Life After Redundancy: Post-Redundancy Career Coaching

Returning to work after redundancy

Being made redundant sucks. Whatever they say. Whatever they call it. I know redundancy is technically better than being fired. Being fired is because you've done something wrong; being made redundant is because you're no longer needed. That's almost worse.

But it doesn't have to be worse. There is hope. There can be a new chapter. There can be a new life. There can be a reset.

What happens after redundancy is up to you

Redundancy happens to you. What happens next is up to you, how you respond and the decisions and choices you make.

Of course it hurts. Whatever people say. It's happened to me - I know the feeling. Whether you are the only person or hundreds have been "let go". For most people, their work is a significant part of their identity and losing your job hurts.

But wounds can heal - if you stop scratching them and give them time. What do you do need to do is respond rather than react, take time to grieve and heal and then close that chapter and work on opening a new one. Crisis today can become opportunity tomorrow.

It is up to you. You may decide to start a business, go freelance, change industries, become more qualified in your chosen career or learn new skills and start a new career. If AI developments have led to your redundancy, then the explanation for your career change is clear. So is the need to make choices. You have to focus forwards.

Three decisions, three choices:

What are you going to focus on?

What you have or what you don't have?
What you can control or what you don't control.
On the past and what has happened, or your present or your future.

This might be challenging, you may not have had an interview in years and the interview process has changed a lot and become much tougher - especially if you are now at a more senior level than your last interview.

Feeling overwhelmed is paralysing. I get that. Depression can come knocking and it often wants to move in. Action evicts depression. But first you need to audit your assets - your skills, connections etc. Then look at the market. And your gaps. Then make a plan.

Telling your story and particularly "the redundancy story" honestly, well and without bitterness is hard but necessary. You have to stand out, or your competition will beat you, but you can't appear to be someone else's cast-offs.

I can help you get your head in the right place, identify and tell your stories well and prepare to start your next chapter. You might be able to get your company to pay for this through their Outplacement budget - ask your HR department.

Coming back after being made redundant

You have to acknowledge the knock, the exhaustion, the anger. Take (some) time out, but you can't wallow for ever.
You need to get up to date and up to speed. You almost certainly need a refresh at the very least.
You may need to rethink careers.

A plan and a programme beats mindless and unfocused activity every time.
You can try and do this alone but it's more efficient and effective with a coach. Do you have a personal trainer for your body? What about your career?

From CEO to Redundant to Starting a New Chapter

A man I have done a variety of work for (interview prep, speeches, articles, sales team storytelling coaching and event prep) over the years was made redundant. At first, he didn't speak to anybody - he hid and hurt. Then he messaged me to ask for coaching. I said no, but he could take me for a drink and a Chinese meal at a restaurant I wanted to visit.

He was desperate to get going again, he had "ants in his pants", he was anxious and had a frenetic mixture of FOMO, regret, resentment, anger, guilt and fatigue.

He had this need to be DOING. He was also overwhelmed. Where to start? What to do?

He talked, I listened. We ate. We drank. He wanted me to coach him. I said no. He asked several times. I said no each time. He talked more. I listened. He slowly calmed down.

Then he asked why I kept saying no. I told him that I thought he needed to mourn, to take time off, to rest. His resilience spring had been so tightly over extended for so long, that it had almost lost any spring. He knows me so he trusts me and did it.

I checked in with him after the holiday he booked the day after we met. He was a different person, his voice had changed. He had agency again. He wasn't broken or a victim. He was in charge of his life again. He stopped looking backwards, and started working on today and building his tomorrow. One step at a time.

He also had a new role. It wasn't as a CEO, it was the head of business development for an organisation that he likes. The role suits him and his personality and he is good at it and getting results. He sounds happier now than he ever was as a CEO. He's enjoying his life, living and buzzing and being. That's a result.

Career changer

Mr N

All that work, those hours. You were right about me being 100% knackered, I think I was before all this happened so it has just hit harder. Hadn't realised. It's like someone died. Part of me died. You understood. But now I am buzzing again. Am almost pleased it happened. In fact, I am. Thank you.

My 1-2-1 interview coaching for getting back to work includes:

Preparing you for every filter in the interview process - to stop you being filtered out in a multi-stage interview process.
Identifying your USP, identifying and articulating during each interview stage what you bring or could bring to the corporate table.
Helping you compellingly and tightly communicate your qualifications, experience and potential as a candidate during the interview.
Reviewing your CV and Linked In profile – this Linked In and CV audit is an essential part of interview preparation.
Overview of best-practice pre-interview research.
Work on voice and image projection for your interview.
Interview preparation role-play with video play-back as well as review of image, voice projections etc.
Plus bullet proofing you for all those tricky interview questions which are now more important than ever. After the session and having done your homework you will be on the road towards being “Paxman-Proof & Paper-Free” when you do get to the interview.
Preparing you to keep calm and negotiate your new package - some of my clients have achieved huge uplifts of 14% - 28% on already significant and allegedly "final" cash offers.

We can also look at your career options.
Storytelling for interviews - the secret to answering competency based interview questions and situational interview questions.
Working on the "Brand of You" - you're probably great at selling a service or product, but not yourself.
Developing a "Reseller Kit" - you need to recruit internal advocates who will promote you through the interview process.
We can also work on identifying your career thread.
My interview books Filtered OUT and Filtered OUT - the WorkBOOK have 45 of the most commonly asked Interview Questions - plus Elon Musk's two favourite interview questions. These books cover the most common interview questions virtually guaranteed to be asked and guidance on how to prepare for interviews, including telephone interviews and interviews by Zoom or Teams.

Book & Pay for Flat Fee Redundancy Coaching

£2,700 Flat Fee Coaching

You are investing in a bespoke series of 7-8 sessions delivered remotely by Zoom

Plus... homework review, advice and counsel in-between sessions.

This coaching and counselling package helps your prepare for every filter in the interview process including interactions with headhunters; preparing your covering letter and CV; auditing and editing your online presence; online interview preparation; presentation prep, Q & A prep; negotiating your remuneration package.

This interview coaching course is for accomplished senior executives preparing for internal or external interviews.

You book and pay for the full session when you book your first slot via Calendly, and you then pick the subsequent slots to suit your diary - also via Calendly. Calendly makes rescheduling really easy when life intervenes with your diary.

All coaching should be completed within 30 days unless otherwise agreed.