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I knew the axe was going to fall; I knew when it was going to fall and now my job was over.  I thought I was mentally prepared.  I had some dreams for the future.  There was a bit of a financial buffer but now I need to get out there and find my next role.

There are several temptations to procrastinate: I deserve a break; I can catch up on all those things that need doing around the house; I need to look into all those different educational opportunities I have always wanted to pursue; I need to sort out my home office; I need to re-examine my life purpose… the list is endless.

What next?

There are also lots of suppliers that prey on the fears of those who lose their jobs: CV writers, LinkedIN experts, interview trainers, course providers, life coaches, career coaches, personal brand consultants.  Some of them do provide high quality, ethical services but too many of them are over-priced, under-qualified and use high pressure fear-based selling techniques.  They promise more than they can deliver at a price you can ill afford.

Again and again, I find that the ONE thing that will make the biggest difference is to find other people who are looking for jobs at the same time as you.  You may join a job club or start your own job club.  Many local churches run job clubs (check out capjobclubs.org for example).

A different way?

I have recently been very impressed by Christopher Ross, founder of the Convoy Community.  Convoys depart regularly with groups of around 12 members that commit to a collaborative job search process.  The approach draws on team empowerment techniques pioneered by the SCRUM software development community.  You might be surprised that what makes a software development team effective can help you get a job faster.  However, the regular rhythm of ‘daily stand ups’, weekly ‘sprint reviews’ and weekly input from external experts is incredibly powerful.  The accountability, shared learning and mutual support is a resilient combination for even the most demanding job search challenges.  Christopher humbly describes the initiative as a prototype (in SCRUM-speak, a Minimum Viable Product) but try it if you can.

Sacked?  Find a future you can love in a way you can love.

This article was originally posted in KCW London, in October 2020. You can see the original article here.

Charles McLachlan is the founder of FuturePerfect and on a mission to transform the future of work and business. The Portfolio Executive programme is a new initiative to help executives build a sustainable and impactful second-half-career. Creating an alternative future takes imagination, design, organisation and many other thinking skills. Charles is happy to lend them to you.