Practical Steps to Take After a Layoff

Between the Sony and Disney layoffs, the Warners Bros. Discovery / Paramount Skydance merger approval (remember when those were four different companies?!?!?!) with its likely impending layoffs, and a cultural shift across sectors into what The Wall Street Journal calls “The Era of the Mega-Layoff,” we know there are a lot of people hurting right now across the industry. Layoffs bring a wave of emotions to those who are directly impacted, different emotions to the people who stay in their roles, and a third set of emotions to those who’ve been in the market for a new job (especially those who are unemployed). There’s a lot to say about layoffs, so we’re going to have a 2-part series on the topic.

In this newsletter, we’re going to start with the practical: What steps can you take if you’ve been laid off, if you anticipate being laid off soon, or if you want to help those who have been laid off. In a future installment, we’ll share some mindset techniques for coping with the complicated emotional elements of a layoff (e.g. pain, grief, shame, guilt, anger, fear, burnout, relief – and more! As a little preview, know that whatever you’re feeling now is valid, you’re not alone, and it’s helpful to name it).

It’s a cliche at this point, but networking is really how you’re going to land your next job and build a sustainable career. Cultivating a strong network looks a little different depending on your current status.

If you’ve been laid off:

Because it’s emotionally complex, if you’ve been laid off, take some time to process the layoff. There’s no right or wrong amount of time, but give yourself at least a day or two before you dive into a new job search (if you need more time, that’s fine!). Once you’re ready, start telling people. Make a list of ALL your contacts – colleagues from your past company, colleagues from previous jobs, partners you’ve worked with in your last role, partners from previous roles, friends in the industry, friends outside the industry, people from your community groups, etc. Everyone. This will take some time, and you may not finish making the list in one day, but get it started with your closest contacts, most recent contacts, and friends at the top of the list.

Then, compose a short email note to each of your contacts. These should primarily be individual notes, but if you worked with three people on a team at a vendor in your last role, it’s fine to group them. Your message will be different for each person/group but it should contain the following elements:

• Let them know you were laid off/impacted by a reorg

• If they were someone you worked with, let them know you enjoyed working with them

• Information about your next steps: If you aren’t sure what they are yet, say you are taking time to make an intentional next step

• An “ask” or call to action that can be as simple as “I’d love to stay in touch, the best way to reach me is this email” or “I’d love to grab coffee” or “One of the paths I’m exploring is X, do you know anyone who works in that field who you might be able to introduce me to?” to “If you hear of any open roles in Y, I’d appreciate you thinking of me.” 

Keep it short and sweet. Depending on how well you know the person, you can be more stoic or more emotional, but keep it professional. Send a few of these emails per day – 6-10 is usually a manageable benchmark that keeps you in the zone of productivity without being overwhelming. 

Soon enough, you’ll start setting coffees or calls and getting offers of help. Now that layoffs are so common and so obviously corporate America’s fault and not yours, most people are eager to help people who have been impacted. Update your contact tracker so you remember when to follow up with people and so you can return any favors when they need something. 

If you anticipate being laid off:

Don’t wait until the announcement to reignite your relationships. Lay the groundwork now by reaching out to your contacts to set coffees and catch up (and accept invites from your friends in the job market who may have landed in new roles by the time you need their help!). If there’s anyone you can meet with in the general course of your business who also might be a good contact to have down the line, start investing in that relationship. Make sure to connect with your external colleagues on LinkedIn and exporting your work contacts so you have everyone’s email address handy on your personal account when you need it. If you end up staying in your role, you’ll have strengthened relationships, and if you do get laid off, you’ll already have some momentum with your meetings.

If you haven’t been laid off but are on the receiving end of outreach or witness someone’s layoff:

Networking should never be about reaching out only when you need something, but about building sustainable relationships where giving and receiving is natural. If you are in a stable position, do what you can to help! Yes, you have a lot going on and probably multiple contacts who are all reaching out, but there are a lot of small things you can do that can make a huge difference to someone else – and when you eventually need a favor of any kind, you’ll want people to open up for you. Even if you can’t meet for coffee, can you make a relevant intro? Forward job postings? Like someone’s LinkedIn post to amplify it? Pass their resume along when they apply at your company? Recommend a great tracking board, coach, or accountability partner? Most of these things take less than five minutes and send a really important message to a struggling friend or colleague: I see you. Kindness, empathy, and generosity are really powerful tools to combat the ennui, stress, and uncertainty so many of us are feeling in the industry, even if we’re employed. 

Whether you are looking for a job now or not, while you drum up your networking, you also want to think about the future of your career.

If you’re in the job market, know that there are roles out there. But the people who are getting hired are the people who have a clear vision, story and focus – people hiring managers know didn’t have AI write and submit their resume. When you have a clear focus, you can waste less time applying for jobs that aren’t a fit, have a resume and LinkedIn profile that clearly communicate your expertise for open roles, and position your network to help you. Take some time to seriously think through your next steps — talk to your network to find about what opportunities they’re seeing and how their companies are (or are not) growing. But remember that the best path is the one that’s aligned for you, even if it betrays the advice you’re getting. You deserve to have a job that aligns with what you want next – whether that’s a type of work, stability, pay, location – so take time to center yourself in your career. Working with a career coach like us can be really helpful to parse through which outside noise is helpful and what your internal voice is saying.

Once you have a goal in place, be public about it! Post on LinkedIn and set up “Open to Work” on your profile, calling out the types of roles you want both in the open to work feature and the About section. Go back to the contacts who you’d initially told you didn’t have next steps in mind, and tell them what you’ve decided on now – asking for specific help if there’s something you think they could offer. Then, get your resume into tip-top shape for the roles you’re pursuing (including creating a master resume if you’re open to multiple different areas) and set up job alerts on LinkedIn and Google to automate your searches. If you’ve decided your next step is to consult or start your own company, you’ll still want to go public on LinkedIn, but you may also want a bio, a website, and a business plan.

Meanwhile, if you’re anticipating a layoff or in a seemingly stable role, consider what skills you can develop now — either in your current role or through a side project — that will position you for growth in your next step. For example, if you’re staying at your dead-end job because you know the market is too packed right now, consider what you can learn to sustain your interest. We started Hollywood Resumes when we felt a little bit stagnant in our roles and wanted to flex our entrepreneurial muscles, and it ended up helping us in our jobs and opening up more career possibilities. You may not want to start a business, but is there something else you can focus on? We work with clients to help them pursue growth within their roles or map out strategies to pursue creative projects and side hustles while working full time.

The thing to remember is that for as many things as you can’t control in your career — like layoffs — there are things you can. You should set personal goals, and if you’re laid off, try to keep to a schedule that keeps you accountable to your job search like it’s a real job (including much-need breaks). Having clear goals and action items will not only help you build the career you want, but will do wonders for your mindset…which we’ll talk more about in part 2.