he news on employment has been brutal over the past few months, as a cursory look at the

news will tell you. From the mass layoffs in tech to the wider economic wobbliness of the
world around us, it is hard to avoid a pervading sense of job insecurity. According to the US
Bureau of Labor Statistics, we have, on average, 12 jobs between the ages of 18 and 54,
which suggests there could be up to 12 times when we find ourselves between jobs, whether
as a result of mass redundancies or not. For most of us, the situation will be temporary.

I have mostly worked at consultancies and start-ups, so I have spent more than my fair share
of time on the bench off the clock and looking for my next opportunity after another
mismanagement of the burn rate. One positive side effect, however, is that I have mastered
the art of unemployment. This is a weird brag, I know.

The ending of any period of employment, however long or short, is rough, whether you loved
it, hated it, were pushed out or just realised it was time to move on. Through these times, I
have discovered that after the initial shock, stress and wishing for the demise of your enemies
(or maybe just Paul in sales), the time between jobs can be great. Here is everything I’ve
learnt.

01.

Be realistic about money, but double down on your plans

You are free! Whether that feels like a release or a burden will largely depend on the job you
left and the manner in which your leaving happened. Either way, you will need to work out
how long you have before you need to find another job.

If you have been piously sensible and prudent, you will have three to six months’ worth of
salary saved up or you will have negotiated a least three months’ redundancy payment. If you
don’t have this much saved (which, let’s face it, is most of us), you will need to figure out
how much money you need to survive for a minimum of three months. For some people, that
might mean moving in with friends or family temporarily. This has become increasingly
common and should not be a source of embarrassment.

That said, being careful about your finances does not mean you need to adopt a life of
asceticism. Yes, cancelling your plans will extend the financial runway, but it will also make
you miserable, so you might as well go on that trip to Miami to celebrate your friend’s
birthday. It would be rude to cancel that midsummer wedding in Finland and island hopping
around Greece won’t cost that much, once you get there. Right? Right.

And you might as well do that wine-tasting course, go clay pigeon shooting and check out the
cute new restaurant that’s opened in nearby and definitely say yes to the friends who invite
you over for dinner, to the pub, to that play and to see the local band.