What to do if the company you work for announces Administration

1)     It's okay to be upset

It's okay to cry. It's okay to feel a bit wobbly for a few days, a bit raw, a bit unsure. It’s absolutely fine to spend the next few days wandering around vaguely questioning whether now is the time to open that goat farm in Sweden you’ve always talked about. It’s a shock. And even if you kind of thought this was coming – it’s still a shock. Let yourself waffle on a bit, be gentle to yourself, try not to shame or judge or blame anyone involved, it won’t make anything any better. Even if you didn't think you were that happy there, it's okay to feel a bit sad because something has come to an end and it's beyond your control. Be kind to yourself, you've had a shock. It feels scary right now but I promise it can feel okay again with the right help and support that you deserve.

2)     It’s August

Don’t let the time of year cause you any anxiety or undue distress. Any decent Tech Recruiter will tell you that typically March and September are booming months for recruitment (and there are reasons for that). This month? There’s going to be tonnes of people off on holiday, spending time with kids, just taking a break etc. Please don’t panic if it’s taking a bit longer for people to come back to your applications. It isn’t you – it’s them.

3)     Pick your Recruiter carefully

Okay, so here’s where I’d like you to be super dooper careful. Over the past few years you were being bombarded with messages and now you’re in a situation where you could possibly (not definitely) but possibly do with the help. Be careful, don’t panic jump into the first recruitment relationship that approaches you because the fear of unemployment is high. Take your time to reference each agency properly, ask for recommendations from friends, use your network. You do not have to feel rushed or pressured, you deserve the right to go at your own pace in any process that happens from here. You are also under no obligation to interview for the first role you get sent. A decent recruiter will never tell you to go for 'the experience' if you don't feel it's a right fit. That's a waste of your time and the client's and it's basic KPI hitting behaviour. A decent recruiter ought to sit down and do a mock interview with you if you are nervous/if it's been a few years. Better yet, they should have decent connections in the industry with people who are fully aware you're not going to work there, but are prepared to give their time to give you a mock interview to help someone in the community - but they are giving their time knowing that is what they are doing.

I don’t have a magic wand or a crystal ball, but I can fairly responsibly tell you that there is a very real skills gap in tech in the North West and that all things being equal, there is no need for you to jump into the first role that you get offered.

4)     Salary

So the temptation here might be that you want to accept a decent role with a similar, or even less than, salary than what you were on. Understandable. It feels more secure and hey, you weren’t looking for a jump anyway, so what have you lost?

Try not to be persuaded, by a Recruiter or by the end client, into taking less than what you were on. 9/10 it’s no good to do that, and you could end up feeling resentful in a few months’ time when the dust has settled and you’re back to being hounded on LinkedIn again.

5)     Keep your networking up

You probably feel like wandering into a collaborative space and trying to make room for pizza in between telling people your woes is the last thing you want to do right now – but it could take you out of yourself a little bit and everyone will be so positive and cheery that it might perk you up. Plus, you never know, you could run into the hiring manager for your next perfect role. Meet-Up is great for this and I'd urge you to check out some of the groups below.

Final thoughts

There’s a chance you’re feeling personally vulnerable and professionally unsafe right now – which is a completely natural psychological reaction to the situation. Personally, my triggers are more involved with moving house and having to find somewhere to live, but for a lot of people even the thought of redundancy can be extremely overwhelming. I know it can be hard right now but this could even be a good thing, and there’s conversations we can have that can possibly help to gently guide you to feeling more positive about that.

There are also lots of people and communities that you can reach out to for support, a kind word, career advice, even a cup of coffee and commiserations. We’ve got the Manchester Tech Slack, the Techs and The City Meet-Ups, Ministry of Testing (welcomes everyone, not just Testers), InfoSec Hoppers, Manchester Grey Hats, PyData Manchester, Tech Leaders NW, WIT North, HER+Data Mcr, Manchester Web Dev Meet-Up, Liverpool Tester Gathering, SkillSec, Manchester Girl Geeks, Barcamp Manchester, and then community leaders that I can put you in touch with who can help widen your network.

If you’ve not got my details my email is [email protected] and I’ll happily have a completely confidential, off the record chat with anyone who wants a bit of advice and reassurance, or an intro to someone in the Manchester Test Community. My fee is either a corny Dad joke or a Nicolas Cage meme ??