Dr. Ng said that more and more people are tweeting about being let go involuntarily because of the hardships created by the pandemic. "If you are fired, ask for the reason why you are let go. If it's wrongful dismissal, you may have recourse based on employment law. Tweeting about this in public may win you some public sympathy but it may not be helpful," he gave some advice on what (not) to do if you do lose your job.
"If you were involuntarily let go through no fault of your own, ask your employer about other possible opportunities. Build a community to help you find work—professional and social networks, family, former colleagues and headhunters or placement services," the professor said.
He added that word about people losing their jobs gets out, so you might want to think about controlling the narrative on why you got fired. That way, you can steer clear of any inaccuracies or rumors. "Depending on where you are, your former employer may disclose this fact, and the reasons why you have been let go. You may wish to discuss this with your former employer. Hence, maintaining a cordial relationship may be advantageous to you," he said.
Meanwhile, Jeff, who has been running the Hashtag Roundup community for 5 years, told us that Hashtag Roundup constantly run tags throughout the day, hoping to bring a bit of joy to people's lives. "We strive to make Twitter a fun place to be. That entails coming up with ideas for hashtags that resonate with people either currently or at some point in their lives."
Jeff added that it's not uncommon for their hashtags to have thousands or even tens of thousands of responses and reach millions of people. You can check out the Hashtag Roundup app right here.
The Balance Careers expert blog that focuses on career advice explains how you should do your best to not beat yourself up after losing your job. You should also avoid making the situation worse by getting into heated arguments with your superiors. Feeling angry is natural; spreading that anger to everyone around you is not. Instead—try to focus on the future.
That includes finding out from your (former) employer about severance pay, benefits, unemployment, and references. Even if it’s unpleasant dealing with someone who just dropped a bomb on your life, it’s vital that you get that information so that you can move forward. You need to know when you’ll receive your final paycheck. And you want to make sure whether the references you might get will be neutral. Knowledge is power, after all.
Meanwhile, the Ladders website has some further career advice. It’s best to make something good of a bad situation, so look at losing your job as an opportunity to move on to bigger and better things. Since you’ll have some downtime, try out a bunch of different activities while you’re sending out resumes: give volunteering and freelancing a try and consider signing up for some classes to improve yourself.
While losing your job can seem like the end of the world, it doesn’t have to be when you face the challenge head-on and have a plan of action.
