How i coped after experiencing job loss twice in the development sector

In my last article, I mentioned that we will come out bolder, bigger and more efficient after all the restructuring in the development sector would have been finalized.

In the past few months, I have seen colleague’s breakdown after receiving their termination letters. I have spoken to friends working in different countries who ware just waiting for their contracts to end so they can go home. I have spoken to friends who are already home because their contracts were abruptly terminated. I have spoken to colleagues who are going through restructuring and are not sure whether they will last another year in their organization.

I chatted with a friend today who said she has sent out over 50 applications so far in the past two weeks, she was recently, she recently lost her job in the UN system. Last week, she received ten rejects. You know this thank you for your application, after careful review we have decided to go with another candidate. The kind of email that you just read the beginning and the end and move on to other things.

This got me thinking because I have been there too and understand how everyone feels. The worst part is that the whole sector is facing the same problems, so there are no jobs. As I thought about this, I thought to share my experience on how I have managed my transitions on the two occasions where my roles have been abolished.

Between 2012-2015, I was regional advisor for communications and partnership in an organization, and they went through a brutal restructuring. What happened was, we had an Africa office and four regional offices. I was in the west and central Africa regional office. The Africa office got closed as a cost saving measure.

The West and central Africa office in Yaoundé Cameroon was closed and moved to Dakar Senegal. The Yaoundé office became a small hub to manage central Africa only. A new regional director was recruited in the new west and central Africa regional office based in Dakar.

 He then had the task to recruit his regional advisors. We were summoned one after the other from Yaoundé to Dakar to see the new regional director and to know if we still have jobs in the new regional office or not. All roles were opened, and we had to apply for our jobs all over again with other colleagues who had also lost their jobs.

  Some colleagues in Dakar technically had better chances because they were coming from the Africa office, and that office was managing the recruitment. This was happening while my wife was heavily pregnant with my son.

Like everyone else, I flew to Dakar and came back with not so good news, since we were four of us, there was one job for four people. The job went to my other colleague, I came back from Dakar not happy that I had no job anymore but became more worried as my wife was pregnant.

When I told my regional director who had now become sub regional director for central Africa, she told me one thing. She said, “I have collaborated with you for over three years, you are a great advisor and am very certain you will pick a new and better role.”

During that period, I intensified my networking skills, polished my CV and motivation letters applied and applied and applied and polished my interviewing skills. I had six months to leave the organization, so I had to make the most of my time. My new Job now, was to job hunt. I connected with current and previous colleagues and networked with people on LinkedIn. I did get to final rounds of interviews for many organizations, but I could not get an offer.

I felt like I had led myself down. So, the last month in the office, my supervisor did organize a great farewell for me and said that she knows I will pick up a role soon and that I should not be, stressed. I was however stressed, as my wife had given birth to my son, so I knew I had to get back to business before the savings runs out.

As I handed the laptop and drove to my house, I told myself I need to speak to my friend. I had a friend in our east and southern Africa office Rachel. She knew I was leaving, and she had been encouraging me to apply. She was the only person I could share my frustrations with without being judged.

 As we spoke, she gave me the best advice, she said take time off and enjoy your son and then rest before you can start applying again. As I listened to Rachel, I was telling myself its easier said than done, I need to start applying as soon as possible.

On the third day after layoff, my good friend Rachel called and said “Venatius would you like to take up a job in Rwanda, there is a role there and I have recommended you so they might get in touch”.

Just like she had said, that evening a lady called Mildred got in touch and said she has heard good things about me from Rachel and that she had been on my LinkedIn, and I have an impressive background.

 They need a funding manager for their organization and that if am interested I should email her my CV. I emailed her my CV and the following day, she sent a test for me to complete, which  I did within the required two hours as requested.

 Two days later, she asked when I can be available for a panel interview, and I gave her my availability and she scheduled the interview. After the interview, I knew I would get that job because I had prepared well for the interview and nailed it. My confidence shone throughout, and I showed strong mastering of the sector and showed results I had achieved in my previous roles.

Long story short, I got an offer the following day and was required to start immediately. When I counted the days that I spent at home, I realized I had not spent up to two weeks at home. Yes, it was God for sure, but also preparation and luck meeting preparation. I did deploy to Rwanda and had an amazing time in the cleanest country in Africa.

One and a half years later am in an organization in DRC and we start restructuring again and I just said: Lord not again”, and as if my luck had run out, my role was abolished. This time again, it was like a déjà vu to me. My wife had flown to Cameroon to give birth to my daughter. If I may be honest, I almost lost faith in God, I asked him “why why why again? not when am having another child Lord”.

 Yes, we must all go through these emotions at times, so I was just going through mine. The abolishment for me was a shocker because my supervisor had gone on vacation.  Before I received my letter, we had discussed many times as I had seen supervisors discussing with their supervisees. I kept asking him when we will have a chat, and he said those that are being engaged are those that are leaving. You are not going anywhere so there is nothing to talk about.

So, to my greatest dismay, he went on vacation and my role was abolished. In fact, before he came back, I had already left DRC, so we didn’t even have time for goodbyes. Though I was shocked, I was not surprised, I was prepared mentally. My elder brother Julius had warned me, he had said act as if you know you will be leaving, so if you must leave then you are prepared; if you stay then it’s a bonus. This is the best advice I have ever gotten.

 I still had six months on my contract, but I was given a months’ notice to leave, and I had to as per article 10 of my contract which says we could both terminate on one month notice.

As I went home with that letter, I could not tell my wife as I had received a call earlier that day that she was in labour. That evening, I discussed with my two close allies in the office (One is my current colleague same office in UNICEF), and they said bro just be applying you will get something.

During my time in the organization, I had coordinated a consortium to submit a big proposal that was funded. One of the consortium members were IRC and an amazing lady Lisa from the HQ had told me that if I ever need to jump ship, I should email her.

The same night I got the letter; I emailed her my CV, and she immediately replied and put me in touch with their talent acquisition people who shared vacant roles for me to apply. I did apply and did a test and then interviews and within that same week I had a job offer.

It was only after I received the offer that I told my wife the whole story and she was just shocked and wondering what kind of God I serve that just steps in all the time. As I had paternity leave and leave days, I requested to leave the office immediately and that is how I joined one of the most interesting international organizations. It was from here that I joined UNICEF.

Nine years later I move to Guinea and there are funding cuts globally in the sector and all UN agencies are restructuring. I just landed, and in my first day in the office, it is announced that we must cut about 25% of staff.

 I acted like nothing was happening, when my colleagues asked why am so cool about the restructuring, I told them what my brother had said.  Act like you know you will leave, and if you stay it’s a bonus. The process is still ongoing, and I will share updates once the process is completed.

There are many lessons I have learned from these two experiences, the biggest one for me is that no job is permanent. You can have it today and loose it tomorrow. Master your craft, if you master your craft, there will always be a place for you elsewhere. Build your networks, in these two cases my networks recommended me, and I got jobs because of them.

Be prepared, Luck can come your way but if you are not prepared, you will not take advantage of the luck or what I call GRACE which comes to you even though you do not deserve it.

 Apply apply apply, you will only get jobs if you apply and never give up, applying is important because the right person might just pick up your CV and say this is the one I have been looking for. Be positive, you cannot afford to give up, you have one life to live so make it count. Positive mindset attracts positive outcomes, so be positive that something good will happen soon.

 Lastly belief in something, I came out of these two situations because am a firm Believer in God. I am one of those who believe that God cannot take me where his Grace will not see me succeed. So, my belief really helps me through the dark times even thought I doubted at some point. Have that friend that you can call and vent and not feel judged. Also PUSH, Pray Until Something Happens, if you are a believer.

So, if you have been terminated recently, it’s not the end of the world. Unless you are retiring, trust me when I say this, “your better days are still ahead, and you will triumph over all the obstacles”. Take it from the one who has been abolished twice, it is not easy, but you will triumph.

 Venatius 03/06/2025