Famous comebacks

So, you've been fired. Or made redundant, 'let go', canned, or even had your employment terminated. Many of us will experience an unexpected termination of a job for some reason or another in this turbulent market. So it's worth knowing that others have recovered from a sacking or setback and gone on to be successful.

The comeback kids
Blonde lovely, Sienna Miller, passed over by fiancee Jude Law for his children's nanny should take heart. When actress Nicole Kidman was dropped by hubby it was the start of better things to come in her career. An Oscar for her role as Virginia Wolf in The Hours meant she was no longer referred to as 'that tall, Australian lady who used to be married to Tom Cruise.'

PY Gerbeau, charismatic ex CEO of the Dome and entrepreneur found his career in ice hockey dramatically cut short at the age of 23. When an accident put him in a wheel chair it could have been the start of a decline. Instead Gerbeau got back on his feet and into business earlier than otherwise would have been possible.

Former Somerfield Finance director Martin Gatto resigned in 2002 following a 35% drop in the store's sales and he must have worried whether he'd ever get a job with a high street name again. Before long, however, Gatto was working as the MD of Midlands Electricity and soon after that he landed a job as the CFO of British Energy. He has since added board member of Luminar Leisure to his CV.

Get over it
All these examples show the most important thing is to get through the denial phase. You'll likely feel shocked and betrayed and may be consumed with these feelings for a while. But you need to accept that only you can get yourself back on your career path. Unless you intend to pursue legal action, it's probably more useful to forget about blame and invest your energy in finding a new job.

Use it
A redundancy or sacking is a good opportunity to re-evaluate your career. Depending upon the amount of notice you're on you'll have some space to think about what aspects of your job turn you on and off. Work out where these might be found in another role or industry that might suit you better. A shift from the recruitment industry and into HR might satisfy a desire to work with people but in a more structured, less frenetic environment. And there would be a clear career path too.

Look forward, not back
Never diss your previous employer during your search for a new job. Fear of litigation means that your employer is unlikely to give you a poor reference but it's a good idea to ask to see it before you depart. You may even be able to negotiate the wording. And when you are asked about why and how you left your previous job, remember redundancy no longer holds the stigma it used to. Honesty can be a very good policy in interviews and if you do choose to refer to 'differences' with your previous employer, always explain what you learned from the situation.