Suggestions on what to do when you've been laid off

Over the past couple of weeks, over a dozen of my friends and acquaintances have been laid off, seen their hours reduced, had their pay cut, been asked to work significant overtime for the same pay, or have had offers for dream jobs rescinded. And no collar or industry is safe.

For many, this is a jarring and emotional experience, and resources around what to do are, in my opinion, lacking in actual practical advice. And while it’s weird to admit, I am well positioned to offer some job hunting advice due to my experience in media and startups. I’ve been laid off three times, fired once, and quit one job without a back-up plan due to culture issues.

It’s worth noting that these are suggestions for a reason. Being laid off is an experience that is emotional and often upsets one’s sense of self worth, and I can’t possibly account for everyone’s financial and personal situation. Take what you can and feel free to leave the rest.

If you’ve been laid off without warning, you’re likely in panic mode, whether you recognize it actively or not. For that reason, you should avoid making any decisions of significant consequence for one week. You probably need stability and control more than you think you do in order to think clearly about next steps.

Avoid the natural instinct to immediately cut costs, mass email your network, or rapidly apply for jobs en masse. Especially if you worked in an intense environment where you gave a lot of yourself (which is true for most startups), it pays to keep change to a minimum (don’t cancel that Netflix subscription or gym membership).

What you should pay more attention to is making sure you are sleeping and eating on a somewhat regular schedule, that you are reaching out to friends and family for support, and are keeping any potential vices that tend to crop up during periods of intense stress to a minimum.

You have to begin moving forward while still being kind to yourself. Every day of week two should focus on one main task that you can accomplish in three hours or less.

Over the past two weeks, you have likely done some mental recovery and built a foundation that will help you move forward in your job search.

Now is a good time to refer to your spreadsheet and start reaching out to folks for opportunities. Make sure to attach your resume, be clear about what you want to do next and stay upbeat. Staying upbeat and positive is important, regardless of how high your anxiety is or how tight your funds are getting. I have found, especially in tech and media, that any sense of desperation is detrimental to getting another job.

If you have a mentor, now is a good time to call them. A mentor may be able to make introductions and will likely offer useful advice on how to present yourself to potential employers.

Finally, there is a diminishing return to spending more than three to four hours a day on the job hunt. It’s an emotionally taxing process. Being denied (or ghosted) hurts, even if you know it isn’t personal. Interviews also will take up a lot of your time, especially if you don’t have a referral of some sort.

To get your mind off the often painstakingly slow hiring process, spend the other free hours in your day focusing on everything but work. If you are ambitious and work in tech or media, it’s likely you’ve ignored your friends, physical and mental health in an effort to hit ambitious quarterly goals. Now is a good time to work on recovering those aspects of your life.

While I can’t predict when you’ll get a job, especially in these times, please remember this: you are valuable, and no matter how demoralizing the job hunt may become, don’t spend energy diminishing yourself or your accomplishments.

All my love until next time,

Holden