Immediately after you lose your job, you have two primary tasks: outlining your budget and organizing your job search. If you have a family, you need to involve them as much as possible in the process. Everything you do, every choice you make, affects them. You need to be honest with your spouse about your current financial situation. You both need to agree how you will weather this storm, what you will do without and how much of your savings you will use how quickly. In addition, as you define your job search, your spouse needs to understand what role he or she can play in helping you find a new job. He or she can help by doing some typing or proofreading, by answering the telephone, or by helping you network.
Family Help
Job loss and the stress it causes can have significant effects on a family. If your children start to experience problems as a result, you may need to seek family counseling. Some warning signs may become apparent, highlighting the need for professional help. You may start to notice personality changes in a younger child: He or she was once playful and cheerful and is now lethargic or angry and inconsolable. Older children and teenagers may have problems at school, show dramatic personality changes, or may start having appetite and sleep problems.
If your family situation becomes severely disrupted and you are worried about the impact on your children, you should seek professional help. Family counselors are trained to help families communicate better, especially during stressful times. If you need help, call any one of the agencies mentioned earlier in this chap ter.
Making Decisions
As this article has illustrated, sudden job loss can have a devastating impact on you and your family. As with any traumatic situation, sudden job loss can affect your ability to make decisions. Because you already have enough major issues to address (what kinds of jobs to look for, how to manage your emergency budget), you should avoid making any decisions you don't need to make right now.
For example, don't buy anything major, such as a car or other expensive items. Don't make decisions about having or adopting another child. Just because you suddenly have more time on your hands, don't take this as a sign that it's a good time to get pregnant. If you make such life-altering decisions during times of extreme stress, you may regret it later. Some things cannot be undone later on, and you'll regret having made the choice at a time when you may not have been terribly rational.
Honest Expectations
As you look for a new job, you need to have some honest expectations of how long it will take and what kind of job you are likely to find. If you are more honest with yourself from the outset, you can avoid some anxiety later on.
The important thing is to be as realistic as possible. Think about some second-or third-choice positions you would be willing to take if the search takes longer than you anticipate. Try to find out as much information as possible about your odds for finding the kind of job you are looking for, and be honest with yourself about your prospects. If you live in an area that is already struggling through a severe recession, you may have to be willing to settle for less than your first-choice position.
If you make some realistic decisions when you start your search and agree on what you can accept, you'll avoid painting yourself into a corner several months later.
