How to Handle Being Laid Off - Grow Your IT Career

When you are laid off from a job that you love or even a job you don’t love, it can be difficult and stressful. There are steps that help to cope with the situation. Here are some steps that will help you move forward.

Acknowledge your feelings: It’s normal to feel sad, angry, or worried after being laid off. Do allow yourself time to process your emotions and don’t be afraid to reach out to friends, family, or a professional for support. It is important not to hide these feelings or try to deny they exist. Layoffs are generally part of a financial decision that a company makes for a variety of reasons, many of which are financial only. Unfortunately, we justify how it feels when we get the notice.

Take care of yourself: Although you’re going to feel emotionally drained, make sure to maintain a healthy lifestyle, get plenty of sleep, exercise regularly, and eat well. This can help boost your mood and energy levels, making it easier to deal with the stress of a job loss. People deal with stressful situations differently, but taking a hard turn toward drugs, alcohol, or eating poorly only makes you feel worse in the long run and can jeopardize your go-forward plan.

Get information: Ask your employer for information about your severance pay, benefits, and unemployment compensation. This can help you understand what resources are available to you as you transition to your next job. Some companies will help you with resume building, skill building, or even introductions. If you need help, even though you may be upset with them, take advantage of any free service they offer.

Network: It’s time to start connecting with your network. Some people may be embarrassed about being laid off, but it’s very common, more common than you think. Reach out to your professional contacts, including former coworkers and industry contacts, and let them know about your job search. They may be able to offer job leads or advice. With searching for a job, getting referrals into companies helps put you in front of the line in resume review. Many large companies have policies in place for employee referrals, and if an employee refers someone, it may guarantee at least an interview.

Update your resume and job search materials: Depending on how it was since your last job, take the time to do a full update, review, and refresh of your resume. And don’t forget about your LinkedIn profile. As you start looking for new job opportunities. Consider using online job boards or working with a recruiter to help with your search.

Consider upskilling or retraining: If you’ve been laid off due to changes in your industry, consider taking courses or obtaining additional training to make yourself more marketable to potential employers. Sometimes companies lay off an entire division or older technology set because the industry moved forward, if you’re part of that division, at times, your skill set may not be marketable to companies, updating your education and training helps keep you aligned to the company’s needs.

Stay positive: Finding a new job can take time, but it’s important to stay positive and focused on your goals. Surround yourself with supportive people, and continue to engage in activities you enjoy.

It takes time and consistency: Finding a job takes time and being consistent in your effort. You may have to apply to many jobs before you are considered, but it’s important to keep applying, keep networking, and keep at it. A new, better job may be just around the corner.

Remember, being laid off is a temporary setback. If you take the right steps you can recover and find the next chapter in your career.

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