Learning Lessons from My Layoff

As the layoff posts continue to flow, and the onset of a recession could only bring more, I wanted to share tips from my time being laid off and unemployed:

Wrong time, wrong place - First off, for those for who this is your first adult recession (as it is mine), the best advice was to put my layoff in perspective. Sure, I might have been able to deliver a better project to keep my job, but during these times, macro factors play a much more significant role than micro factors. Take stock of your regrets so you can improve on them in the future, but don't look at them as definitive mistakes. Instead, reframe your outcome as if you were at a company that overhired (wrong place) at the onset of a downturn (wrong time).

Leverage LinkedIn - If you see this post, you already have a profile setup, so make sure it is up to date and start utilizing the benefits of LinkedIn's global network. I went from significant concern about how I would land another job to more than enough leads to feeling confident I would land something, all in less than a week, thanks to LinkedIn. Recognizing I am a unique case after spending the last year gathering a following if you make a post about your openness to work and it does not catch traction, reach out to people such as myself to share your message and join work-seeing groups. Gone are the days of shame for facing a layoff; we are all workers and only achieve collective power when we assist each other.

Explore New Opportunities - in all my previous job searches, I was employed already, which limited my ability to reach broadly with the discussions I had. During this job search, I made a rule to talk with anyone who contacted me to explore options I might pursue. While there were a few that I felt little interest in, it was pleasurable having a conversation to confirm this while also learning something about myself and a new field along the way. The best part is even when one door closes; it may open another just for having a discussion.

Utilize the Fresh Start Effect - while not as exciting as a birthday or New Year's Eve, a layoff is a significant temporal event. Fresh starts such as this are excellent opportunities to begin forming new, better habits. Remember the activities you wanted to start but never felt you had the time to do. Make a list of the highest priorities and use this new blank slate to work at least on one or two. My recommendation is to choose one productivity and one well-being habit. I desired to become more organized and spent the duration on unemployment equipping myself with skills around file and note management that I've now carried into my new job. On the well-being side, I wanted to incorporate more mindfulness throughout my life, and I have picked up a habit of meditating in the morning and tracking my progress toward new healthy habits. Whatever you choose, utilize this blank slate to create new routines that make you happier and healthier.

Budget Your Runway - the scariest part of getting laid off for me was the financial uncertainty. I greatly appreciated it when a mentor reached out and suggested that I conduct a financial runway calculation (Total amount of money/average monthly spend). By doing this, I had certainty about how much time I could continue paying my bills utilizing my severance and my emergency savings. This exercise made me realize that I had more time before I would feel significant pain from unemployment. Not everyone will be privileged with money in the bank to fall back on, but regardless of your situation, having a realistic evaluation of how much time you have will make decisions easier. Lastly, while I never had to, a good friend also suggested I file for unemployment. This program is something I have contributed to my entire working life, and I felt no concern doing so; this is a stigma that I hope is broken during this downturn.

Define your Identity - beyond the financial upset, the most challenging part of getting laid off was losing the worker identity I had accumulated over the last decade. While over the years, I have become a husband, a friend, a mentor, a mentee, and a dog dad. I found that my worker identity was still the core of who I was. Getting it stripped away required me to quickly reckon with what had happened and how I wanted to continue in my next job. Having two months to invest in the other parts of my identity that bring me joy yielded a newfound appreciation for what I wanted out of life. Now that I'm back in a job, I still have my worker identity central to who I am, but it is easier to turn that one off and focus on the other aspects of myself to ensure I maintain holistic well-being. The best part is that I know doing so will make me a better person I can carry across all aspects of my life.