What to do if you were fired yesterday

1. What to do if you were fired
yesterday?
Practical applications
By John Roland, MDiv
Fundraising Executive
Twitter: @jaroland74 or Email: jaroland74@yahoo.com
John Roland, @jaroland74

2. Introduction
• How you react in the first 48 hours is key.
• Put a positive spin on it.
• Need to inform family and close friends.
• Lay low during the first few days.
• Breath deeply, God is in control.
• Lots of good people before you have been fired
and gone on to have successful careers.
John Roland, @jaroland74

3. Lay low during the first 48 hours
• Resist the urge to job hunt.
• Be open with close family and friends.
• Write an exit statement about job.
• Begin personal financial evaluation.
• Start dreaming.
• Make sure you sleep 8 hours a day, every
day.
John Roland, @jaroland74

4. Separate from your former
employer
• Exchange property ASAP.
• Agree on the reason for your departure.
• Negotiate the terms of your separation
and get it behind you .
• Negotiate the way your departure will
be described to potential employers in
the future.
John Roland, @jaroland74

5. Organizations are just trying to
survive
• You are going to feel resentful about people at your
old job. They wronged you.
• But listen closely: they are just trying to survive also.
• They aren’t different from you and me, no matter how
much you feel they wronged you.
• You need to make a list of all the good qualities that
person has and send them an email (when you are
ready) why you think they are good at what they do.
Thank them.
John Roland, @jaroland74

6. Don't do anything rash or bitter
• As satisfying as it might be to send
former co-workers or client lists an
email about everything that's wrong with
that company, don't do it.
• You need to protect your reputation now
more than ever, and a bitter, hostile
exit will make that impossible.
John Roland, @jaroland74

7. Release your anger
• Talk out your anger with a counselor or
minister.
• Write out all of the gory details in a journal.
• Define the offense—how were your
expectations not met?
• Give up the desire for revenge. Get mad, but
don’t get even; get ahead.
John Roland, @jaroland74

8. File for unemployment
• People often think that only laid-off employees are
eligible for these benefits.
• However, in most states, fired employees can collect
too, as long as they weren't fired for intentional
misconduct.
• It can take a while for benefits to kick in, so file right
away.
• No shame in taking advantage of this benefit.
• Discuss funding that might be available for retraining.
John Roland, @jaroland74

9. Take an objective look at what
happened.
• Once a few days have gone by and you've
started to process the news, take an objective
look at what happened.
• Don't feel defensive or ashamed; try to see it
the way an outsider might.
• Do you understand why your boss let you go?
• Are there lessons that you can learn for your
next job?
John Roland, @jaroland74

10. Get your finances in order
• Trim your budget for the next few months, and cut out any
expenses you can.
• Assume that you might not have any money coming in for at
least a few months, so pare your spending down to the
essentials.
• Develop a financial plan that takes the worst case scenario
into account.
• Organize and analyze your financial portfolio.
• Get professional financial help—free help available from
groups like Consumer Credit Counseling Service.
John Roland, @jaroland74

11. Health care visits
• If you've been putting off any health care
appointments, make them now.
• You'll probably still have your employer's
health care until the end of the month, so get
any doctor and dentist appointments in while
you still have insurance.
• You can also choose to extend your coverage
through the federal program COBRA.
John Roland, @jaroland74

12. Anticipate a Great Outcome
• Decide right now to have a positive outlook!
• Seek adversity as an opportunity. Some of the great
success stories came after people were fired.
• Place your career in God’s hands. God is GOOD and
He truly is in control.
• “The only thing we can do is play on the one string we
have, and that is our attitude. I am convinced that
life is 10% what happens to me and 90% how I react to
it. And so it is with you. We are in charge of our
attitudes.” Charles Swindoll
John Roland, @jaroland74

13. Forgiveness . . .
John Roland, @jaroland74

14. John Roland, @jaroland74

15. Sources
• Altucher, James. “10 Things you need to do if you were fired
yesterday.” http://www.jamesaltucher.com/2011/03/10things-you-need-to-do-if-you-were-fired-yesterday/
• O’Farrell, Dave. “Market-Ready in Minimum Time.”
• Green, Allison. “10 things you should do immediately after
being fired.” http://money.usnews.com/money/blogs/outsidevoices-careers/2012/06/25/10-things-you-should-doimmediately-after-being-fired
John Roland, @jaroland74