Job Loss

How to Cope
Call it what you want — being laid off or downsized,
getting dismissed or fired, receiving your pink slip
or your walking papers, losing your job hurts. Among
a variety of life-altering events, such as death in
the family, divorce, and serious illness, losing your
job ranks among the highest in stress-causing situations.

Job loss can have a profound effect on your emotional
well being. There is a typical cycle that most people
experience. This cycle includes denial, anger,
frustration, and eventually adaptation.

Dealing With It
As you can see, being separated from one's job is
extremely difficult. Many of us closely identify
ourselves by what we do for a living. When the job is
taken away, we can lose track of who we are and even
why we are.

Emotional issues aside, a number of practical issues
must be addressed. We must determine how long our
financial resources will sustain us. We must also
decide if a career change is in order. Then we must
begin to plan for the future.

Taking Care of the Practical Stuff
A major issue most people must deal with is providing
for themselves and their families. Finding out if one
qualifies for unemployment compensation should be the
first thing that is taken care of. The next thing is
applying for this benefit. There are certain criteria
that must be met. In the United States, your local
Employment Service Center will be able to help you. The
Web Site of the U.S. Department of Labor has information
on unemployment compensation in the United States. This
includes links to the individual sites of many states.

The next issue to deal with is health insurance. In the
U.S. the majority of people who have health insurance
are covered under a group plan through their employer.
When a job is lost, that coverage is as well. That is
why The Consolidated Omnibus Budget Reconciliation Act
(COBRA) was passed some time ago. This law allows those
separated from their jobs to purchase health insurance
at a group rate for a limited time.

Moving On
Once we have come to terms with all matters emotional and
practical, it is time to move on. We must decide where to go
from here. First you must look at why you lost your job. Was
the company downsizing? If so, is this a trend in the industry?
Do you want to stay in the same field? Is a career change in
order? If not, maybe this is a good time to spruce up some skills
in order to make yourself more marketable.

Rather than looking at a job loss as a horrible thing, it
might be better to consider the positive implications of this
situation. Take the time to make some changes — switch careers
or industries, learn some new skills and improve upon the ones
you already have, or perhaps consider relocating. Look forward
to your next opportunity. You never know what doors this turn
of events may open for you.