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Original poster

Been made redundant and struggling to cope

47 replies

ilovetomatoes · 30/06/2023 08:12

i was made redundant a month ago. More of a political decision by my manager who doesn’t like me than a genuine redundancy.

I’ve worked at my company for a long time, senior position. I’m really struggling to cope. Tearful and depressed all the time. I’ve been actively looking for another role but at my level it takes time and I’m not getting a lot of responses which is making me feel worse.

feel like a complete failure. People who I thought were friends have completely ignored me.

I need to work so can’t take much of a break. The pressure is overwhelming.

any positive to stories to help me?

OP posts:

Caramellois · 30/06/2023 14:30

There's stuff online about how to make your cv attractive to AI bots. There are tricks about key words and how the text is set out. Have a look.

Something similar happened to me. I got a much better job with nicer people. It opened up a new career path for me. It took me a while to recover my confidence though. My subsequent career has been very successful despite the initial setback.

Original poster

ilovetomatoes · 30/06/2023 21:58

Thanks everyone. Your comments have really helped me.

I’ve spent the past month frantically applying for jobs and getting nowhere. I can see I need to take stock, recover and get myself back on track

OP posts:

trader21c · 11/09/2023 19:16

How are you doing OP? I took redundancy at around the same time as you - freelancing now but finding it slow at the moment

Original poster

ilovetomatoes · 11/09/2023 23:05

Hi @trader21c ive applied for so many jobs and got nowhere. A few interviews but no success. Feeling really anxious and down. Applying for several a day and hardly ever get a response. It’s soul destroying.

OP posts:

trader21c · 12/09/2023 08:05

It’s tough out there isn’t it. Thought it would be easier … If you are getting interviews I’m sure you will get something. I’ve found former colleagues/contacts can be really helpful but I’m not looking for a FT job just freelance/ST work. And that said I am still chasing payment for a month of work I did 😳 Everyone says it’s always slow over the summer so 🤞things pick up for both of us … in the meantime would consultancy work be an option? In my field though it seems the market is flooded and companies are cutting their budgets x

TheThingIsYeah · 12/09/2023 09:39

@ilovetomatoes

Hi OP, your situation sounds v similar to me, I'm in banking and got the 'tap on the shoulder' at the start of the year. At the time the company paid for some independent careers advise, and the lady was quite pushy saying it will take 4 to 6 months to find a new job and I was like yeah yeah give me a break can I just have some time off first and then I'll worry about it.

But she was right. Finding a new job has moved on since I was last interviewing nearly 25 years ago. Gone are the days of wandering through Liverpool St station, picking up a copy of "9 to 5" and giving Robert Walters a call. Everything seems to be done now via LinkedIn/Totaljobs/efinancialcareers and it takes an age! The whole process is so slow! I too was applying for loads of jobs, about 40% didn't bother to reply, another 40% eventually sent the inevitable "thanks but no thanks" mail and another 20% I was called for an interview. And that in itself was a slow process strung out over a number of weeks.

I found the whole process demoralising as I don't think half the jobs actually exist. You recognise the same roles being recycled on LinkedIn and you become wise to it. In the end I only bothered to check twice a week. Despite a decent payout, I went from having no money worries to thinking constantly about money from the second I woke up to the second I went to bed. Not helped by inflation (every week the prices seemed to go up in Lidl) and of course the appalling weather during the Spring.

A few people I worked with got in touch, but it's amazing, you work with people for years and years 50 hours a week and then you are made redundant and you never hear from them again.

But it will fall into place OP I promise. The more I interviewed the more relaxed I felt, in the end I was basically offered a couple of roles in the same week, and took the one working with some ex-colleagues from years back. And thus far I prefer it a lot more than my old job.

Original poster

ilovetomatoes · 12/09/2023 10:53

Thanks @trader21c i am looking at anything perm, temp whatever is out there and relevant but still not getting anything. It’s so crazy, I was a consistent high performer and been told my CV is impressive so I must be doing something wrong!

OP posts:

Original poster

ilovetomatoes · 12/09/2023 10:56

@TheThingIsYeah thank you for telling me your story gosh it really is similar. My career advisor told me to apply for 2 jobs a day so I’m doing that but maybe I need to focus on quality rather than quantity.

I really am worried about money. I got a decent payout but now not contributing to my pension etc. it’s a nightmare. I was thinking of applying for Jobseeker’s Allowance to help with shopping, petrol etc

OP posts:

Ohmylovejune · 12/09/2023 11:02

Do you have any formal qualifications? (Thinking of whether there are other industries you can transfer to)

Ohmylovejune · 12/09/2023 11:07

My DD had a similar situation after graduation. She treated her job as applying for work and spent full time.on it, and was getting disheartened. She took to calling one company direct when she didn't hear back and got the job!

I think they'd overlooked her application or it had come through along with so many others they were swamped. The fact she called and was proactive they liked, interviewed her online that day, and the next day she was on the train going for a week's trial.

When she moved jobs to be with her boyfriend she did the same thing. Applied, waited a week, and then called them. She nailed interviews for all and got 2/3 offers.

TheThingIsYeah · 12/09/2023 11:09

Yes, defo apply for New JSA. Do it today online. It's very simple and you will get £84.80* a week for up to 6 months. You are entitled to it. The job centre won't harass you to get a job as they know that in your industry you're actively looking on the right places such as LinkedIn.

*It's such a pathetic amount. If you lived in Eire you would get minimum €210 pw for 9 months.

user1471556818 · 12/09/2023 11:15

Try to look at this in a more positive manner .You were miserable on antidepressants and didn't like your manager .So your out of this now with a bit of money and time for either a similar job or a change .Redundancy isn't personal however it feels . My DH went through this about 6 yrs ago now working in a completely different sector and is the person I know who just loves his job
It was a bit of a leap of faith for him but he has never regretted it .

Candy500 · 08/11/2023 21:58

Hello I know your thread was back in June but was wondering how you got on in the end. Our company has also been racked with redundancies…

snazzychair · 08/11/2023 22:03

You aren't defined by your job. Give it some time, some perspective and know that you will get through this. You sometimes have to go through shit at times. You'll find another job, but you are more than your job.

Original poster

ilovetomatoes · 09/11/2023 02:18

Still looking. Applying for lots but getting nowhere. Confidence destroyed!

OP posts:

LadyChilli · 09/11/2023 06:58

Chin up OP. I've been through this twice and it took me several months too, despite having a great CV (according to recruiters) and experience. You only need one application/interview to stick. Last time in desperation I took on an entry level role and within a few months had moved into a senior role in the new organisation earning significantly more than the job I had been made redundant from.

Ptica · 14/12/2023 00:11

Please don't worry and keep going. I am in similar situation as you. Was made redundant suddenly in the beg of September. The company (HQ in US, acquired by PE) didn't follow the correct procedures and I was left out of work after 10 days I was mentioned about a potential redundancy. I called ACAS a few times but because I was there less than 2 years, I was told to deal with my HR personally as I wouldn't be able to take them to employment tribunal...
Since then, I am applying, interviewing, trying to network on LinkedIn with no success so far. I've never had so many calls/interviews in my life without landing a job... I genuinely think there is a shortage of work in my industry and the market is saturated with good applicants. Also, many jobs are filled by internal candidates. Once I even had a call with a hiring manager who shortlisted 30(!) candidates for 1st stage. It is insane. We will get there, we just need to keep pushing!

MrPloppyplops · 11/08/2024 23:16

"Don’t feel embarrassed. It’s really just business, which is pretty binary."

This is such a whopper. It's really just people being petty & spiteful. And they say these are "business decisions" to disguise their real motives which are greedy, envy and hate. I've never worked in a business that wasn't actively trying to make me redundant from the moment I got there. I think they can smell the working class on me.

HelloMiss · 11/08/2024 23:19

Zombie thread!!.....why??

LibertyPrime · 11/08/2024 23:22

@ilovetomatoes similar situation, although it was branded as restructuring, yet previous management had faith and belief in our dept. keep doing the best you can.

Original poster

ilovetomatoes · 12/08/2024 14:38

@MrPloppyplops it is petty and personal. It’s not just business I know that for sure.

as someone has revived this thread I will give an update. I retrained and am now working on an entirely different sector doing something I love.

I would never say I was glad it happened to me but I will say I have turned it around. So to all those out there struggling, dig deep and you will find the way through.

OP posts:

AuditAngel · 12/08/2024 14:52

Returning from holiday in March I was told there was no position for me going forwards. I refused to make a fuss, I wasn’t allowed to tell anyone. I negotiated more money, but am still bitter about the process.

I decided that after 28 years in the same company I needed a break. After 2 months I got a message over LinkedIn about a potential job. It’s a 12 month maternity cover at a much lower level than my last job, but there are potential succession issues that I could be the solution to, so they are paying my former salary for a lot less stress so far.

I had booked a month away as part of my planned 6 months off, and they were happy to honour it. Started beginning of July

I did start to worry about finding a job

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