Do what you love, or at least what you like

Having been through 'restructuring' a couple of times now, my best advice is to take it slow, gather your thoughts, and figure out what it is you want to do.

Now the first thing that you usually do after being let go is to be angry or hurt. It's okay to feel this. But don't hang on to it. This is happening to lots of people - you aren't that special. The company needed to make changes and that happened to impact you and likely several others. Doesn't mean there was anything wrong with you. So dust yourself off and move on.

So the next thing you do is panic that you need to find a job right away. This does depend on your financial situation and whether you got a decent package from your company. Don't panic; take some time to get over the emotions of what has just happened. Talk to your friends and family; rely on your support groups now.

If you have the extra resources from a Career Transition company, like Knightsbridge, make sure you use them. Even if you feel that you can do it yourself! I felt that because I'd been through this before that I didn't really need to use the services. Everyone can learn from these services no matter what your level of experience is in finding a new job. I learned lots - you can too.

You can always look to independent career consultants to help you too, if this wasn't part of your package. Also, if you still have your EAP (Employee Assistance Program) available, they often have career services available along with lots of other programs to help you through this transition time.

So now you've dealt with the emotions, caught your breath, and taken some time to gather yourself. The obvious thing to do when you actually start your job search is to look for a similar job, right? Not always. Think about it - did you LOVE your job?

Better to take the time and determine what your skill set is and what types of jobs and companies would be of interest to you. You may find that you keep putting yourself into jobs that fit the old you. You've learned many things over the years, and you may have found yourself drawn or maybe pushed into new directions.

Often times, you hold yourself back because you feel you don't have the skills or education or certification. Don't downplay the power of on-the-job experience. Don't get me wrong; formal education and certification are great things too. My point is we don't try new things because we feel we're just not good enough or some other nonsense.

Start an inventory of what your skills are and the types of jobs that you've enjoyed. Instead of thinking of yourself as a project manager, software developer, tech support, marketing manager, etc, look at the skills you used in those roles and see what aspects stand out for you.

You may find that being a project manager isn't what interests you the most, but the interaction with people on the team and the client relationships are. So instead of thinking of yourself as just a project manager and looking only for PM jobs, you can now look for a job that has more people interaction.

This may still not tell you what you love to do. I wish there was a Magic 8 Ball to tell me the answers. You still need to do the work. Sorry. But hopefully you'll see other opportunities for yourself.

Also, make sure your network knows what you are looking for. Most of my network has been great at sending me leads for technology project management roles. Thank you. I obviously didn't do a good job telling people what I really do. A friend told me that I was like Chandler on Friends; no one knew what I really did for work. Eyes open now!

You can do all the navel gazing you want to determine your dream job. Your inventory of skills and experience may still show that you need some more education or experience to get there. But you should now have a better idea of the direction you want to go in.

I've managed over the past few years to change my direction from technology to human resources. I still have further to go, but my train is going the right way now.

I also appreciate the fact that it may be easier to find a job in a similar role or field than to wait for this new found direction to come through for you. You can make the change over the next few years; it won't likely be overnight. Hopefully it helps you keep an eye on where you could now go so that you start building experiences that will eventually take you to your new destination.

And what if you just don't know what you might love? Try lots of new things. New experiences in jobs or companies you wouldn't normally apply for may open up new ideas for you. Be open to new opportunities and they will come.

SHH