Being made redundant can be one of the most traumatic experience one encounters in life. We should know, each member of the MSG Team has been made redundant at one point in their lives.

Though no fault of their own, but rather due to company takeovers and cost cutting exercises. These programs are a part of corporate life and one should view the redundancy in this light. The major psychological huddle to over come is the feeling of "being worthless".

One of the first thoughts that goes through ones mind is:

"Why am I not wanted in this company?   I have spent years of my working career contributing to the success of the company, as a loyal, solid staff member, and now the company is getting rid of me!

WHY!"

Back to the second paragraph - you are NOT worthless!

Try the following:

1. Sitting back and relax. It makes sense to assess the whole situation from a calm, collected point of view. Rash decisions and actions could lead to a worsening of the situation.
2. Understand the companies point of view. Although you may disagree (radically) from their standpoint, it is better to "wear the company hat", than rant and rave about the injustice. This is important to overcome the feeling of "betrayal" that, at some point, bubbles to the surface.
3. Compile a plan for your future. Write down (and write it down) on paper. Merely thinking about the future, ones mind tends wander off on tangents and is not conducive to focusing on the issues at hand. Writing down your short and long term goals, strengths and challenges is an excellent mechanism for focusing your mind on the way forward and away from the stress you may be feeling.
4. Talk to everybody about it. Formal and informal networking has incredible benefits in that someone may have an opportunity just waiting for the right person (you) to step in and take up a challenge. Talk to your wife, children, colleagues, partners, friends, family, local shop owner, etc. about what you plans are and how you see your future. BE POSITIVE, ALWAYS!
5. Compile a Contacts List. Go through your address book and identify every possible person that could be of assistance in finding a new position. Then hit the telephone and promote yourself.
6. Find a good recruitment company. One that you can trust and that provides regular feedback, whether the feedback is professional or just "to chat". We have found that providing a personal service to candidates, we build a solid lasting partnership that, even if we do not place you, will provide incredible moral support in finding a better career position.

Finally, make sure that the redundancy process has been correctly followed by the company making you redundant. It is important to ensure that all the legal steps have been correctly followed during the whole process. This point has been placed last because, as in most cases, companies follow the legal process to the letter, but you need to ensure all the "t"s are crossed and "i"s dotted to avoid further stress.

Here are some interesting links that provide more information about redundancy and we hope that you have benefited from this section of our site.

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The JobhuntersBible.com - an amazing site that has excellent information and advice