whatever we are experiencing now, is something that an entire generation is witnessing for the first time in history. There was no crisis so far, that was shared by the whole world, where everything came to a standstill for months and months. A lot of countries and their economies have been drastically impacted, and the impact boils down to common people, working-classes, and the poor.
The poorest and weakest are the most vulnerable.
In India alone, more than 23% of people have suffered unemployment, sudden firing, layoffs, and salary cuts. In the whole world in one way or the other, people have suffered a lot in the last few months.
Now, with the world slowly crawling back to normalcy, there are still big numbers of unemployed people who are waiting to join back. But do companies have the money to pay them?
Unemployment has been a big problem since all the wars in the world ended, and almost every country faces them in big or small ways. No country has ever been successful in employing all of its working-class people. There was always a section or a percentage that is struggling for work and stable income. But with a pandemic that wrecked the world beyond repair in many ways, it’s going to be even harder for those who have been laid off from their jobs.
Getting fired has heavy psychological impacts!
When you’re asked to go, you partly understand the reason why that happened, but somewhere in the back of your mind, there is also a small voice that is questioning yourself — Was I wrong? Did I not do enough? Was I not working hard? What was my fault?
Even if it is not your fault, you still question yourself, which leads to a heavy mental impact that will further affect your capability to present yourself as a valuable employee, for the next company that you will interview for.
Before you decide to apply for jobs or look for a new gig, it’s very important to get that lost confidence back. While there might be some people who might not feel anything at all, there are still many of them who feel the brunt and are subjected to self-consciousness and feeling of inadequacy.
The first thing here is to believe that it wasn’t your fault.
The entire world suffered this phase & people will come out of it eventually. If you’ve lost someone to coronavirus, it might even be harder on you, but know that you’re not alone. There are many who can share your pain, and the only way you can overcome this is, by helping yourself stand up.
It might be hard for many of you to accept that you were asked to leave, but believe me, and believe yourself — it wasn’t your fault! The company could not afford to pay you anymore, and it’s better that they let you go rather than asking you to work for free! There are many people, who have been asked to work without a salary as well, and they had no choice because they worked in a hope that someday their company will pay them, and they won’t have to find another job once this is over. In either situation, it’s worse for the employees.
Forced to leave, or asked to work for free — both are cases of employee exploitation, but there are bigger issues in the world to be dealt with.
How to present myself as a designer who was fired?
By speaking the truth. That you were fired.
There are many companies and start-ups who might have questioned people upon their abilities & performance, when they got to know that their previous company fired them. But now, the scenario might change. With hundreds and thousands of people getting fired from their jobs, you won’t be alone with that on your resume.
Designers are one of the most common group or community who have suffered either ‘less’ hiring or direct firing in the wake of this pandemic.
If you do apply to a new place, you should not lie about why you left your previous job, because the more transparent and true you are, the more the company will trust you for future, and as a designer, trust is what you should always aim to build. Lying about anything on your resume never works in your favor.
And even if you tell them that you were fired from your job, they will surely understand it. Because now, the whole world is in a common situation. They surely can’t blame the employees for not performing well, if the company couldn’t afford to pay them at all.
Should I take the job, when the salary is not what I expected?
That depends upon the kind of situation you are in.
Ask yourself two things first — are you ready to wait for the market to become better and offer you a high pay? Do you have enough savings to sustain yourself for a few more months?
If the answer to both the above questions is a ‘yes’, then you should rather wait for some time, because slowly things are improving and getting better. Travel has started within Europe and soon the economy can also be expected to become better, as the experts suggest.
But if the answer to both questions is a ‘no’, then you must not consider wasting time in waiting for that dream job to knock your door! It might take some time to find a new job, or find someone who pays you well, given the circumstances — but at this point, people are literally ready to take up any job that pays them even a few dollars an hour.
So, even if you are not getting paid as much, as you expected, it’s better to take the job that offers a decent sum and negotiate the salary a few months later. Talk to your employer beforehand, that you are ready to join at the same salary that your previous company offered you, or even a lesser salary than that — but you will like them to consider a raise when things get better and the company starts performing well. If they would really want to retain a valuable employee like you, I’m sure they will give you a raise as well!
Can I see any of this, in a positive light? Why not?
There are many things that you can do instead, and working on your resume, portfolio or CV is one of the few!
If you really want to look for a positive thing in this time of crisis, it is this — you might not get so much free time in life again, to learn a new skill, a new tool, or to work on your portfolio like you always wanted to. This is the time to learn, to develop and to build your profile, and come out as a better and skilled person!
Ultimately, a major part of ‘life’, depends upon a person’s outlook towards it. If you are optimistic, you will find ways to heal yourself, get better and come out of this situation more powerfully, than you went in! But if you only want to look at negatives, there are enough events happening in the world right now to depress yourself.
Many people have learned a new tool and a new skill in this global lockdown. Some learned how to play the guitar, and some built their own brand on Instagram instead. It’s all about, what you want to do at the end of the day…
While the situation for many people is definitely harder than it might be for you, there is still a hope that someday, we will be back to normal! Those who have lost their loved ones to coronavirus — I feel really sad for them, and I wish that they recover from that mental trauma soon…