How to be laid off
Well, the easy answer is be in a redundant position, hey that’s even what the British call it!
But seriously this is about what to do after you get laid off and how to do it correctly. As I work through my second time being laid off, I am rediscovering the systems that I (and, credit where credit is due, my wife) developed to cope with the mental and physical realities of getting laid off.
In mid-December (Side note: hiring managers, don’t do layoffs in mid-December, the money savings vs waiting to Jan 4 and doing it then are nothing and no one is working to recruit so it’s just a vicious waste of 3 weeks of severance) I was laid off. First thing I did was send my cell number to my team, so they had it, that led into a solid 6 hours of talking them through what had just happened and helping them through it. I have always said that a manager’s job is to help their teams with their futures. Going dark after being unexpectedly ripped out of their world? Not okay with me. After calls with virtually all my team and a large number of peers I sat down with my wife, and we made a list. Now we get to step one.
You know people, more people than you think. And a lot of those people are going to be at companies that could need you. The countless stories of sending out a hundred resumes for months and getting a job in 2 weeks from an acquaintance are true. My first interview after getting laid off was 5 days later and from a company I was working on buying a system from two weeks prior. Connections are key. So, make a list, are you in a running club? Bowling league? PTA? Take down all the names and add companies next to them. Day one I had about 75 rows with a name and a company.
Next? Take a break, come on people you just got laid off, its day one! Go out and see some friends, no one pays for drinks the day they get laid off. Blow off some steam and get some sleep.
Day two you can start going through your list. Reach out to closer contacts with specific asks, people who are placed well in their companies to know unlisted openings etc. Check the websites of the others, if something looks good reach out, if they made it on the list, they will put you in, its money in their pocket if it works out and a good deed to boot. Continue to take time, go for a run, go to the gym, play a video game, take your kids to the park. Looking for work is a full-time job, but you still need breaks, and you can’t make others get back to you faster.
Day Three? Day four? Are you through your list? Make sure that when you finish with a line you color code and date it, I like to categorize as follows:
· Green – two-way communication
· Yellow – outreach no response
· Orange – contact with nothing right now (check back in a week or two!)
· Red – lost opportunity
· Blue – action required
But Jeff! It didn’t work! I made it all the way through, and I don’t have a job! It doesn’t happen overnight, hopefully you have a few green a chunk of yellow but its mostly going to be orange and that’s okay. Now its time to let your yellows go green or red and start the wall throwing of resumes. Yea I know I said it’s a losing game but it’s the next step. Also, you need demonstrable job search activities for unemployment so its helpful there. What you want to do for the blind resumes however is find a human attached to the role, preferably a recruiter and on LinkedIn. Send them a quick note, don’t be demanding but give a bit of color to your application. It’s the next best thing to a connection in the company and recruiters will read the message even if they are too swamped to respond.
That’s the basics, rinse and repeat going through the list, keep track of your blind resumes on the same sheet (I make them yellow until I hear back) and keep chugging along. There is a lot out there on posting more on LinkedIn, tailoring your resume to the job, writing the perfect cover letter. Those I have found to be sometimes useful sometimes not, but the key is to make a plan, document the work, and keep going. Eventually it will pay off. People want people who value themselves and work for it and this is a way I have found to internalize that.