- The Launchpad
- Posts
- Are you prepared for a layoff?
Estimated read time: 4 minutes
What’s in this letter 📧
Question of the week: Is it normal for a company to make a successful applicant wait for 6 months for the job offer?
Things you need to do after getting laid off (Plus: don’t miss learning how to use ChatGPT to brainstorm career options at the bottom)
Questions from Job Seekers…
Is it normal for a company to make a successful applicant wait for 6 months for the job offer?
Listen, things do happen sometimes (hiring freezes, budget cuts etc.), but 6 months isn’t the norm.
If you haven’t received an offer in writing 3 weeks after getting a verbal offer, follow up with your contact at the company to find out what’s going on. More often than not, it’s just taking a little longer than usual. However, 6 weeks and up, who knows what could be happening behind the scenes, but it’s safe to say you should move on.
Lesson: Never wait on any one company. Your job search continues business as usual (applying, interviewing, networking) until you receive an offer in writing.
Want to share your stupid interview questions? Email [email protected].
Layoffs happen - are you prepared?
With fears that Shopify is set to announce a major layoff and Amazon having just announced another round, it’s hard not to worry about whether or not you’re next, if you haven’t already met the chopping block.
The thing is though, these situations happen at least a few times in a person’s career. Whether it’s a layoff, getting fired, or just quitting a job you dislike, finding yourself suddenly unemployed can be overwhelming.
I guarantee you though, that if you prepare in advance and have a plan in place, you will drastically reduce unemployment time and the number of new grey hairs you grow as a result of all the stress.
Several areas to focus your attention on after a layoff
Rest
First, don’t panic. It’s likely happened to hundreds, maybe even thousands of your fellow staff, and millions of people before you. You’re not alone.
Take a few days to rest and gain some mental clarity. Avoid thinking about work during this time, and focus instead on something you enjoy, like catching up on lost time with your family and friends, taking that trip (if you can afford to), or just lounging around.
As your job search progresses, continue to give yourself a little bit of mental time off every day.
Finances
Review your financial situation and figure out how long you can afford to go unemployed. This will help put things into perspective.
The general rule of thumb is to have enough cash set aside to sustain yourself for at least 6 months, but if you can’t make it that long, consider freelancing (who knows, you may even decide to leave the 9-5 altogether!).
Below are some of the best sites to get started:
Uber or Lyft
To reinforce your financial situation, make sure you apply for unemployment benefits, whether you’re in the US or Canada.
In the US, the process varies by state. In Canada, you’ll need to go through Service Canada. In both cases, unemployment benefits will help you weather the storm until you get back on your feet.
Also in both cases, you’ll need additional documentation from your employer to file your application.
Record of Employment (ROE) in Canada.
Unemployment letter in the US.
Don’t forget to make sure your mailing address is up to date to receive any necessary documents from the company.
Add yourself to a layoff list
Add yourself to Wiseful’s Layoff list, which has over 15,000 people and is browsed by recruiters looking to fill their positions.
Post about it on LinkedIn
Chances are, you’ve got a decent network of contacts on LinkedIn that may be able to (1) connect you to your next job, or (2) connect you to someone that can.
Why not leverage that network?
Use the template below for ideas:
Unfortunately, I was affected by the recent layoffs at [Company]. I’ve learned a lot over the past [# Years] there and am grateful to the talented team members I had the chance to work with.
I’m looking for a [Details about your role, seniority, company size, industry, position etc.], located in [location/remote].
If you or anyone in your network knows of a role that sounds like a good fit, I’d so appreciate an introduction. Thanks in advance for your help.
#opentowork #jobsearch #Company
Roadmap for the future
Do you want to:
Find the same role you had, but at another company?
Different role, same industry?
Different role, different industry?
Staying the same job and industry makes it a bit simpler, as from there, it’s a matter of
Update and tailor your resume
Update your LinkedIn profile
Network
If you’re looking to make a pivot, you’ll need to do some more introspection:
What are your values? Examples: Autonomy, flexibility, and compensation.
What are you interested in? Examples: Sales and technology.
What are you good at? Examples: Managing projects and coaching.
Next is to brainstorm options where all three coincide: values, interests, and skills. If you need ideas fast, ask ChatGPT.
In the example below, I asked ChatGPT the following: “What are careers where my interests in sales and technology, and my skills in project management and coaching align?”.
See the screenshot below to see the results.
I plan on talking about career pivots in more detail in a future issue, but this should hopefully be enough to spur some thought on your end.
And that’s a wrap folks. Thanks for reading!
What did you think of this week's issue?Did you find the topic covered and the way it was presented helpful? |
I’m James, Cofounder of Final Draft Resumes. I’ve been in the career consulting space for 13 years, and before that, I was a recruiter for AECOM.
I’ve helped thousands of job seekers, from industries like software engineering, IT, sales, marketing, manufacturing, and more generate job opportunities through well-written resumes that translate unique backgrounds into coherent narratives.
If you’re struggling with your resume for whatever reason, reach out - I just might be able to help!
If you’re more of a DIY person, then check out Resumatic, my free-to-try resume builder.