Dealing With Redundancy

[CardiffGuy]

Evening All,

Apologies for my absence here for a bit, unfortunately due to moving house 3 weeks ago, I havent been able to grab any access to the internet until now and apologies for the long winded bit below.

Approx 3 weeks I moved house with my girlfriend and was very upbeat until my employers dropped me on my head at the beginning of last week informing me that I was one of a few people being made redundant because of contract losses and lack of sustainability, I kind of got the impression that the last in, first out rule was being applied here despite several others starting after myself.

The redundancy news became a bit of a shock as I was due to put loads of overtime hours in with christmas coming up and despite job hunting daily since I found out and going out all this week as it is my first week of unemployment, I havent had so much as a response back yet from anywhere that I have applied for.

I have limited savings left as I am determined that I do not want to claim off the govermnent even though I have worked for 10years continiously since I was legally able(16) to do so and paid alot of tax and NI.

My question to those who have experienced redundancy in the past, did you have a constant Positive Mental Attitude throughout the whole experience and did you find it easy getting back into work?

Thanks
CardiffGuy

[Carrot Cruncher]

Sorry to hear that Cardiff Guy.

I have been made redundant 3 or 4 times now which was why i retrained as an HGV Driver as there is always a fair bit of work for them and the money is ok

What I did was basically take any piece of rubbish work offered just to keep some cash coming in, I signed on with every agency I could find in my local area and was prepared to do anything including the lowest paid and lowest thought of jobs, temp or permanent.

I would send my CV to all the companies I could think of in the same line of work that I wanted and then call them 3 or 4 days later to ask if they had received it. It does you good if you appear keen. I also went and handed in CV's personally to firms

It can be a bit disheartening when you find yourself doing something that a school leaver would have the skills to do after you have worked for years but it really is true that it is easier to find work when you are in employment

It can be hard to stay positive sometimes but in my experience I eventually ended up with better jobs than the ones I was made redundant from so it worked out in the end

Regarding signing on for benefits, you have paid into the system so it is only fair that the system helps you when you need it.

Good luck

[preppingsu]

Sorry to hear your news CG, it's not good.
Although not redundent (I know others may have views about redundency) I have been out of work since finishing my retraining at uni. Despite numerous applications I have had only 2 interviews and haven't been successful. It is hard to keep upbeat at times, especially when getting the phonecall to say you've been unsuccessful. Money is tight and that doesn't help.
I find it irritating when people say not to worry, there's a job out there for me. Well, I wish it would bloody well hurry up and show its face.......

so I won't say that. It is hard but hang in there CG.

[diamond lil]

I would claim dole money. It is your right and was hard fought for by our ancestors. Also if you don't and the money runs out then you might get asked a lot of questions as to why you didnt claim..

[smileyt]

Aww CG. If you can claim Job Seekers' Allowance,then do so. You've paid in, so if you're entitled to it you should claim it. Of course if you are living with someone who is working then you might not be entitled, but it would be worth finding out. The Government is greedy enough without you helping them out by living on your savings!

The only thing with JSA is that they do put a lot of pressure on you to apply for stuff, but since you're doing that anyway you should be fine and not fall foul of any rules.

Best of luck finding a job.

[jansman]

If you have paid in to the system,make sure you claim what is due to you! It's what it is there for.My Daughter is in your situation ,she signed on and uses their job searching facilities.Make sure you claim your dues.

[diamond lil]

Also they pay your NI stamp if you claim.

[itsybitsy]

Sorry to hear that you've been laid off Cardiff Guy. I've experienced redundancy twice over the past 12 years. The first thing I did was SIGN ON! I've also paid into the system since I was 16 - and I'm 40 now, so I was buggered if I wasn't going to take a little something back out of it. I signed on with loads of recruitment consultants who specialise in my line of work. I also applied for jobs directly - tailoring my CV according to the role I was applying for. I was never out of work for more than a month, BUT, that was a long time ago, and I am more than aware that things have changed now.

I was also prepared to commute if necessary. Of course the cost of commuting needs to be taken into account when you are looking at salaries.

[FlyingHaggis]

sorry to hear about your redundancy Cardiff Guy , O echo what everyone else has said you have paid into the system and you are entitled to it .

I am not redundant but medically retired due to a brain injury i received while i the military , so I have a small pension to live off which is a shock to the system going from a steady income ad life style to counting the pennies to make ends meet

it can be demoralising at times but being as positive as you can will always help and not be prepared to sit back and do nothing like so many who have never worked and expect and demand that the state helps them

I do hope that you are successful in finding new employment

[bloke]

Sorry to hear of your redundancy CG, I've been there 3 times myself. Totally agree with what has been said here about claiming your dues. You paid into the system so make sure it helps you now. I had one very long redundancy period of over a year and I did find that very hard, didn't even want to leave the house at one stage. However, if you have a good family/ friends support structure it really helps.

It really can be quite difficult emotionally, financially and all the other 'allys but it does get better and you have to really believe that. To this day I hate the expression when people say something like "oh, it's only a fiver", I remember all too well how a fiver was a fortune to us.

Good luck and hopefully it will all work out for you sooner rather than later.