“I lost my job and I lost my status too.”
Daniel K. NY asks: “I’ve just turned 40 and about a year ago was downsized at the corporation I’d worked at for over a decade. I was a VP, had a global marketing job, managed big budgets and had a big expense account. Since becoming self-employed (in other words I haven’t found a job yet), people treat me completely different. They just don’t seem interested in me any more. Are they reading me as a loser?”
May 23rd, 2006 at 7:44 pm
I’m sure you’re battling to keep it together Daniel, but you also have to see this as the opportunity to define yourself as an individual not by your business card or the size of your expense account. First of all, get yourself out of your rut. Start moving that body and the brain will soon kick in. Sign up for as many job clubs, networks, and voluntary roles as you can. Get busy, get networking and get strong. At the same time, get some professional counseling to help you make the decision on whether you want to go back to the corporate world or do your own thing. I also strongly recommend this great website: www.theladders.com which offers streams of new job leads every week. Remember one very important thing Daniel: the only person who can get close enough to your forehead, to stamp “loser” on it, is YOU!
May 28th, 2006 at 6:16 am
Losing your job, whether through downsizing, being fired, or forced early retirement, is traumatic and scary. Many of us spend years defining ourselves by the company we keep, and even more so by the company we work for. So it’s especially harsh when we lose our membership of this exclusive club and find ourselves blackballed. You’ve just gotta fight back Daniel, and remember you are one of many, many smart guys who find themselves in this position. You are also one of the lucky ones. You are young, with skills that are flexible enough to travel.