So you got laid off
So you got laid off. You already know this, but it sucks. Sorry to hear. I know at times like this it feels like you’re all alone.
I’m here to say, unequivocally, you are not the only one!
I know, I know. It’s shocking because at this current moment you probably feel like you are 100% alone on a deserted island. You may feel like a giant personal failure, even if 40 other people got laid off with you. So for starters let me set a few things straight: First, you are not a failure. You might feel like you’ve failed at this job (and maybe you did) but failing at something does not make you a failure. Second, it’s ok to feel a little alone, just don’t stay there too long, more people than you can ever imagine want to help you.
I don’t want to delve into the “there are so many reasons for a layoff!” commentary because, honestly, it doesn’t matter. You got laid off. The reasons, unfortunately, can’t help you. I’m not one to sugar coat, so if you just need a shoulder to cry on or ear to listen, I 100% respect that, but this article is not going to give you that. If you want to move on, grow from this, and come out better than before, keep reading.
What do I do now? You do nothing. For 24 hours, you do nothing but sulk. Be sad, be angry, be whatever you feel you need to be.
When I got laid off earlier in my career, I crawled into bed, pulled the covers over my head and smushed my face in my pillow. My mother called and said “you have 24 hours, then back at it”. My mother has given me a lot of advice in my lifetime, but I am fairly confident nothing has stuck with me like that phone call. And it worked.
So that’s what my advice is to you. Take 24 hours, go through a bunch of emotions, maybe have one too many slices of cake or one more glass of wine or binge season one of game of thrones. 24 hours, no job hunting, no lawyers, no resume writing, no responding to anyone or anything.
I promise you 24 hours will not end your career, but it will help you not make any rash decisions.
24 hours later (PS, I’m open to selling this line as a movie title) you can do something. Everyone will be different and want to do different things with this new blank slate ahead of them so I can’t tell you exactly what to do (sorry, maybe call your mom?). However, I can give you some strategies.
Think about what you learnt in this last role. What did you love? What did you not like so much? What did you learn about yourself in your time there? What great people did you meet? Did you have a mentor? Did they help build you up?
Is there anything you could have done to not been part of these cuts? Be honest with yourself. This one is tough to get through, but crucial to you ending up in a better spot. Look at your performance, your attitude, and your work output. If you think you could have done things differently, make those points to work on and develop as you grow. If you really did give it your all and shit still hit the fan with the layoff, that’s ok too, just make sure you’re honest with yourself. Note: don’t punish yourself for any issues you uncover in this step. The past only gives us opportunity to make ourselves better in the future.
What do you want to do next? Too often when you’ve been laid off you end up jumping into the exact same role at another company out of panic. Take this time to think about what you actually want to do. Not sure what you want to do? Take advantage of any outplacement services offered to you to figure it out. Not offered anything? Try reaching out to some of your mentors, advisors or sponsors to help you.
Tailor your resume. Hopefully you’ve been keeping your resume regularly updatedso that you don’t need to try and remember everything from the last number of years, so this should be easy. If you haven’t, book yourself an hour or two to do some “self-reminder” research. Either way, once you have it, work through it all to reflect not just what you’ve done but also what you want to be doing and how your previous experience lends itself to that.
Network! Don’t just start spamming the job boards with your resume. Take the time and reach out people you know. People genuinely want to help but you need to ask (oh if only that advice were as easy to do as it was to type!). Meet people for coffees, ask for introductions to teams that might be hiring, keep yourself top of mind to your entire network so when they see something they immediately think of you.
Attend events. So often we have great intentions of attending events across the city while we’re working but life and time gets away from us. Now is your chance, get out there, head held high, meet new people, learn about new companies and new opportunities that you may never have thought of. Worried about affording these without a steady pay-check? Most offer discounts or even free tickets if you ask, or offer to volunteer helping the day of. Also many of the events offer food and drinks, so you can balance out the cost by not eating out!
As I said at the beginning, and as you know, getting laid off sucks. It can make you feel like you don’t want to move. While I understand that feeling, do not in any circumstance give into it after your 24 hours is up. Whatever you do and whatever your time frame is. just don’t stop. Don’t stop thinking about the future and all the exciting opportunities ahead. Don’t, no matter what, ever believe that first moment thought of being alone in the world. We’ve all been there or will be there, and everything will work out just fine. It’s an equation of time and effort, and you have full control over the effort portion. It may take longer for some and shorter for others, but I promise you no one moved on without effort.
Big thanks to Stefan Palios for his awesome editing skills!