Marketing Week
The consequences of the pandemic are now being felt in redundancies, and if you’re in this position, a structured approach is your best bet for finding the next opportunity.
‘We are all in this together.’
Er, no, we’re not. The real impact of the pandemic is now starting to hit us all in marketing and advertising.
The recession is happening and it’s here now. Unsurprisingly, a collapse in demand means that companies are laying off people in droves. And the downstream effect on folks in marketing and advertising has started. Unlike other recessions, this one is affecting almost all industries. So, what should you do if you are being affected?
First, let me take you back to April. Yes, the one that was just a few months ago, but feels like about 20 years.
You might need to read my last column to get the gory and unpleasant (at least for me) details, but here is a quick synopsis: despite having what appears to be a good marketing career, part and parcel of this has been getting laid off four or five times. The reaction to the article took me by surprise.
Lots of people from around the world – Bulgaria, Colombia, Germany, the US, India; you name it – got in touch. They said some pretty nice things. But there were a lot of things I left out. So, here are some battle-tested ideas you can use if your career has been affected, to face your future positively and keep your ambition intact.
I did get accused of using uncompromising language in the last column and was told that maybe I should tone it down (are these people reading Professor Ritson of this parish, I wonder?). Of course, I am going to ignore this advice – so, fasten your seatbelts, snowflakes, it’s going to be a bumpy ride.
Ideas for coping
When I am asked about coping, I recommend looking at it as the ‘three-month turnaround’ – this is the label I have given to the emotions and perspectives that you’ll experience if you are let go from your job. Let me explain:
Month one: You still look backwards – thinking about the job and the world you have left behind. There is some denial, anger and bargaining.
Month two: The dawning realisation that the old world is not coming back, and you can start thinking – good and bad – about the future. There is still some denial or anger.
Month three: The old job begins to fade in your mind, and you start to look forward to the future and believe in concrete plans. Denial is over and you realise anger is futile.
This model reflects many people’s experiences. Only late in month three can they see the future more clearly – and start making concrete plans. I even suggest that people don’t go applying for lots of jobs or dusting off their CV during this three-month period. Perhaps in month one you will, but in reality you are not seeing clearly – something you don’t realise until after month three.
That’s when it dawns on you that you might have been on autopilot for a while – and I don’t mean in your job. I mean you have been following a ‘script’ that’s been in your head. And now that script is no longer useful.
In cognitive psychology, a script is defined as “a predetermined, stereotyped sequence of actions that define a well-known situation”. We all draw on them to create ideas about how things will unfold – such as when you are laid off.
With the pandemic, some of our previous ideas about your career might now not pan out. The sooner you process this the better. Back to the point about denial here: I have been guilty of using the same scripts and holding on tight to an imaginary future. Nothing good comes of this.
After month three, you should have a clearer head and more realistic take on the future. Working on the CV, getting out there – all of these normal job-hunting practices will be a lot more real and grounded at this stage.
Read the full article on Marketing Week.