Globally, many people are losing their jobs due to the economic downturn. Some friends of mine have become victims of this.

It is very easy to get angry and bitter at your (previous) employer if you lose your job. And understandably so; after all, you put a lot of time and effort into your work and now you have nowhere to go and more poignantly, no more regular income.

What you have to remember is that it’s not personal.  You weren’t fired because your boss / supervisor / employer doesn’t like you or that you do a particularly bad job.  The company or business that you work for has to be focused on keeping its collective head above water.  In a recessionary environment that means keeping a close eye on the overall cost ratio to revenue.

Put it this way,  if your companies’ sales were dropping and they couldn’t afford to keep you and 3 other staff on, does it makes sense to keep you 4 people on even though it may mean an eventual company bankruptcy?  In this case it wouldn’t be 4 people losing a job, it could be everybody in your company.

If redundancy does happen to you, make sure you try leave the company with dignity and respect and not a tirade of abuse and promises of vengeance.  Don’t burn your bridges.  After all, you don’t know who will be hiring or recommending you for another great position in the future.