Strategies to Navigate a Layoff

Advice for the laid off (from someone who’s been there): 1. Give yourself 24 hours to grieve. Get angry, be sad, process your feelings. Then flip the switch and let it go. 2. Your full-time job just became Job Seeker. Get to work! Spend 8-10 hours a day becoming the best job seeker the world has seen. 3. Blind applications are a waste of time but may be necessary to maintain your unemployment benefits. Do the minimum. 4. Work on your skills and certifications. 5. Spend time with your family and friends. 6. Work out. 7. Leverage your network. Your next job will come from people you know. Reach out and ask. 8. Minimize expenses. It can take months. 9. Don’t take a job out of desperation. You will only make yourself miserable and eventually wind up unemployed again. 10. Target the job you want precisely. Allow yourself one remove from that job as a practical matter. Don’t try to fit into every open role you see. 11. Have faith. Being unemployed doesn’t mean you’re unemployable. You’re between jobs. 12. Don’t be ashamed. You weren’t laid off because of what you did or failed to do but because of factors almost completely beyond your control. You were liberated from a sinking ship, not tossed overboard from a yacht. 13. Don’t make hasty financial decisions. You will regret them later. 14. Remember that you are not your job. Your job is simply what you do to pay your bills. The loss of a job is not the loss of a person or an identity. 15. Better days WILL come. Bet on it (and yourself). We’re all pulling for you!

A layoff is not the same as a medical emergency. But too many people panic like it is. Over the last few years, I've supported many people in navigating a layoff. Here's what I'd do if I faced a layoff: 1️⃣ Pause and get clear ↳ Reflect on recent accomplishments and write down specific wins with measurable outcomes. This becomes the foundation of your story. ↳ Identify what drained you in your last role, whether it was tasks, communication styles, or team dynamics. These patterns matter more than job titles. ↳ List 2–3 non-negotiables for your next role. These will become your filter moving forward. 2️⃣ Update my positioning ↳ Rework your LinkedIn headline and resume to match the roles you actually want, using keywords from the job descriptions you're excited about. ↳ Update your “About” section to reflect who you help, how you help them, and what kind of challenges you solve. ↳ Make sure your target job titles show up on your resume, LinkedIn, and “Open to Work” settings so you show up in the right searches. 3️⃣ Start real conversations ↳ Make a list of 10 people in your network who are close to the function or industry you're targeting. Reach out with the goal of learning, not pitching. ↳ Ask thoughtful questions about their path, what they’ve noticed in the market, and what they’ve seen work. ↳ These conversations won’t just open doors, they’ll give you language, clarity, and momentum. When everything feels uncertain, clarity is your power. Use it to rebuild on your terms.

Getting laid off shakes more than your income. It hits your identity, your confidence and your sense of momentum. If you’re not careful, you start to question your own value - just because a company made a business decision. Here’s how I coach laid-off professionals to bounce back stronger: 1️⃣ Separate fact from story. Story: “I wasn’t good enough.” Fact: You were laid off. Those are not the same. Most layoffs are structural, not personal. Stop internalizing systems. 2️⃣ Write your rebound resume. Before you job hunt, list every win from the last 12 months. Quantify outcomes. Reflect on growth. You need a record of proof, not just for recruiters, but for you. 3️⃣ Rework your narrative. You didn’t “lose a job.” You closed a chapter. Learn how to talk about your transition with clarity and confidence: → “My team was impacted, but here’s what I’m taking forward.” → “That chapter ended, and I’m excited to apply everything I’ve built to a new challenge.” 4️⃣ Talk to people who get it. Layoffs can feel isolating. Don’t go through it alone. Find others who’ve landed on the other side. Borrow their perspective until you rebuild your own. 5️⃣ Shift from job seeker to value creator. Don’t just apply. Start conversations. Share ideas. Remind yourself that you still have something to contribute right now. Layoffs happen. What matters is what you do next. If you’re rebuilding, make it intentional. And remember, your value didn’t disappear. It just needs a new place to shine.