We’re conditioned to return to work the day after New Year’s Day bright-eyed and bushy-tailed with the excitement of opening that fresh, thick planner and filling it up with ambitious professional goals and personal improvement resolutions.

But what if January 2, 2025 hit a little different this year? What if you started it with posting the all too familiar green #OpentoWork circle on your LinkedIn page – along with trepidation about where your next job or paycheck would come from?

It’s a scenario that we all might well find ourselves in at some point in our career.

With that in mind, we turned to Women in Print Alliance corporate member, PrintLink.com, a talent recruitment firm in the printing and packaging industry space for some advice on how to manage starting off a new year unemployed.

We knew we’d hear blunt talk in the blog post “Things To Do When You Lose Your Job” – and we did – but empathy is infused in this strategic guide, too. Specifically, the need to identify and acknowledge the trauma of losing one’s job – and arriving at the breakthrough mentality that most job losses have nothing to do you with you, personally.

Once that occurs, you can focus on the “obligations and possibilities” in the future. Using the image of a jigsaw puzzle, the post outlines brass tacks like getting personal finances in check, researching the job market, activating your network, and more.

And, yes, the blog ends (as it should!) with an element of positivity, stating, “It’s not easy, but you will find a new purpose and establish a sense of regularity again. Not only [will] you redefine your confidence and gain new skills, but you also train your brain to handle a wide range of challenges. You implement change and become a new you!”