Experiencing a Layoff?
6 tips to reduce artificial stress and stay confident in difficult times
My heart goes out to all of you who are affected by the layoffs and closures — Lyft, Twitter, Stripe, Argo, Opendoor, Hootsuite….
Seeing family and close friends going through it, I want to share a few thoughts in the hopes of helping you stay confident and reduce unnecessary stress.
Know your runway
Calculate how many months your savings will comfortably last — it may be many times longer than your emotions make it feel.
Make a conscious decision between whether you need a job immediately versus whether this might be a good point to step back and redesign your career path. You’re already stressed out. Please make sure your deadlines are real, not artificial.
Give yourself time
The holidays are traditionally the worst time of the year to land a new job. 2022 is even worse. Companies typically finalize their headcount in late January and early February.
If you have the runway, don’t spend all your time and emotional effort right now. Expecting to land a new role immediately might mean that you’re selling yourself short by competing harder for fewer open spots.
Consider taking the rest of the year to breathe, build your support matrix, work on your career narrative, and design your career path in time for hiring season.
Develop your career narrative
Look back. What are your superpowers? What do you bring uniquely to every team?
Repackage this in a way to show managers how you accelerate every team. Lead with this on your resume, on LinkedIn cold connects, and in self introductions.
Design your career path
Look forward. What’s your dream destination? What do you need to make that next leap in your career journey?
Given the added pressures, it’s extra important to have your North Star to stay positive and focused. Don’t just apply to everything — that’ll just burn you out and shave away at your confidence. Stay focused, on message with your career narrative, and choose roles which will propel you forward.
Reconnect with good people
Not sure where you want to go? Think about the people you’ve absolutely loved working with in the past.
Good people attract other good people and create pods of positive culture. This is a great time to reconnect.
Build your support matrix
Share your timeline and expectations with your loved ones so they know how to support you.
There are also a lot of people in your situation right now. Find each other for support, feedback, and accountability.
If you liked some of these tips, let me know which — I’m happy to expand on any of them. And if you’ve been laid off and would like some help finding clarity, I’m happy to offer a free coaching session. Just click here.