I've been laid off. What do I do now?
Pamela O'Leary, PCC
Leadership & Organizational Development | Executive Coach | Facilitator | DEI | Women's Leadership | Community Builder
To the thousands of people getting laid off right now, I feel your pain. I've been laid off before. My confidence was obliterated. I freaked out about financial instability. I was embarrassed reaching out for help. I felt desperate, scared, and alone.
Yet each person may have a different experience of getting laid off. Maybe you are secretly happy you finally got out of a frustrating situation. Maybe you are in a fortunate financial position where you can afford to take and even enjoy this forced break. However you relate to your experience is valid. There is no right or wrong way to view it.
Please allow me the opportunity to share my perspective around my lessons learned regarding a forced career transition such as a layoff.
BREATHE! Feel your feelings.
First and foremost, take a deep breath. Getting laid off can be quite a traumatic experience. You may feel quite overwhelmed. You may feel angry and sad and relieved and anxious and excited all at the same time. Don't suppress those feelings. Find healthy ways to express them. Consider working with a professional such as a therapist or coach to explore your feelings in a supported way. Create a ginormous self-care toolkit with many different ways you will proactively take care of yourself each day.
Practice self-compassion.
I created a vicious story in my head that getting laid off meant I was not a successful person, that there was something wrong with me. I went deep down the dark rabbit hole of fear and was consumed by the thought that I would never get hired again. Instead, I could have gone the route of self-compassion. I could have told myself that many other people were also laid off, that getting laid off is a moment of suffering, and that I choose to be kind to myself. Kristin Neff is my favorite thought leader on the topic of self-compassion, so please check out her website for many great resources.
Don't rush just to find a new job immediately.
First, I want to acknowledge that everyone has different financial circumstances and you need to do what is best for you and those you may have to support. When I was laid off, I unfortunately did not have a significant emergency savings fund. I was single and my family was not able to provide any financial support. I was freaking out and needed a stable income immediately. In hindsight, I wish I had given myself even just a few days to process what just happened rather than feverishly, immediately applying to jobs. You'll create a stronger job application when you don't act out of fear and desperation.
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Be intentional about your next step.
Whether you like it or not, you have been given an opportunity to create a new chapter for yourself. While it may feel impossible or unfair to reframe it as such, trying to find the positive can be helpful. You didn't choose what happened to you in getting laid off, but you do get to choose whether you just react to what happened or to powerfully respond.
Take some time to reflect about what you truly want to do next. Here is a big list of resources with a whole section on thinking about how to create your next chapter. Maybe you need money now, so take a part-time or contract opportunity. Maybe you volunteer for awhile to gain new skills or experiment with an interest before committing to a full-time job in such area. Do some serious soul searching about what next career step would be really fulfilling for you. You can reinvent yourself. You can pivot into an entirely new industry or role.
Have a financial plan and creatively utilize all resources available.
You could get a new job tomorrow or it could take a long time, so be prepared for either scenario. Hopefully you have an emergency savings fund, but you may not. For the first time in my life, I bought a brand new Prius when I finally got my first six figure salary. But a month later, I was fired and ended up driving for Uber and Lyft to keep the damn car. Hustle, keep your head up, and do what you need to do to survive.
I had really good healthcare through the European tech company I worked for when I got laid off. Fortunately, I was able to schedule two minor surgeries while I was still under full coverage (things got complicated when I went onto Cobra). If your company offered you outplacement services, take full advantage of any benefit they may offer you.
So in short, getting laid off can really stink. You are not alone in that pain. You will get through this. This can be a unique speed bump in the grand scheme of your life that catapulted you into an adventurous new chapter.
Thank you so much for considering these perspectives. Please feel free to share any tips you may have for how to overcome a layoff and thrive. I'm creating free peer support groups for people who have been recently laid off. Please sign up here if you're interested .
These resources may also be helpful.