Cashing in on redundancy

Every cloud has a silver lining and whilst being made redundant is far from ideal, it can provide the perfect opportunity to reassess your career path as well as other areas in your life.

Having to look for another job can open up many doors that you may not have previously considered as you are forced to leave your comfort zone and find new ways to adapt to the changing circumstances. There are many positive outcomes that can result from losing your job.

Following the release of UK unemployment figures in June, which are at a 12-year high, Office Angels, the UKís leading secretarial recruitment consultancy, has created some top tips on how to make the most of redundancy and turn a negative situation into a more positive one.

ï Career – View your redundancy as an opportunity for you to diversify your skills and make a new start. Keep an open mind and remain flexible, you may be able to apply your abilities to a range of different sectors which you may not have considered before. When applying for a new career it is good idea to refresh your CV and rephrase your current skills to fit the new job requirements.

ï Temporary work – Temp work is a great stop-gap for when you are researching and applying for a new role and gives you the opportunity to sample new sectors, network, and meet new people.

ï Education – Losing your job can offer the perfect chance to take time out to retrain or gain further qualifications. You could either progress within your current career path with added training, or chase that ideal job you have always dreamed about. Office Angels offers various free training courses from computer skills to project management courses which can be completed at home or in the office, or look out for courses at your local colleges which often provide a variety of evening classes.

ï Travel – If you lose your job this could be the perfect opportunity to take some time out and think about your future. You could head off to pastures new, either to recharge your batteries on holiday, or on longer term travels backpacking around the world. With no work ties holding you down, the world is your oyster...

ï Home Improvements – Getting your home and garden in ship-shape condition can clear your mind. Time out of work is also a great opportunity to start those chores at home that normally would take months to complete like spring cleaning the house, re-decorating the lounge, painting the bathroom, overhauling the garden and either checking out car-boot sales and eBay for bargain buys, or even selling your own bric-a-brac.

ï Children - With the summer holidays approaching kids will love to have their mum or dad around to play with, and spending that quality time with your children is priceless. Plus if you are at home with the children all day it cuts costs on childcare.

Office Angels is the UKís leading office and secretarial recruitment agency, with career opportunities at all levels of experience in a wide range of industry sectors.
Office Angels provides training and testing that gives you the opportunity to expand your skills set and further your career.

The Office Angels Training Solutions consists of over 60 on-line courses, and includes MS Office packages, accountancy packages, languages, customer service, IT and psychometric testing. Other soft skills include general business packages, which focus on areas such as email etiquette, team leadership, and stress management.
To find your local branch go online at www.office-angels.com