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How to bounce back quickly after a redundancy

James Witcombe Nov 17, 2020 2 min read

I see it all the time, it’s a story that repeats itself – particularly for senior candidates. It’s a sad story and one that can lead to a person really questioning and doubting themselves.

When being made redundant, an employee normally receives a redundancy payment linked to their tenure. That amount can be quite substantial if the employee has been employed for a long time. I often meet candidates who have received a payout equivalent to 3 to 4 months wage.

When the dust settles, most senior employees often accept the redundancy as a bit of a bonus. When else in your life can you go to take a few months paid leave? Take some time out – have a holiday, renovate the bathroom, focus on the children or play golf every day. It provides an uncommon opportunity to sit back and reflect without any pressure.

I normally start to hear from candidates when they are coming to the end of the redundancy payout period. They’ve been off work for nearly 4 months and they are ready to start working again. In my own experience, it often takes senior candidates who have been made redundant 3-6 months to land their next role. This can be a really tough time for someone who has been successful in a senior position and “never really had to look for work”. A lot of candidates lament that they hadn’t started their job search earlier.

Here are some tips on how to get back into the workforce if you’ve been made redundant:

If you’ve recently been made redundant I encourage you to enjoy some “time away”, but make sure that you don’t leave it until the last minute before you start looking for work.

James Witcombe
The Candidate Coach