Don't lose your sense of self

Sometimes when people lose their jobs they think it's a negative comment on them as individuals, as if they could have done something better or differently, but we all now while some people do lose their jobs for cause, others are victims of bad management at the corporate or government level ... witness all the companies starting to downsize ahead of the faltering economy.

Just because you've lost your job doesn't mean you have to lose your sense of self. You have unique qualities that define you as in individual and, in some cases, can make you a better employer than the next candidate.

Don't struggle to squeeze yourself into a job or a company that doesn't align with who you are as an individual. Make an effort to find companies whose mission and purpose you admire and can support.

As long as we have to work for a living, we should be able to work in companies and at jobs that don't force us to be someone other than ourselves.

I know it's flip to say "it's just a job," because the money you get from a job is what enables you to pay your rent and put food on the table, so this is not an insignificant worry. I just want to wish you good luck in your search and hope you find something you can feel good about.