Dear Facing Emploment Challenges:
We are sorry to hear of your situation. How we wish we could get you a job! But please, we strongly recommend that you and all people in your situation not use the expression "I am redundant." Your employer has made the difficult decision to declare your job position as being redundant. There is no such thing as a redundant human being. We are all unique. You were hired by your employer because of who you are, what you knew, and what you could do. You will get hired again, and very likely for an even better job. If you keep using the phrase "I am redundant," you will only make yourself depressed. The unfortunate phrase is self-defeating, and it is not true.
We recognize that it may be of little comfort to you to read the remainder of our reply. Should you choose not to, we would understand that.
Free economies, such as that of Ireland, go through ups and downs. In the economics and business jargon, the process is known as economic cycles. The cycles - that is, the ups and downs - are caused by a mismatch in the supply and demand situation. Fortunately, the ups are much longer in duration than the downs. The downs occur when the supply of goods and services exceeds the demand for consumption in the marketplace. The providers of good and services in an economic downturn - such as the current global economic slowdown - need to scale back on the supply. Thus, the employee layoffs, or to put it in the corporate euphemism: employee redundancy.
We encourage you to keep hope and keep trying. Search for a job as you would at any other time. You may even consider accepting a job in the interim that pays less and is below your level of skills and education. No one knows how long the current slowdown will last. So the idea is to sustain yourself through the difficult period, and look for superior positions when the economy begins its upswing.
Dear Mentor:
