Post-Layoff Job Hunting Cheat Sheet

Last year I was informed my position was being terminated — and on the same day, my wife and I found out we were pregnant with our second child. Just a week prior we had unloaded all of our belongings out of a moving truck in a new city. Everything was still in boxes waiting to be unpacked. To say I was stressed would be an understatement.

I know how anxiety-inducing and frustrating a layoff can be. Since then, I have had multiple previous coworkers experience this same stressful event and I have found myself reaching out to them and offering the advice that was most helpful to me during that season.

I’m sharing those insights here so they can, hopefully, be a help to more people.

Firstly, I want to acknowledge there are two problems you have to solve for after getting laid off: You have the problem of your emotions and you have the problem of your income.

I’m not going to offer too much advice on managing the emotional aspect of being laid off because everyone handles this differently and it’s likely better dealt with on a case-by-case basis. But, I will say this: It’s okay to be angry, hurt, and sad. The implicit agreement between an employer and an employee is that if you do a good job they will provide you payment for your work and continue to employ you. When that trust is broken, it can be a real gut punch. I would say feel those emotions, get therapy if you need to, put up a picture of your ex-CEO’s face on a dart board, get into a new hobby… do what you need to do to come out the other side a stronger, more resilient person. Resist the idea that you aren’t good enough/ aren’t worth keeping around. The failure of a leadership team to plan and hire accurately, or to support you in your role adequately, doesn’t mean you are a failure. In the same breath, also do some self-reflection. Take ownership of your shortcomings and consider what you will do differently in the future. Like an athlete looking to improve, we must burden ourselves beyond what we can feel like we can handle if we want to grow.

The remainder of this article tackles the second problem post-layoff: Finding a new source of income.

The Job Hunting Process

Much like how cooking has multiple steps (planning, shopping, prepping, cooking) job searching has multiple, distinct parts. I found it helpful to break things down so it's less overwhelming. The 4 elements of job searching are:

• Identifying your goals
• Creating your resume and other docs
• Applying
• Interviewing

Here are some insights into each of these areas that I found useful during my previous unemployment.

Identifying your goals:

It can be tempting to skip this step because when you don't have an income coming in, finding a way to make money can take up all of your mindshare. But, if you can, remind yourself that you will find another job — this is a season that will pass. And, when you do find that next job, you want it to be one you enjoy, are qualified to do, and that compensates you well. Running off of desperation may land you employment sooner but the quality of that employment may be compromised. So write down your goals, such as:

• What job do you want?
• What size company do you want to work for?
• How much do you want to make?

Be sure to include everything that matters to you. Want to work from home? Write that down. Are insurance options important? Include that as well. The point isn't to reject any offer that doesn't meet the criteria — Having a vision for what you want will ensure you make accurate decisions when the job offers do come in.

Creating your resume and other docs:

The 3 docs you will need are your resume, a cover letter, and a message to the hiring manager. That's not to say you need to submit all 3 for every job you apply for but, having them pre-built makes it easy. You will, of course, want to customize the latter two documents for each application, but having a template to start from makes it less time-consuming. If you are applying to more than one type of job it's helpful to have separate pre-built cover letters (and maybe even resumes) for each type.

During my job hunt, I was always asking for feedback — looking to improve my strategy. Here are some things I learned about making an effective resume during that process:

• Your value proposition needs to be immediately clear. It's for this reason that I lead with a “Why Jake?” and a “Career Highlights” section — it helps answer the basic questions the recruiter is asking in their head without requiring them to read through the whole document (which they won't).
• Give context for jobs. Including industry or company size information can help improve your legitimacy. A brief description of what the company did and some measure of scale (like # of employees or revenue amount) is helpful.
• For each job, make clear your impact. A good format is Problem + Solution = Result.?
• Include some information about technical skills in addition to problem-solving skills. Make note of what technologies you are familiar with — familiarity with a company's tech stack can help them feel like you will be a good fit and easy to get up to speed.
• As far as design is concerned — I've been told it doesn't matter much, except for jobs where visual appeal is part of the expected responsibilities — like in marketing. That said, make sure your documents are legible, easy to scan, and formatted well.

Applying:

No two ways about it — applying for jobs is a grind. It's a lot of effort and the results can be disappointing. Here are some tactics I employed (ba-dum-tiss) through this process to stay headed in the right direction:

• Track every application. I used a spreadsheet and captured the job title, company name, the date I applied, the job site I applied on, whether I submitted a cover letter, whether I messaged the hiring manager, and if I got an interview. Tracking applications will help you identify trends (Like, does sending a cover letter increase the odds of an interview?) as well as help you keep your sanity when progress is slow.
• Establish a KPI for yourself. Applying for jobs is your job now. How do you know if you are doing it well? You need a goal. For me, that was a minimum of 5 quality applications per day. Most days I did more than that, but that was my baseline. Set a goal for yourself and stick to it.
• Leverage your connections. Reach out to your network. Ask for help — for job searching advice, for connections, for jobs, etc. This may be the most important tip in this article — most jobs are found via personal networks.?

Interviewing:

Interviewing is exhausting. Here are some things that worked for me to make it as painless as possible:

• Have a handful of stories ready to go. The truth is, there are only a few interview questions — they just ask them in a variety of different ways. I found it helpful to have a handful of stories prepped in my mind so, when asked a question, I was ready to give an answer. The basic questions to be ready to answer are: "Tell me about a time when you succeeded", "Tell me about a time when you failed", and "Tell me about a time of interpersonal conflict".?
• Know your audience. There are 4 basic audiences: The recruiter, the hiring manager, a peer review, and the department VP/ CEO. Think about what they want and cater your responses to their needs.
• Follow up after interviews. Ask for feedback. Show them you don't just want a job but that you want to work for them specifically.
• Did they ask you to complete a project to move on to the next step in the interview process? From my experience, I would only agree if they are willing to compensate you for your time. Unpaid projects take too much time and communicate to me that they have a culture that lacks trust and overworks their employees. IMO there are enough other fish in the sea — thanks but no thanks.?

Again, sorry you found yourself in the position to need this information. But, it's entirely possible that your next job will be more fulfilling, more rewarding, and more fun than any you have had before. Keep your head up — the best is yet to come!