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- Having a job is a sign of maturity, independence and an essence of survival. Being able to go to a particular place daily is a commitment that makes life worth living.
- To have that expectation of being paid, your essence and purpose taken away from you is demoralizing. But it is not the end of you as a person. They (the company) lost, not you.
- Let’s show you how to get a new job after such a bitter experience.
Getting fired from a job can be emotionally devastating and physically draining. If not well handled, it can inflict a deep scar on a person’s already bruised psyche. It is a sensitive and absolutely daunting event that every employee wishes would never occur in a lifetime. Unfortunately, it does occur and most times without warning. When it does, picking up the pieces could be a pretty herculean task. It takes so much effort and bravery to get up from the depths of despair and start all over again, the process of looking for a new job.
The unceremonious dismissal
On the 12th of July 2015, I was in the control room at exactly 4:23pm trying to write a daily routine report about the plant and other auxiliary equipment when the Chief Executive Officer walked in unannounced. He sat down quietly and within 10 minutes, a colleague of mine, Omoruyi, who was in the instrument and control department equally walked in and greeted the CEO. Unexpectedly, the greeting was not reciprocated. It was unusual for the CEO to behave the way he did, so I knew instantly that there was a problem somewhere, especially when he asked Omoruyi to have a private chat with him after this.
The next morning as we were going to work, the driver gave us the sad news of how Omoruyi had been given a letter terminating his appointment the day before. I was angry and at the same time confused as to why this hard working fellow had been fired. To add salt to injury, he was given 48 hours to vacate the company’s official guest house. It was a devastating blow to a man who was looking to build a career for himself with the company.
The truth about the whole drama of Omoruyi’s letter of termination was revealed a few days later when I called him on phone. He confided in me that management was not comfortable with the way he was fighting for workers’ welfare. The CEO was uncomfortable with his several moves to gather workers to fight for their rights. He terminated his appointment instantly to avoid the embarrassing situation of losing his position as CEO.
It was a huge blow to Omoruyi as his wife had just put to bed, twins. He had to travel back to Benin, to be with the family. He also had to pick up the pieces of his life and start planning ways to get back on his feet. He stayed positive in the midst of this turbulent time of his career. He had to be positive and remained focus on continuing to be relevant in the midst of the ugly situation that cut short his promising career.
Getting back on your feet
Maintain a positive attitude
Positivity is a key factor in your recovery from the shock of the loss of a job. The more positive an individual is, the more the possibility of the individual putting himself in proper shape for opportunities that may eventually show up in the no distant time.
He expressed no regret or resentment for being fired from the job. Omoruyi had every right to feel resentment towards the management he had served faithfully for more than seven years, but he refused to feel that way. He had no regrets for being fired for speaking his mind and fighting for the rights of co-workers. Resentment or regret over an issue as sensitive as a sack or dismissal can create vacuum in the life of an individual. He shared with me his thoughts on this when I visited him few months after his dismissal:
“My being fired was like a door had been shut against me. As long as I don’t regret or resent the CEO for my dismissal, other doors will eventually open up.”
Make use of your free time by improving on your knowledge and skills
Life after being laid off work doesn’t have to be boring. It should open new doors for upgrading one’s self in any area that needs upgrading. There are thousands of avenues available for one to improve and harness his skill level within a short period of time.
Weeks became months and when he saw that he could improve upon his knowledge and skill base, rather than staying indoors waiting for opportunities to show up, he decided to enroll for two online information technology programs. It was a smart move as the programs were free, and offered an amazing opportunity to upgrade his IT skills and add something unique to his CV. It took him three months to complete the programs which came with certificates of accomplishment.
Constantly be on the look-out for new job opportunities
In the midst of daily improvement and upgrading of his knowledge base, Omoruyi still went ahead to apply for different job openings in the power sector. A sector he had put in so much and had been trained both locally and internationally by Siemens Germany, a power generation company which deploys the latest IT technology in servers and power generation equipment worldwide. Twice he applied for vacant positions in two different companies. Twice he met with negative responses, but he never gave up.
Most times, after a sack, some just lose the passion to move on with their careers. It is like the wind had been taken out of their sails and they are totally grounded.
In July this year, I got the cheering news that Omoruyi had eventually gotten the much needed breakthrough he had always hoped for. He applied and got employed by a private power plant based in Edo state. It was pure delight I felt inside, as I knew what he had gone through during the past months while job hunting. His persistence had eventually paid off and he joined the new company as a middle management staff with a decent welfare package.
The interview process was conducted by Siemens Germany as part of their oversight functions in their capacity as operations and maintenance facilitators for the plant. Fortunately, owing to his training in Germany and his experience in his former place of work, Omoruyi was able to share his ideas about the power industry convincingly and Siemens was impressed by his abilities and skills in instrumentation and control monitoring.
Another added advantage was his 3 months online IT training program which was focused on latest trends in the deployment of server technology in power generation equipment; it proved helpful during his job interview as he had not just experience from his previous work place but also, his new found knowledge of the IT industry which gave him an edge over other applicants.
Apart from being persistent, one must have a solid understanding of one’s job and be willing to improve. So many people get lazy and complacent when it comes to expanding their horizons outside their job briefs. This may prove disastrous if things go south as a result of redundancy or restructuring.
Finally
Bad things do happen in the life of most individuals for them to appreciate the good things of life. When I recall the sorrow that enveloped Omoruyi the day he got fired and the joy he radiates today, I get to understand more the principle behind these awesome words: we must bring out the positives from every negative situation that comes our way daily and we should apply it to issues concerning our working decisions.
