Whether you’ve been employed at the same New Jersey company for a while or you have barely had a chance to settle in and get to know your co-workers, losing a job is never easy. The former is often more challenging than the latter since the longer you spend at a certain place, the more likely you are to be emotionally attached as well. Just because you lose a job, however, doesn’t mean life will be all downhill from there.
If you know ahead of time where to turn for support and can persevere through the challenges you may face in the aftermath of job termination, you may wind up finding an even better opportunity that makes you wish you’d have left your old job sooner. If, on the other hand, you believe you were wrongfully terminated from your position, the road ahead may get a whole lot worse before it gets better.
Rebounding techniques to help survive job loss
Whether you loved or hated your job, suddenly being without one can wreak havoc in your life. The following is a list of ideas that may prove quite helpful as you try to get life back on track and move forward toward a new, successful future:
- Get that final paycheck before checking out: Especially if your sudden departure from work was unprepared and unexpected, you may be so worried and focused on what the future holds, you might forget to collect your final paycheck. You may also be entitled to severance pay. Your employer is obligated under state law to compensate you appropriately within a certain amount of time.
- Unemployment benefits may be available: If you weren’t terminated from your job for misconduct, you can apply for unemployment benefits to help you make ends meet in between jobs.
- Health care may continue for more than a year: You employer’s health care plan may still cover you for as many as 18 months after you are terminated from your position. You will likely still be responsible to pay the full premium, but this is typically less costly than supplying your own health care insurance coverage.
- Get ready to interview: One of the first logical steps to take when you know you need a new job is to update and prepare your resume.
- Get your entrepreneurial feet wet: Losing your job may be just the prompt you need to start your own business or create that masterful product you’ve always dreamed of bringing to the public.
Some New Jersey residents choose to obtain part-time employment while they seek new, full-time positions, although doing so may make you ineligible for unemployment benefits in some cases. If you’re not very familiar with state employment laws, you may want to discuss matters with someone who is in order to make informed decisions and seek guidance regarding any particular problem, such as issues pertaining to a possible wrongful termination situation.