Bouncing Back After Losing a Job of 20 Years

In work, as in life, nothing is guaranteed. You can do everything to succeed in your job, but companies can still find their way into cost cutting. There is no such thing as a risk-free career. Career success is not about ignoring these risks, but about taking direct control over your decision making and readiness to minimize the potential damage when a job loss occurs.

The potential for change is always around the corner. Job loss is recognized as a primary vector for several negative impacts on individuals and households including mental health, financial stability, health outcomes and social consequences. Economic downturns can trigger mass downsizing and restructuring; anyone at any time can be let go.  

The oil and gas sector has taken a series of hits over the past decade, with waves of policy and regulatory changes, supply and demand shifts and pressure to invest in energy transition. Many highly educated and experienced workers were displaced. One person whom we helped had been employed over 21 years as a reservoir engineer. A brilliant and successful person, who hadn’t had to find a job in over two decades and hadn’t updated their resumé in over 10 years. What next? Where to begin?

Challenging your mindset

When people are dealt a setback, everyone responds differently. Some need time to process, some jump straight away into something to distract them and some grieve.

For our client, we observed a combination of complex emotions and questions. Rather than jumping into the process of building a resumé, we proposed she take some time to reflect and consider what she may want next and how her experience and education could support that.

This provided a tangible approach to dealing with the job loss, while focusing on actions she could control. It is important when any job loss (or major life change) happens, that there is an opportunity to process, but avoid the impulse to beat yourself up or become negative.

Challenging that mindset and focusing on tangible things allows you to concentrate your energy on building progress toward your next venture. In our client’s case, she came prepared. A week after our initial meeting she energized and had ideas about where she wanted to go next.

No experience too small

When we initially met with her, she was worried about what she viewed as her narrow experience as an engineer. After working through a series of questions we provided, she realized that her capabilities extend beyond the reservoir and into data and information technology.

These skills, combined with her practical knowledge of the industry and logistics made for a potent combination. Working through the questions and reflecting on her achievements and skills made this possible and boosted her confidence.

Our client agreed at this point to a full resumé rebuild and LinkedIn profile update. It was a full custom re-write and she trusted us to cast her experience and skills in support of her new career aspirations.

Extending our value

We had given a timeline of 5 days to figure it out and turn it around. We started with research into target job profiles and requirements. She provided a few postings as reference, but we dug deeper.

We then cross-checked her education and credentials with those relevant in data science. Once we had everything set, we began drafting – she had the first version within 3 days. After a few adjustments and final formatting, two versions were delivered, one with a lean toward her industry and one leaning more technical for applying on positions in other industries.

Lastly, a checklist of changes was provided for her to make on her LinkedIn profile along with a list of key people to follow and a strategy for managing her content.

Successful transition and the value of support

One month after these changes, our client already had 8 interviews and two job offers. She had done the hard work, challenged her mindset and engaged professional support for assistance. This strategy paid off. Lessons were learned, challenges were overcome and success was achieved.