What do you do if you need help crafting a standout resume and cover letter after a layoff?

Be sure that your resume conveys your career story. Being laid off from a job is not the main point of the story. Your career story includes not only the jobs you have held but more importantly the successes, achievements, and the value that you bring. When writing a cover letter, again, do not focus on the layoff. Focus on your value including the relevant and transferable skills and expertise that you will bring to the new position.

After a layoff, conducting a needs assessment can provide valuable insights for crafting a standout resume and cover letter. Identifying your most relevant skills, experiences, and competencies for the current job market is crucial. Consider areas that may need further development or updating, and highlight your most recent and pertinent achievements in your resume. In the cover letter, explain how your skills can address the specific challenges of the company. Use this information to tailor your materials, demonstrating how you can provide immediate and distinctive value to the new employer, thus increasing your chances of standing out in the job search.

Turning a challenge into an opportunity to showcase resilience and adaptability. Make your application materials reflect not just your skills, but your story. Begin by understanding what employers in your desired field are looking for. What skills and experiences are they valuing right now? But here’s the contrarian approach: Also reflect on your layoff experience. How has it contributed to your growth? Did you learn new skills, explore different industries, or develop a new perspective? This can be a unique part of your story. Actionable Strategy: Make a list of the desired skills and experiences for your target roles and match them with what you’ve learned or improved upon during your layoff period.

Find one example role that you would like to apply for and that you meet the main requirements. 1. Profile Review the job description and Identify the keywords that represent the skills and knowledge sought. Speak to this in your profile at the beginning of the CV 2. Responsibilities Reflect on the responsibilities that you have had that relate to the needs of the role. Name these and remove those that are not relevant. 3. Core Achievements Have a core achievements section in your CV What key performance indicators (KPIs) may be related to the role? - What successes have you had that relate to this? Reflect on the challenges and opportunities related to the role. - What exposure have you had that relates to this?

Assess your needs before crafting a standout resume and cover letter post-layoff. Clarify your career goals and target roles to tailor your documents effectively. Highlight relevant skills, experiences, and recent accomplishments. Ensure clarity, conciseness, and compelling content to make a strong first impression on potential employers.

Let’s translate this into your resume. Focus on achievements and quantifiable results. If you took on any projects, freelance work, or further education during your layoff, highlight these experiences. They demonstrate initiative and a commitment to professional development, even in challenging times. Resume Tip: Structure your experiences to emphasize growth. For instance, “Utilized layoff period to complete a certification in [Skill/Area], resulting in [specific outcome or project].”

Companies expand. (hire in bunches) Companies contract. (layoff in droves) It's obvious to anybody paying attention that many companies rush to onboard (see "scale up") as fast as possible, realize they loaded their ship with too many redundant skills sets or unqualified passengers, and rush for the life boats and realize they can't bring everybody to success island. How do successful companies scale up and ensure that they hire the right candidates the first time? They read cover letters. They understand that in a world of 4 second attention spans that rewards minimal effort, those who take the time to craft and send a cover letter that is clear, concise, and compelling are those who can and will do great work for them. Onward!

In our current modern recruitment world - Cover letters usually don't matter. I never recommend that folks spend more than 2-5 minutes on a cover letter (if any at all). It's best to spend some upfront time crafting a good template that you can adjust as needed, rather than writing a brand new one every time. Often, it won't be looked at by the hiring team anyway.

Even if you have a job that you enjoy, don't ever stop building your network and updating your skills. Job security doesn't exist anymore and you need to "secure" yourself by constantly investing in your development - personal and professional and your network. So if it comes to worse, or you find yourself in a lay off situation, you can tap into your network and immediately mitigate the consequences.

In my experience, professionals applying for jobs often view a CV as a comprehensive display of their entire career history. However, the true purpose of a CV is to demonstrate how you meet the requirements of the specific role you are applying for in a manner that is easily understood, highlighting how you can fulfil their needs.

Before even worrying about crafting a resume & cover letter - After a layoff, you first need to breathe and self-care. Layoffs often take a severe toll on your mental health, and diving right into solutions will only prolong your mental and emotional suffering. Go to therapy. Journal. Consider all of the ways you are an incredible person and employee FIRST, then you can start working on your next opportunity.

Depending on the industry and how high a position you envisaged I would advise seeking a mentor or consultant who can help you nail that CV. There are luckily even companies that offer solutions that deal with this problem where you can engage a professional or learn from an online course how to do it.

Layoffs can be very challenging periods to experience. If you’re unfortunate to experience a layoff and are looking for the next job, you should seek a letter of referral or recommendation from someone in your prior workplace. This will help future employers understand the circumstances and appreciate the qualities of your performance.