Prevention is better than cure!

Prevent unemployment in good time

With a booming economy, full employment and a shortage of skilled workers, who thinks about the possibility of unemployment? Layoffs always come as a surprise to those affected and do not follow any general rule. For the individual concerned, it is always incomprehensible why he or she has been made redundant.

If you are made redundant, it is important to be flexible in your career in order to prevent prolonged unemployment.

General recommendations:

Don't move too far away from an operational role. Try to stay on the ball professionally in terms of breadth and depth and never be too good at having as good an overview as possible of all activities within your team. Try to relieve your colleagues from time to time to get to know their area of responsibility.

Ask yourself how important you are to the company!

Assess your own performance and evaluate the added value you generate for the company. Solve tasks that are in demand by customers and that are very easy to charge for. If you work in a staff position, consider whether what you do can also be purchased as a service. Attract customers' attention with additional services or in other clever ways.

Keep working on your network!

Position yourself as close as possible to your customers and expand your internal and external network.

Maintain many contacts in your private life and get involved in professional and industry associations. Make a good name for yourself among your competitors and suppliers.

Invest in your brand awareness and be creative!

There are many more good examples, so think of your own. The worst advice is not to move out of your comfort zone during the current job and hope that things will work out. This all sounds very time-consuming, but I guarantee you that it is a good investment to prevent prolonged unemployment.

Being made redundant is a "nightmare" - but make something of it!

I was made redundant once about 20 years ago. It was a "nightmare". From today's perspective, I can view what I experienced positively and use it as an important experience in my day-to-day consulting work. Thanks to my personal attitude and flexibility, as well as my professional versatility, I found a new suitable position before the notice period expired.

Today I am convinced that unemployment not only eats away at your self-esteem, but that it also makes it more difficult to find a new job. Take your fate into your own hands in good time, work out your own recipe and make yourself fit for your next job before the notice period expires!