It takes a few days for it to really sink in. Telling your family and friends is difficult; unfortunately there is still a stigma attached to losing your job. There’s a huge sense of rejection; a feeling of not being wanted. Your mind keeps wondering, “Why me? What did I do wrong?”
It’s really important to remember that people are losing their jobs today through no fault of their own. They haven’t done anything wrong. It’s not their fault there’s a worldwide recession; they can do nothing about the banking crisis. People who are being made redundant are not being singled out because they are bad employees; they’re losing their jobs simply because their employer is facing financial difficulties. Their employer can no longer afford to keep employing them. It’s that simple.
I lost my job in January of this year; I know what it’s like. In my own case I found there was very little help available to tell me what to do. I’d never been unemployed before. I had no idea what my entitlements were; I didn’t know how to go about signing on or anything like that.
That’s why I wrote my book, Oh no; I’ve lost my job. What am I going to do? In a way it was a kind of therapy for me. Writing it gave me a sense of purpose, something positive to be doing. You’ll find my book in most of the local bookshops. [You can also purchase it online from the website of The Job Seekers Union. Price €4.99 plus P&P. - ed.] It tells you everything you need to know if you’ve lost your job; including how to deal with debts, how to get your spending under control; as well as your welfare entitlements and how to go about claiming them. There’s advice too on how to go about looking for another job; how to write your CV, prepare for an interview and so on.
As with everything in life; if you find yourself unemployed, it’s important to try to stay positive. Boredom can quickly lead to depression; so try to stay active and busy. Tackle those jobs around the house that you never got around to; get busy in the garden, take up a hobby.
No matter what your circumstances; it really is important to register with your local social welfare office. The sooner you sign on, the sooner your jobseekers benefit or jobseekers allowance can be processed. It’s takes a while for the first payment to come through, but it will be back dated to the date you first signed on.
If you are in financial difficulty while you are waiting for your benefits to come through, you can get temporary assistance from the Community Welfare Officer. You can find their number in the Phonebook under Community Welfare Services or call your Local Health Centre.
They say looking for a job is a job in itself. Unfortunately there aren’t many vacancies about at the moment, but there are some. Try to be positive, and remember nothing lasts forever. You might have sent off hundreds of CV’s and got no response so far, but you never know what’s around the corner; so don’t give up trying.
Losing your job needn’t be the end of the world; it may be the opportunity to re-invent yourself and do something you’ve always wanted to do. Maybe you’ve always wanted to start a new business, or take up studying? In my own case it gave me the chance to write a book, which I never thought I’d do. I’ve a second book written, so who knows, maybe it’s the start of a new career for me as an author? [David Jones' second book, The Pothole Republic is also available from The Job Seekers Union at a special discount price of €4.99 plus P&P. Click here for more info. - ed]
It’s hard to believe there are over 400,000 unemployed people in the country; that’s a massive number for a country as small as ours. I recently set up a self help organisation called The Job Seekers Union. You can check it out at www.thejobseekersunion.com.
Incidentally, feel free to write to me with your experiences of unemployment. I’m compiling a book of people’s stories which I hope to publish later in the year.
You can contact me through The Job Seekers Union where you can also email me - david@thejobseekersunion.com.
Copyright © David Jones 2009
This is the first in a series of five articles. In the next installment David addresses the issues of 'Telling Your Family and Friends' that you have lost your job.
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