Redundancy can either be a painful experience or a rare opportunity to transform your life. For many, losing a job provides the impetus for further education or to explore fresh avenues in new industries.

Over the past 10 years, there has been a marked trend of shorter job lifecycles within the professional labour market. Unlike earlier generations, most employees today do not expect to stay in one job for their entire working life. In fact, many believe that changing jobs is critical to successfully climbing the corporate ladder.

Whether the decision to move on is a personal choice, or a fait accompli imposed from outside, it is important to have a positive attitude and to take control of your destiny.

Establish your goals
The first step is to reflect on your current situation and to ask yourself the hard questions, such as what do you really want to be doing with your life and what resources do you need to achieve this goal? Are you suited to your dream position and, if so, do you need further training to acquire it? Should you aim for a similar level job, a lower position or a more advanced position? Are you keen to branch out on your own? Sitting down with a career consultant can help to identify your most important strengths and the range of careers available that best suit your ability and personality.

Sell yourself
The key to success is learning how to promote yourself to potential employers and how to create a memorable connection at interview. A good career consultant will work with you to prepare a resume that effectively matches your skills and experience with the position you are seeking. The next step is to practise good interview techniques with regard to body language, presentation, and ready answers to difficult questions.

Create your own opportunity
If you decide that self employment is an attractive alternative, your primary focus will need to be selling your abilities and reaching your target audience through effective promotion. You will need to create a business plan, a business identity and marketing documents that explain what your business offers and its unique strengths.

To get the ball rolling, it is a good idea to seek professional help in the early stages of business planning. There are a variety of business consultants who can help you develop an effective strategy and many good books available on the subject. Keep your eyes open for business start-up grants and training seminars which are available from government small business advisory centres around the country.