“Get out and speak to people as quickly as you can. There will be knock backs, but there'll also be opportunities, and if you don't put yourself on the line for change, then it's easy to get stuck… Surround yourself with people who get you fired up and who'll support you on your journey. “

When were you made redundant?

January the 4th 2016. - I went back into the office straight after Christmas, to discover that I had no job (with no redundancy pay nor notice).

What did you do after you were made redundant?

Signed on to Jobseekers Allowance, and applied for careers advice. I also finished off my Wordpress blog, and created a simple portfolio on there (which I still use now, as well as my own website!) I also set up a Facebook page. I spent my days writing blog posts, searching for jobs and also contacting photographic agencies.

I received some great advice early on from my mentor who told me to sort out my LinkedIn profile. It was through this platform that my first three clients booked me. The first freelance job was working for an events company, coming up with the look and feel for a large scale gala dinner for 200+ people for an international company! The second was working as a Visual Merchandiser for Habitat, and the third, as a creative consultant for a large Visual Merchandising company.

Photo shoot work came a little later on in my first year. - I styled several interiors and furniture shoots for both Furniture Village and Little Folks Furniture, as well as styling show homes for a large Interior Design firm.

As well as this, I found a part time job working for a local estate agent, conducting viewings on the weekends. This really helped me to understand the residential market which I then explored a little more in my second year of freelance work. It also paid the bills, for the times when the freelance work was a little quieter.

How did you decide what to do next?

It was a combination of seeing an opportunity and also having some sound advice. Initially I felt that I had an odd set of skills, that meant that I wouldn't be able to find the work I wanted. But the mentor that I had showed me to spin this on its head and illustrated to me how it was actually my USP.

I wanted to focus on styling homes and photo shoots, and having come from a more commercial visual merchandising retailing route, it was more unusual. This gave me the confidence to approach a wide variety of businesses which meant that I could try out some new industries for me, such as property and events.

What would be your advice to anyone who has just been made redundant?

Get out and speak to people as quickly as you can. There will be knock backs, but there'll also be opportunities, and if you don't put yourself on the line for change, then it's easy to get stuck in a rut. That's when the self doubt creeps in, so it's a good idea to have a plan (even if it gets thrown out of the window after a few months). Having something to work towards gives you focus. Have a brainstorm and use the experience as an opportunity to find out if there's anything else that you'd like to do career-wise. I've also found in-person networking to be so helpful to me. Surround yourself with people who get you fired up and who'll support you on your journey.

You can find Fi here..

@number21style (Facebook)

@fi_campos_stylist (Instagram)

ficampos.wordpress.com (blog)

Another Door

If you have been inspired by Fi’s story and want to make a career change or feel stuck not knowing what to do next, check out Another Door Club, helping people through change to make it the best thing they ever did; Another Door Programme.

If you have a story from how to made redundancy the best thing that happened to you drop me a note.