Don't Panic
Sri Lanka has diagnosed its 588th COVID-19 patient now (as of 28/04/2020 at 8.27 AM) and unfortunately, that number seems to be growing. Aside from the COVID-19 high-risk zones (Colombo, Kalutara, Gampaha, and Puttalam), the rest of the country has relaxed curfew laws, and it's little too early to tell how that would impact on this number. Things might not take a turn for the absolute worst, we don't know.
Therefore, keep your mind positive, and don't panic. Panic is never a solution for anything. It will actually hold you back from doing what needs to be done right now. Even if your company hasn't issued an official announcement about the layoffs yet, there could be an unfortunate possibility to it, so what you should do is patiently prepare yourself for the next steps.
Broaden Your Network
Even if it's your first job, you must have a circle of colleagues and friends that you can turn to. This circle can include people from managerial level to interns, and it's time to strengthen your relationship with them while attempting to get to know the people in their circles as well.
If you're someone who has been in the industry for a while, reconnect with your ex-colleagues, managers and friends. That way, you'll be able to build a network or broaden your network of professionals. And talking to them will surely help you to widen your thinking while easing up the tension you might have. Also, if it comes to losing your job, you'll be able to ask for some help from them to find a new one.
Talk To Professionals
This is another reason why it's important to broaden your network. Getting to know people in different industries and different levels, and obtaining advice from them comes in handy when you want to figure out your next steps while looking into other available options.
This will also give you the opportunity to explore new avenues in your career, and recognise the skills that you need to sharpen up or develop if you decide to move from one industry to another.
Assess Your Financial State
It's always wise to keep track of what you've saved in the bank. If you have other avenues of income, such as a rented house/annexe, take them into count too.
Consider your baseline monthly budget – the minimum amount of money you need to pay your bills, rent, debt/lease payments, medical emergencies, buy groceries and other essentials, and then evaluate the number of months you can survive with the savings or the money you earn from the side hustle (if you've got any). If the baseline budget is bigger than you anticipated, see what are the methods that you can do some cost-cutting, and do a re-evaluation.
This financial wellness check will help you to design the expenditure plan for the post-unemployment period, while helping you to effectively manage your expenses until you land on your new job. In fact, it will be useful during your daily, regular life too, even when you have a job.
Spruce Up Your CV
It must have been a while since you've updated your CV and LinkedIn account, so start to work on that now. Revamping them to reflect your most recent roles, duties, achievements, skills, references and projects is going to increase your value as a professional. It's a good method to improve the brand value of yourself, to make a better impression in front of the company/companies that you're planning to apply for in the near future.
