Professional Career Solutions - Boise Job Market Report

Losing A Job – Shock, Depression, and Then What?

By Mike Brady
October 12, 2005

Most psychologists will concur in listing sudden job loss as one of the most traumatic tests of emotion that a person and his or her family will ever encounter. Historically, research studies have listed “sudden job loss” just behind “death of a loved one” and “divorce” as the most trying times from which to recover, both emotionally and physically.

While the circumstances vary in any job loss situation, we can pinpoint a consistent cycle of emotions in nearly all cases. It begins with anger, which drifts into depression; then self-doubt, and finally guilt.

The first stage, anger, stems from the feeling of powerlessness, having no control of an outcome. Although anger can last for years depending on the individual’s mindset and specifics of the job loss, it is usually replaced as the dominant emotion by depression, which sets in shortly after the initial shock and rage.

Depression is probably the most devastating portion of the cycle, because it impacts both the re-employment process and the person’s family and friends. It saps physical energy, affects the desire to succeed and, in many cases, even serves as a justification for failure to generate results. All of this negativity is hard to hide, especially from the very people who might be able to help break the cycle.

The next two emotions in the cycle—self-doubt and guilt—are direct results of the time it typically takes to find new employment. The perceived the level of competition in the local market, and discouragement at the apparent lack of suitable advertised positions, combine to undermine a person’s sense of his or her ability to succeed. Our research indicates the average mid-level professional ($40,000 to $80,000) generates only two face-to-face interviews per month using the Internet, newspaper leads and their own network; and that one of these interviews is for a position or salary they acknowledge is “well below” the level they are trying to achieve.

This is the point at which the individual starts to over-think the past, blaming themselves for things that have gone wrong and wondering if perhaps they are not as “employable” as they thought. They might even jump at the first job that comes along, to assuage these doubts and minimize the chances of failure or rejection. At the same time, their spouses or families often do not fully understand how traumatic this process can be, or how quickly it can compound negativity. They may even accuse the person of being lazy or unmotivated, and the lack of income typically escalates the household tension level.

It is during this time that professional help can be critical. By having a predictable system, some fresh ideas, expert advice about the market, and a new network to tap into, the job search becomes much more effective.

It’s all about breaking the cycle.