Why are you made redundant?

by Humera
(London, UK)

I have 3 Masters Degrees, 1 Post Graduate diploma (all with distinctions) and 15 years of work experience with flying colours by my Line Managers and always try to make myself abreast with current trends in my field of expertise by attending various seminars and talks forums but still have been made redundant. Why I have been chosen for that? There are others who doesn't work that hard and still have their jobs?

Response from Carl: Sorry about your situation, Humera. Sometimes it's very hard to tell if there is something you could have done better or if the situation was completely out of your control. Often when a person is made redundant it simply comes down to money and specifically, the fact that the company is trying to save money and cut staff. If you earn more than the others who are still working that might have something to do with it. Favoritism can sometimes play a part too. There are other reasons that neither of us might be aware of that could explain your situation.

One thing to ask for: ask your manager if you'll be able to get a positive reference check from them when you're looking for a new job. Not only is this important to have for your future job searches, it may help shed some light on the situation. Presumably if they tell you that you'll get a positive reference check, that should hopefully indicate that your redundancy was not based on anything wrong that you did.

Carl