Turning Your Severance into a Sabbatical, or at least a productive professional gap in employment

In today’s world if haven’t been laid off or made redundant, then either you haven’t been in the workforce very long, you own your own business, or you just haven’t done enough progressive and ground-breaking work to have been put on ‘the list’. 

From my experience those who most often end up on ‘the list’ are those who are highly paid, are change agents who have worn out their welcome, have worked themselves out of a job, or are just plain jerks.  Sometimes it’s all of the above. Non-performers also sometimes end up on these lists, but I would generally say these people either get fired or quit before they get fired.  However, some companies opt to lay off poor performers rather than address non-performance head on.

So you made the list and you’ve been issued your severance.  Anywhere from a month or two to maybe twelve months, depending on position title and level.  Ok, so now what? 

Job search? Most certainly yes!

Thoughtful reflection about what you could have done differently? Maybe.

But ANXIETY about what your future holds? Yeah, heaps of it. 

After all, you’re officially unemployed and have bills to pay. The severance extended by the company, while nice, won’t last very long.  You’re thinking that your job search quite possibly could exceed the time and money you’ve been given in severance and you haven’t been as diligent as you would like to be about saving for these rainy days.  So several emotions seep in to your psyche … ANGER, DOUBT, FEAR, WORRY, and even DEPRESSION. 

I’ve been there, multiple times. 

Given this new-found ‘opportunity’ to pursue new horizons here’s my advice for staying positive and doing what you need to do, while avoiding the traps of negativity and doing what can get you in a rut, creating an avalanche and burden of damaging and destructive emotions that will keep you from landing that next great professional opportunity.

First the DO’s

• Reflect - Take time to think about what you want to do (what will make you happy), not just want you need to do or have been doing.  This ‘opportunity’ affords you the time to commit to reflection much more robustly than if you were working.
• Take care of yourself – Get a good night’s rest, eat better and exercise more regularly.  Again, you don’t have the excuse of not having the time so make sure you do better in each of these three areas.  You’ll be accomplishing something and it will keep your head where it needs to be – clear and focused thinking.
• Network/Volunteer – Invest time making contact with those who you just didn’t have time to connect with before.  Join professional groups, reach out to colleagues from previous employers, and connect with those in the community that can support you in your job/career search.  Church is a great outlet for this, so are school or community organizations you have always wanted to invest more of your time with. You gotta get out of your house and away from the computer screen.  It’s a must. 
• Keep a schedule – When you’ve got a job you have a routine and schedule.  Now that you don’t have that job, you don’t need a schedule right?  Wrong. Create a ‘to do’ list and make sure you make progress against it every day.  It’s ok if it’s a mix of professional and personal, but make sure it has professional actions that you must take to make progress in your search.
• Dress for your day – It’s easy to fall into the trap of putting on sweats, a t-shirt and a baseball hat every day.  After all, the dog doesn’t care and it’s appropriate attire for taking him on a walk.  But when you dress like you’re going to work you feel better, and you’re more likely to have appointments during the day that require work attire.  And all that’s good for you and your psyche.

Now the DON’Ts

• Spend all day on your computer – On the surface this sounds productive. Know what’s going on in your profession, checking out various job sites, applying electronically for jobs.  But the reality is that this isn’t the way most people get jobs.  Utilizing your network to identify a contact in a target company and speaking with them via phone or face to face is a much more probable way for you to get your next job.
• Keep strange hours – Going to bed late, sleeping in and keeping odd hours means you’re less connected to those who are keeping more traditional work schedules.  Keeping a normal schedule will keep you connected to those you need to be connected with.
• Isolate yourself – It’s sometimes embarrassing or awkward interacting with others when you have to share that you don’t have a job and are ‘in transition’ while everyone else is living their life.  “Oh, you’re not working?  I’m so sorry.”  No one wants this pity party, nor do they want that awkward “so what are you doing?” question to arise.  But limiting your contacts because of these uncomfortable moments is the opposite of what you really need.  Rehearsing and addressing these challenging questions is the best way to get really good at your answers, something you’ll need when talking to prospective new employers about job openings.
• Obsess about your job search – If your job search is all you think about, you’ll get emotionally tight.  You won’t be any fun to be around, and others will notice that something is different about you.  You’ll stress yourself out, your family and all those who want to help you.  Prospective employers will feel and see the desperation, and that’s not attractive.  So enjoy your weekends, take time with your family and friends, and attempt to keep the same pattern/regimen that you had when you were working. 

In full disclosure I haven’t always been able to follow my own advice.  Certainly not all of the time. But when I did follow it I was the most positive and employable, and when I didn’t follow it I was the most negative, and unemployable.  So if you strive for what I've suggested above and you fall off the wagon, pull yourself up and get back on.  That’s how it works. 

These tips are intended to help you manage the emotional swings that are inevitable when a person goes through job loss. I've found no prescription for avoiding these emotional swings all together. There are lots of other really important and practical tips for getting another job - like putting together a solid job search plan, writing a good resume, improving your interviewing skills, and business networking. 

But none of this will matter if you aren’t exuding a positive personal energy, if your head isn’t in the right place, or your emotions aren’t in check.

Be positive, and good luck during your ‘in transition’ period.  With these tips you can ensure that you'll bring to your next role the full breadth of all that is positive within you, and leave in the rear view mirror any baggage of being let go or separated from what will now just be a journal entry on your resume to professional success.