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The beginning of a new year is often a time for reflection, and for a lot of us, that includes thinking about our professional paths.

Two publishing professionals who left their roles following company reorganizations originally thought it was catastrophic.

"I invested my heart into the position... I had faith in the principles we promoted. But in my case, that ethos weren't there," a former editor states.

The two chose to employ the word "let go" and argue that being honest about it can help you handle the event.

"We use so many soft terms for being dismissed. But the faster you acknowledge it, the quicker you're truthful regarding it, the faster you can advance.

"It's the quickest route to what you desire to pursue next," she adds.

Currently, they are thriving in different roles, with one leading her own media company and another working as lead editor for a luxury magazine.

If you've lost your job or are just considering a shift, these are four strategies that can help.

1. Reflect On Last Year

It's natural to experience a bit low concerning your career after a holiday break.

A professional advisor stresses the necessity of looking back before starting the search for a new role.

She suggests people to consider what they want to increase, what they want less of, and which factors energizes or exhausts their energy.

Examining your accomplishments to spot common themes is also beneficial. "Try not to focusing solely on the most recent period, as people often suffer from for recency bias that can impede the process," she adds.

She also notes it is crucial to decide the role of work plays in your life.

This means being candid about how much time you spend working and the influence on your social and family life.

Following her job loss, she suggests not allowing your life be dictated by your career.

2. Implement Incremental Actions

The advisor notes that professionals can take incremental moves towards changing careers without a complete leap.

Her own journey took several years to transition from a corporate role to operating her own company full-time, working on the venture while still employed, which enabled she could pay herself.

"It took a bit longer, but that was how I did it without risk," she says.

She suggests a test-run approach.

This can include volunteering, participating in an initiative you find appealing, or accepting a new challenge within your current team.

"Worst case scenario, you find out you don't like, but it's preferable to know now instead of after you've made the move," she remarks.

She also advises looking into temporary "stepping-stone" positions. They are perhaps not the ideal job, but they serve as a step towards your goal, like a job with similarities to the career you want, but in a different area.

"It means giving yourself the space to say this works for now, but that does not mean permanent.

"That represents an intelligent approach to get nearer to your desired transition."

3. Remember Your Successes

Should you have recently lost your job, you aren't alone – job cuts have surged to high levels recently.

She held a senior role for a fashion publication, previously her entire team were made redundant after the company closed the print version.

Understanding that this event did not reflect of her skills assisted her cope with the situation.

"What you've learned doesn't disappear just because you lost your job.

"Don't relinquish your self-worth, it's crucial for everybody to remember their own value."

Another professional was fired after ten years at a financial magazine due to leadership changes in senior ranks and the appointment of new leadership.

She emphasizes that so much of the embarrassment associated with being fired is self-imposed.

"Given that hundreds of thousands of professionals losing jobs, it's usually not about you. It's likely very much not you, so refrain from bearing that feeling unnecessarily."

4. Build a Career Checklist

When you're actively hunting for work or are deeply dissatisfied at work, it can be tempting to jump at for any job – disregarding your own happiness.

But this is a big misstep.

Rather, she recommends a technique known as "scanning" – filtering opportunities down to position summaries that capture your interest.

She suggests searching sites like LinkedIn and collecting several that seem promising.

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