Regaining Confidence After a Job Loss – A Client Story

No matter how many years of quality experience a person has, being let go from a job can make you question the value and importance of your professional skills.

As Career Coaches, we at Toombs Inc. see this every day.  It is the core of our career transition program to remind a person of all that they are, and the value they bring to their work.

This is the story of one such client, Reid*.

Reid came to us after being let go from an oil & gas company that he had worked at for over 10 years. Reid admits that he was a reluctant client at first, having tried career transition support many years ago and not finding much benefit at that time.

“Toombs refused to give up on me, even when I didn’t return their initial onboarding phone calls. Once I made the first call back, the rest is history. Working with Career Coach Carey Con was good for me. The more we chatted and worked on my interview skills, the more my confidence grew. Soon job positions related to my skill set became available and I started applying with my newly found confidence.”

It is a shock to many people that their professional confidence level plummets after a job loss. When working and showing up daily with proof of their professional value, confidence flows. But once that daily need is gone, the self-doubt, lack of connection and struggles of the job search make it exceedingly hard to hold on to a strong professional identity.

It is a vital part of the Career Coach’s job to reconnect the client with their achievements, accolades and unique skill-experience combination. At Toombs, we do this through a series of self-directed assessments and one-on-one coaching sessions.

Many clients like Reid have spent years with their nose to the grindstone and have neglected to update their resumes or keep a full record of their achievements while working. Thus, having support through the process is key. There is nothing harder than writing about yourself!

Career Coach Carey Con relates that “the biggest challenge for Reid was to regain his confidence, and to realize that despite being let go from a company, it wasn’t due to poor performance.   Reid has extensive experience working in plant operations; I was impressed with his perfect safety record and his unwavering commitment to watch out for his colleagues to ensure everyone went home to their families at the end of each work day.”

Through the career transition process at Toombs, clients like Reid remember more and more who they are and what they bring to their work. Their confidence rebuilds and all the mining for details leads perfectly into an upgraded and updated resume.

Says Reid – “Once the resume was on the way to being fully updated, we started doing more work together. I found the more we interacted during the coaching meetings, the more I was getting out of the program. I enrolled in the online workshops as well and ended up really enjoying my journey during this time in my life. This also gave me something to focus on during what could have been a difficult time.”

Soon after Reid’s resume was complete, he felt confident and ready to start applying for positions that met his requirements and expertise level. Career Coach Carey says, “We worked on highlighting his achievements and also participated in some practice interviews, which led to Reid feeling much more prepared to respond to interview questions with confidence.  He always showed up on time for our meetings and never cancelled.  Reid took the career transition program seriously, and as a result, landed the type of role he was targeting.”

Within a month Reid proudly reported: “I have rejoined the workforce under my own terms and am looking forward to the next chapter in my life.”

The loss of confidence after a job loss can be a shock to otherwise confident professionals. With strategy, self-assessment and coaching support, it is entirely possible to develop a whole new level of confidence and familiarity with your unique value proposition.

*identifying details have been changed to honour the client’s confidentiality