I’ve just been made redundant. How can a coach help me navigate redundancy and get my next job?

From grappling with the emotional fallout of redundancy, gaining clarity on your next career move and stepping into the authentic self-belief needed to apply and interview for roles, working with a coach can be enormously valuable at what can often be a very difficult time. A good coach will work with you on a number of levels - from the deep to the practical, and can offer insights into the strategies and tactics that are working well in today’s job market. 

Stabilise the emotional rollercoaster of redundancy

When you are first made redundant, the whirlwind of emotions can be overwhelming. Even if it’s something you saw coming, know it wasn’t a personal reflection of your performance, or can see objectively as an opportunity in disguise, being made redundant can trigger strong feelings of rejection, and stir up deep-rooted beliefs of not being ‘good enough’. 

In my coaching practice I often work with leaders going through redundancy. I see shock, anger, betrayal, frustration, loneliness, panic, worry, sadness and grief, all vying for attention with more positive emotions like optimism, hope, acceptance and excitement. We’ve all seen the grief/change curve - but in reality it’s never as smooth or linear as the textbooks would have you believe. 

Often there may be specific memories of events relating to the redundancy that hold particular power, and can prevent us from moving forward. It might be the moment when you were told the news, or you shared it with your family. A coach will help you explore these moments and many will work with you to stabilise the emotional response you feel when the memories are triggered. In my coaching practice I use a tool called Event Havening for Coaches to identify emotionally charged moments and take the sting out of them. In my experience this is an essential step so you can move forwards with a clear head. 

Gain clarity on what you really want next

A coach will help you to understand clearly what you want from your next role. It’s a cliche, but redundancy can be an opportunity to reflect and pivot or readjust your career path. It’s important to spend some time at this step, to avoid unthinkingly continuing down the career path you are already on.

Coaching can help you take stock of your skills, talents and experiences. Crucially, a coach will also challenge you to consider what you enjoy doing, what comes naturally to you, and conversely, what drains you. A coach can also encourage you to open out your exploration into new avenues such as different roles or sectors, going freelance, entrepreneurship or academia. 

When I work with clients recently made redundant in my longer coaching packages, we often work on their values. This is a more in depth exercise than merely selecting values from a list, but instead we work ‘bottom up’ to really explore what is most important to them and build up a picture of the factors that will drive them in their next role. 

Provide practical help and accountability

Being made redundant can be a lonely time, and it can be hard to maintain the motivation and consistency needed to find your next role without a little practical help and accountability. A good coach will get you up to date on the strategies and tactics working well in the job marketplace, how to leverage LinkedIn to your advantage, and will support you to create a plan and daily schedule of activities to keep you focused. 

Many of the clients I work with come to coaching with some job searching disciplines already in place - for example they’ve already spoken to recruiters and have started applying for jobs. But what I often see is that this effort can be somewhat scattergun and unfocused. Considering a broader strategy and slightly longer term plan can help to avoid the burnout that can come from over-zealous job applications. 

Re-connect with the authentic self belief needed to secure your next role

Being made redundant can give your confidence a knock. As you’re considering your next role your pesky inner critic can become deafening. It might suggest you’re not experienced enough for that role, or you’ll never get through to interview stage, or you’ll never get roles at that level. It may suggest you’ll never make it going freelance, or you’re not good enough to start your own company. 

Working with a coach can help you sort through the fact from fiction here and uncover limiting beliefs about yourself or your capabilities that might be holding you back. They can help you to reconnect with what you’re really good at and the unique set of skills and experiences that you bring to an organisation. Recruiters and hiring managers can smell self-doubt and bluffing from a mile off.

In my coaching practice I use a tool from the Paseda360 academy called Limitless Light Therapy to uncover limiting beliefs and create new, more positive perspectives which my clients can then carry through to applying for roles and interviewing with confidence. 

In my experience working with clients going through a time of redundancy, having a coach in your corner to guide you through the job searching process can be invaluable. They can help you move forward through the emotional rollercoaster more quickly, can help you gain clarity on your next career step, and provide you with the practical tools and mindset needed to land that next role with confidence.  

From Liv 💛

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