What if you have suddenly lost your job
You had suddenly lose a job in the following situations
a) Overall global meltdown or say, startup funding winter
b) Company specific issues - e.g. a Credit Suisse going bust - leading to layoffs
c) People specific issues e.g. a Toxic Boss making life hell for you, forcing you to resign
Now the situation in which you land up after the resignation can have two very contrasting dimensions
a) Normal Salary : CA with 10 years of work experience drawing 35 lacs p.a. - you are very much in the market - not so tough to get another job
b) Unusual Jackpot : Commerce Graduate / CA Inter with 10 years of work experience drawing 35 lacs p.a. - you are absolutely out of the market . Take another case of a B-school graduate - 2 years into the Investment Banking trade, drawing 125 lacs p.a. This becomes a stressful situation as the world can be very nasty when you lose a jackpot - it wants you to come back to median salaries
In such a situation, the first thing is o
Bhagavad Gita: Chapter 2, Verse 15
यं हि न व्यथयन्त्येते पुरुषं पुरुषर्षभ | समदु:खसुखं धीरं सोऽमृतत्वाय कल्पते || 15||
yaṁ hi na vyathayantyete puruṣhaṁ puruṣharṣhabha sama-duḥkha-sukhaṁ dhīraṁ so ’mṛitatvāya kalpate
O Arjun, noblest amongst men, that person who is not affected by happiness and distress, and remains steady in both, becomes eligible for liberation.
Bad times come and go - do not get overtly flustered by the event - once in a lifetime, you will land in a career mess .
Trust me, once you overcome it, you will wear it like a badge of honour
Do not get into the mental trap of "Why did this happen to me"?
This will worsen the pain and block your ability to think logically.
What is the worst thing that will happen? 6 months of joblessness ? Imagine a scenario where you could be sick and bed-ridden also
Now what next
First, try to target the right organisation, depending on what is your exact pain point e.g. lack of a formal degree
US based MNCs which pay well even to graduates. Try to get hold of senior HRs / Finance Folks. Else try to get hold of the recruitment agency that has a hold over that organisation
Warly Stage Startups where the founders have just started, will take a call on your skills as long as you are in their range
Babu Companies where again the promoter can take a call - maybe the promoter will try to draw a consumer surplus - but thats ok - you can give an opportunistic bargain deal to him.These options are far more effectively than approaching junior HRs who will reject your CV singing the song of "Internal Parity".
Similarly, approaching old bosses wouldn't help - they will want you to join at the salary they had been giving, adjusting for 2 years inflation
Now, how to reach out to prospective leads - On LinkedIn?
Bad idea unless there is an exceptional stroke of luck or your Elevator Pitch is too impressive- melting the heart of a stranger .
Best is to go through a common connect, where someone attaches their years of goodwill to you.
Easier to break the ice that day
The last thing is Upskilling is good -but on a Monday morning, if you are jobless and doing a Udemy course on Advanced MS Excel, it will be very demoralising - better attend some conferences where you can meet some random person who can take up to the next milestone of your career.
Or reach you to people for mentorship ; during such sessions, people open up, develop warmth and become your brand ambassadors
Also a word on your Interview Strategy - be candid and without getting into specifics of the toxicity, you can simply say things didnt work out due to cultural issues. Cooking up stories will reduce your authenticity ( thats my personal view)
You may also wish to explore
My recent TEDx talk
Finance for Non Finance rated 4.45/5 on Udemy
Financial Modeling rated 4.17/5 on Udemy
The Complete Job, Interview, Resume Writing & LinkedIn Guide - Rated 4.16/5 on Udemy
1:1 Mentorship http://rzp.io/l/anuragsingal