Getting Fired: What it Means and What to Do

Getting fired is more common these days. It’s more suspicious if a job candidate has a perfect employment history than an imperfect one. The most important thing is that it’s not your fault. We all go through it at some point.

The good times don’t last forever. Companies don’t endlessly make a profit to eternity and beyond. That’s not how it works. Boom and bust cycles exist. Therefore, getting fired is a normal part of a healthy economy that goes through economic cycles.

It just may have nothing to do with your performance as an employee. I’ve been fired from internship before and I know exactly what you’re going through. You feel like you are “damaged goods”. It’s been years since I’ve gotten fired and I put it all behind me.

One of my friends who made $400k+ per year went through many firing cycles, himself. After getting fired, he went from a $400k comp all the way down to $200k comp. Then he built himself back up to $400k+ comp once again in 6 months.

Getting fired is a normal part of life and it just happens. Whether you like it or not. Even the brightest and best employees got fired before rising meteorically to the top. It has nothing to do with performance and sometimes, the money just doesn’t flow in to keep the employees.

That’s the cold hard truth.

Getting Fired: What it Means

So what does getting fired mean? Does that mean you’re a bad employee? Does it mean that you can’t find another job ever again?

1) It’s Not Your Fault

Getting fired is not your fault, as long as you didn’t break the law or violate company policy. Sometimes, the company simply doesn’t make any money. Or it’s just not a good culture fit for you. I’ve seen employees get fired 3+ times over the years only to end up a monstrous success the fourth time.

Your life is a project you build. This is just a small setback in the story that you overcome. Career luck matters. Life is full of lucky and unlucky moments. It was just unlucky. The worst thing you can do is to blame yourself and feel self pity throughout the day.

You don’t have to mope around in the couch asking yourself where everything went wrong. No need to overeat your sorrows away. It happened and it happens to the best of us. There were many who got fired and became CEOs and CFOs of large corporations.

You still have a chance at getting to the top.

2) Getting Fired Does Not Mean You Are Damaged Goods

This was exactly how I felt when the company fired me. I thought I was “damaged goods” and why would a company ever hire someone who was fired than someone who didn’t get fired? All else equal, why would anyone want someone like me?

Take a deep breath. That’s not how companies think. All companies care about is who provides value to them, at the end of the day. If you do that better than your competition, then they’re going to pick you. Getting fired doesn’t mean you’re less valuable and desirable than the next person.

A record 47 million Americans quit their jobs in 2021. When there is low supply of employees and workers, companies have no choice but to hire you. Even if you got fired. In fact, you might even be more desirable because you learned a lesson other employees haven’t.

You are now less overconfident and less prone to take excessive risk. Getting fired can be a good thing for employers.

3) It’s Not the End of the World and Everything Will be OK

Millions of people get fired every year. Is it the end of the world for them? Of course not. They’ll have plenty of opportunities down the road. America cannot afford to have millions of employees exit the workforce every year. They already have a workforce shortage, as-is.

Amazon is even worried they won’t have any employees left to hire for their warehouses after 2 years. Companies need to hire people so they can grow their business and appease their shareholders. Employees need companies and companies need employees.

Getting fired is not the end of the world. Another company is going to hire you. Another boss will see your potential and hire you. There will never be a shortage of companies who need people to grow their business with. Even with the rise of automation. Even with the rise of artificial intelligence.

There will never be an end to job openings.

Getting Fired: What to do

So then what are you supposed to do after getting fired? Is everything going to be OK and people will hand things to you on a silver platter? Of course not! Now is the time to take proactive action.

1) Get Angry Privately After Getting Fired

Now is not the time to get angry at the HR rep, your boss, or your coworkers. If you let your emotions get the better of you, that’s when you lose. Word gets around. Companies are under no legal obligation to keep your employment circumstances quiet.

Although they usually do because employees initiate lawsuits, that doesn’t mean companies don’t have their own set of lawyers, either. I get it, emotions are running high and you’re angry that your boss isn’t taking any part of the blame. Rightfully or not.

However, getting fired is not the time to let your grievances out publicly on social media. It’s time to let those grievances out privately. Your boss remembers how you left the organization. If you left on a high note, your boss could vouch for you in future jobs.

If you leave on a low note, there’s less chances that’ll happen.

2) Ask if You Can be Laid Off Instead

If you get fired, you’re not eligible for unemployment benefits. If you get laid off as a part of a reduction in force, you may be eligible for unemployment benefits. Whatever the case or the circumstances are, ask if you can get laid off instead of getting fired.

This is on top of the severance payment that the company pays you. If your finances aren’t in order, then you are at the complete mercy of your employer. Even if the company doesn’t agree to lay you off, it’s still a good ask. Your future life depends on classifying the departure as a layoff.

Good things can only happen if they classify it as a layoff. It gives you more leeway and time to look for another job with the unemployment payouts the government gives you. Subsequent employers understand what being a part of layoffs feel like.

It’s a much better classification than a firing.

3) Ask to be an Employee on Paper

This is another negotiation point that employees often forget about. They don’t ask to be an employee on paper. The genius of this negotiation ask is that prospective companies are more willing to hire you if you’re already employed.

If you’re an employee on paper, then new companies will think that you’re already employed and they’re less likely to raise objections. Getting fired doesn’t mean that you can’t ask for anything. Beg if you have to. Now is not that time to keep your pride intact.

If the company grants this to you, it means that you won, no matter who was begging. Companies may not admit it but they’re more willing to hire the employed rather than the unemployed. There definitely is a bias against the unemployed.

There’s nothing wrong with playing the game in the meantime.

4) Speak With HR About Benefits

After getting fired, your benefits are in jeopardy. There are COBRA health benefits you can take advantage of and your 401k accounts may also be in question as well. While the money contributed is completely yours to keep, some companies allow employees to keep the employer contributed amounts.

Even if it hadn’t been vested and even after getting fired.

Some companies don’t grant that right to the employees. Whatever the case is, speak with HR about employment benefits because it is valuable information. If you got fired right before a vesting schedule was supposed to hit, then that’s a conversation worth having.

It is your job to remain strictly business and not get personal and emotional with your former employer. HR knows about benefits more than you because it’s literally their job to know more about benefits more than you.

Speak to them and see what kind of benefits that you can continue having down the road.

5) Take Weeks and Even Months for Yourself after Getting Fired

Your emotions are running high. When I got fired, I felt low. I also felt angry that someone would do that to me, especially when they wouldn’t take any part of the blame. They downright refused to hear my side and case. They were both the judge, jury, and executioner.

After getting fired, take weeks and even months for yourself. It personally took me 2 months before my psyche went back to normal and I functioned normally again. Your emotions and thoughts are running high, now is not the time to succumb to them.

Time heals all wounds for a reason. You will get out of the rut unscathed. Even if the recovery seems so far away and impossible, there’s always a way out of anything. Humans are more resilient than you know. You’ve gone through far worse than what you’re going through now.

It’s just a matter of time before you get back your old self.

6) Reach Out to Your Network

No need to be annoying, just do a short and sweet catch up meeting with former coworkers you lost touch with. You’re not in a place of desperation. You have more time to find a job now. I met a recently laid off investment banker at a networking event before.

He was having a beer and having a good time talking with people and networking. There’s no need to be pushy or anything else, you can approach them as a normal person who just happens to be looking for a new job. There’s an endless amount of opportunities out there.

Even if the job opportunities don’t exist in your city or state, there’s other states you can always migrate to. Getting fired doesn’t mean it’s the end of the world. Your network is all over the world. They could easily have a job for you to perform.

You never know what you’ll find.

7) Brush Up Your Resume

Whether you like it or not, now is the time to brush up on your resume. After getting fired, it’s time to list your accomplishments and what you can do for another prospective employer. You have all the time in the world now to invest into a job search.

It wasn’t as easy before because you had a job that you had to work on. Now, you can research opportunities more extensively. You have time to prepare for the interviews and actually call people who may need someone to help with their business.

Your resume is a one page snapshot of what you can do for somebody else. These days, people don’t have the time to holistically review your accomplishments and give you a thorough and deep chance to explain yourself. You have a one-page shot at making an impression.

Might as well make it a good one.

8) Cold Call and Hustle Your Way to Another Job

After getting fired is not the time to be complacent. It’s time to cold call and hustle your way to another job. I get it, rejection doesn’t feel good. However, would you rather feel good with no job or feel bad with a job? The latter is better because you need to put food on the table.

Now is the time to cold call and present yourself in front of prospective employers. So many people don’t have face to face meetings with their prospective employers. One prominent economist told me he put in an online application when he was searching for jobs.

Then a couple of days later, he dressed up and physically went to the company. He told the receptionist, “I put in an online application.. and I’m just following up”. He instantly met with the hiring manager and was subsequently hired.

The hiring manager specifically said how few people actually come into the office and show initiative. It can backfire but it has more chances of it working out than anything else.

9) Start a Side Hustle and Save Money

Getting fired means you need income and money coming in. Now is the time to diversify and start a side hustle and save money. Why have a side hustle? There are many reasons why, not the least of which is to diversify your skillset and earn more money.

Now is not the time to go online and shop to your heart’s desires. Now is the time to defensively approach your finances and save as much money as you can. Even when the times are good you should be saving money. When the times are bad, you should be saving even more.

The 2022 recession scared many rotten with layoffs, including me. I was lucky because I already put in 2 years of legwork into my side hustle. I was somewhat protected from future layoffs because I had a backup and fallback plan to get into.

Now is the time to conservatively approach your finances.

Getting Fired is Not the End of the World

Millions of people get fired per year. Not lifetime, but per year. Getting fired is not the end of the world because so many people get fired. Sometimes, money just doesn’t flow. Or your boss just may have a bad day and take it out on you. That’s the beauty of “at-will” employment.

In either case, there’s still more game left for you to play. Amazing things happen when you put your head together and come up with a solution. Getting fired may just be the start and catapult you needed to put your success story in motion.

Take it from me, who actually got fired before. I made strides since then and I haven’t looked back. I’m still in the game fighting to make my life a success story as much as possible. I’m still hungry and ready to tackle the world’s challenges, whatever they throw at me.

Getting fired is the beginning of your story, not the ending. There are many people who got back on their feet and thrived ever more so than before after getting let go. The job search will not be the easiest thing in the world but now’s not the time to put your head down.

Now is the time to show the world what you’re made of. Getting fired could just be the catalyst to your successes. There are many CEOs of corporations who got fired. JP Morgan’s Jamie Dimon is one prominent example.

There’s always a way for you to achieve upward mobility.

Getting Fired: What to Do

• Get angry privately after getting fired
• Ask if you can be laid off instead
• Ask to be an employee on paper
• Speak with HR about benefits
• Take weeks and even months for yourself after getting fired
• Reach out to your network
• Brush up your resume
• Cold call and hustle your way to another job
• Start a side hustle and save money