It might sound weird, but being made redundant might just be the best thing that’s ever happened to you. If you were being really, truly honest with yourself, did you love, love, love your job, your boss, and your colleagues? My guess is probably not. You are no longer one of those people who gets stuck in the same job or company for years on end, going through the motions and collecting a pay check. You have been given a gift. A gift of freedom, a gift of choice, a gift of finding something better for yourself.
Cherish The Gift You’ve Just Been Given
As with any special gift you are given, there has been a lot of thought put into it behind the scenes. 
It’s not easy for companies to take the decision to make their staff redundant, and they will have tried every single other method of fixing whatever the issue is before using redundancy as a last resort. As hard as it might be right now, I encourage you to find it within you to be grateful.
Be grateful that you have not been left behind tidying up the mess and doing the job of three others who got laid off. Be grateful that they have put any outplacement programmes or support in place to help you move on. Be grateful that you have no excuse to no longer be unhappy at work. Don’t waste your energy getting angry and upset at your former employer. Use it instead to focus on what next for you, and that starts with being truly honest with yourself.
1. Get Clear on What You Don’t Want
Good beginnings start with great endings. When things end, true growth comes from determining what you have learned from the experience and using it to guide you going forwards. When we look back on something, we understand things in a whole different light. Hindsight is 20/20, and so you want to use this crystal clear perspective to your advantage.
So get yourself a clean sheet of paper and start listing the things that you didn’t like about the situation you’ve just been released from. Anything about your boss? Your co-workers? Your customers? The company culture? The content of your work? Your routine (both inside and outside of work)? Your growth prospects? Add any other categories that you find helpful.
This list is gold dust. You have just written yourself a job search check list that will help you to consciously evaluate potential job offers going forward. Because my guess is that you don’t want exactly the same as you have already had.
2. Spend a Bit of Time in No Man’s Land
No Man’s Land is an important place in times of big change. It’s a place where there are fewer demands of us, limited distractions, and uncomfortable aloneness. It’s a place where you can be at one with yourself. It might be a weekend away with no travel companion, a spa day, or a retreat. What’s important is that it is a space where you have the opportunity to “think” things over, or do a whole lot of nothing to let your mind wonder, rest, and imagine.
It’s a healing time. An escape from “normal you”. It’s a place where epiphanies can happen, where inspiration can strike, and where the answer to “what next” will knock you off your feet. It’s where your real transition is taking place. You may experience a real re-orientation and re-alignment, and clear signs that you are shifting from one season in your life to the next. People who have spent the time they need to spend in No Man’s Land talk about feeling least sure of what’s going to happen next, but most sure of who they really are at that particular moment. It’s a must-go place if you are wanting to get the most out of your new beginning.
3. New Beginnings – Your Launch Pad
Your new beginning will come from inside you. It will present itself as an opportunity that you recognise immediately as one to jump on. It will be a coincidence that couldn’t have come at a better time. It will be a chance meeting with someone or something that reignites something inside you.
It’s now time to act. You’ve done all your preparation, your soul-searching, and it’s now time to put it to good use. Starting your next job search from this place will be much more productive than if you had skipped the other two phases. You will come over much clearer, much stronger, and much more attractive to potential employers. You are now someone they will fall over themselves about and want to employ you immediately. And you now have the power to choose the next best fit for you.
Remember – It’s Never About You
I’ve been made redundant twice now – both times it was completely unexpectedly. The first time was in 2008 (just weeks before the financial collapse) and the second time in 2011. And while I was on a work visa in America and had no idea of my legal situation, I was fortunate enough both times to be given decent packages that allowed me time to be in No Man’s Land before moving onto my new beginning.
And as difficult as it was to understand that they weren’t rejecting me – some of my colleagues were unaffected by the redundancies – it was going to be better for me in the long run to realise and accept that it was never about me. It was a business decision that I had no control over. My job role wasn’t needed any more, and it was my time to take my talents elsewhere. So I did. And I’m now grateful that I got the opportunity to grow and tweak my career in a way that would never have been possible if I hadn’t been made redundant.
What’s Your Story?
Share with us what you’ve achieved since being made redundant.
Your First Stepping Stone
If you want to get clear on what you should be doing next, contact me about my “From Job Adversity to Career Prosperity” programme which will help you to identify what wasn’t so good in the job you no longer have, and now where to look for your next calling.