Finding a Job After a Layoff
By Jerry Green
Losing your job due to a layoff can be a traumatic experience that limits your confidence for your next career pursuit. While it’s easy to become discouraged as you begin reaching out to new employers, try to use the departure as a chance to work on yourself both professionally and personally.
Here are some tips from the Harvard Business Review (HBR) to reflect on your previous position and motivate yourself to land a role in a new opportunity.
Assess Your Finances
One of the most stressful aspects involved with being laid off is meeting your financial obligations. Without a steady income, it’s easy to become frustrated and filled with anxiety about how you’re going to make your payments. By assessing your finances, it’s possible to create a deadline regarding how long you have to find a position.
When analyzing your money, remember to include severance pay, unemployment benefits, income from others in your household and your savings accounts. While studying your finances, it’s an excellent time to create a budget that limits your expenses during the layoff. It may be necessary to have a conversation with your immediate family about the restrictions of spending on nonessentials.
Addressing the Layoff
Once you begin the interview process, a hiring manager will likely ask about your current or most recent position. How you discuss a layoff can be a significant factor in their decision to offer you the job or look into other candidates. Here are a few helpful tips from HBR to make framing your explanation successful.
- Develop an objective, short and upbeat message.
- Avoid acting like a victim and talking poorly about your former employer.
- Refer to the layoff as an opportunity to rethink your career.
- Think optimistically about the future.
Remember that layoffs are a common occurrence throughout numerous industries. Rather than allowing yourself to feel demoralized, use it as a learning experience.
Learn to Network
Analyze the current state of your social media profiles and shift the focus to your academic and professional achievements. Remember that many hiring managers research a candidate’s online profiles to make sure they’re a good fit. You can express your interest in a specific industry by sharing posts related to the field and suggesting solutions to common problems. Once you begin applying for different positions, the expertise found on your social media accounts may entice an interviewer to schedule a meeting.
After your social media shows off your knowledge and qualifications regarding a subject, reach out to friends or peers with connections in the industry. During your conversation, mention that you were recently laid off and looking for an opportunity to join the field. Networking with former colleagues or even current experts can open the door to an exciting career path that may not be advertised in the classifieds or online postings.
