job does not define your worth. Losing a job can be scary and reaching out to others can be hard, but support from your network can make a world of difference. Remember, you’re not alone, and there are brighter days ahead.
