Have you ever met someone who was fired from their job? I’ll bet you $50 they said, “Yeah, I never saw it coming.” For some reason, getting canned always comes as a shock to people. They’re clueless as to how bad they’re doing and how close to the door they are.

Makes you wonder: Are you close to the door and you don’t even realize it? Put your hand in the air if that question made you uncomfortable.

There are many reasons people get fired. The company is failing and has mass layoffs. Your boss does a lousy job setting expectations and providing feedback. You’re caught stealing money from petty cash. Those are clear reasons for a canning, and there’s not much you can do about them (except get your fingers out of the petty cash envelope).

Instead, let’s focus on the “clueless” firing. The one where you think all is well, and then an anvil falls on your head. Let’s explore how we get ourselves in those situations in the first place, then discuss how you can recover before you get pink-slipped.

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