• Posted on Tuesday, July 7, 2009
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Losing a job can be seen as 'blessing in disguise,' new survey finds

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BRADENTON, Last Halloween was particularly scary for Katherine Robinson.

That was the day the Bradenton woman found out that Freedom Bank, the bank where she worked as human resources director, was being shut by regulators.

“And of course, for me, the weekend the bank closed was also the weekend of my 50th birthday,” Robinson said. “So I had a pity party, I didn’t have a birthday party.”

The bad news didn’t stop there. Two weeks later, Robinson found out she had a brain tumor. Fortunately, it was benign and operable and Robinson successfully had surgery to remove it in December.

The tsunami of tragedy taught Robinson a valuable lesson about the power of positive thinking.

It also taught her that being laid off or losing one’s job can sometimes be a beginning, rather than an end.

A new survey from online job site Snagajob.com confirms just that.

The survey found that more than 6 out of 10 people in the United States who have either been laid off or whose significant other lost their job believe it either has been or will be a “blessing in disguise.”

A total of 584 workers in the nation who fit the criteria of being laid off or having a spouse or significant other laid off since December 2007 were interviewed for the survey. Of those surveyed, 27 percent said they had found better jobs. Forty-nine percent used the time off to reconnect with family and friends; 62 percent said they were coping well by growing accustomed to getting by with less.

To read the complete article, visit bradenton.com.

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