I Lost My Job, Now What?
Recently, just about everyone I know back in Canada has experienced layoffs. Losing your job can be extremely stressful! My advice to them, when jobhunts don’t pay off is, “Start your own business.” Most of them laugh at me.
The truth is, starting your own business isn’t for everyone, but if you are willing to work hard at something you are interested in, then you could end up really prospering.
In today’s economy, finding a job after losing your last one is very difficult. You might be very qualified, but the fact is that companies are downsizing and outsourcing. Wait, think about that for a minute . . . outsourcing?
That means, many people can do the same thing they used to . . . just not as an employee. This won’t work for everyone, but if you have a specialty area that you can do as a freelancer, you’d be surprised at how many jobs are out there. This is true in many areas, but I’ve seen it in writing in particular, since that’s my area of expertise.
Companies that hired writers ended up laying many of them off. They may pay a bit more per hour for a freelancer, but they are going to save money in the long run, plus no benefits are paid out. There is a huge increase in the number of higher paying jobs on the market these days.
Now, just because you have the expertise doesn’t mean you’ll automatically get the job. In writing, we’ve seen a drastic increase in competition, as well. That means the jobs that used to be relatively easy to grab now require extra attention and it’s not a sure bet. However, if you present yourself properly, as someone who is knowledgable and worth the amount you’re asking, you can still land that job. Just ask two of my students from the beta round of Freelance Bootcamp . . . they were earning by the time they hit the fourth week of the bootcamp and one earned her tuition back before the end of the course . . . all by presenting herself as a passionate writer. She didn’t work for pennies, either, neither of them did. They were quoting prices that they felt they deserved and people paid them accordingly.
Before you start looking for another office job in a tight economy, you might want to consider setting up a simple webpage and trying freelancing. If you were just fired, you probably know of a number of companies that could use your skills . . . why not contact them and see if they would be interested in hiring you to outsource their work to?
Sometimes you need to look beyond the obvious and see what else could be available.
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you have 2 options:
1- look for another job
2- work for yourself
or you could go for number 3…… do both
have you decided would you do?
I’m already doing it.
I’m working on moving more into my own projects than doing things for other people and it is great!