7 Questions to Ask After Downsizing

Wellfrom Elon Musk’s mass firings on Twitter to LinkedIn posts starting with “So this just happened,” layoffs lately have been strong. In the space of a few short months, we’ve gone from talk of the tightest job market in decades to a frenzy of postings on job-tracking websites.

The good news for those affected is that the US economy is still creating jobs, albeit at a slower pace. So why does it feel like everyone is fired right now?

Several reasons. For one thing, many of the layoffs are happening at well-known, high-profile companies. Technologies: Meta, Twitter, Amazon. Media: Gannett, CNN, Paramount. Wall Street: Goldman Sachs, Citigroup, Barclays. Many of these layoffs are happening in industries with a strong social media presence, so those affected may be turning to those networks now to publicly announce their job losses and look for the next thing.

And it’s finally December. The end of the year means companies can often count compensation packages against 2022 budgets and start the uncertainty of 2023 a little less.

The real bottom line, though, is that layoffs suck. I spoke with more than a dozen past and present victims, career coaches and other experts for their best advice on how to overcome this.

I just got laid off. Now what?

Your instinct may be to immediately update your resume or send out a flurry of panicked cover letters. Resist.

“Treat yourself as someone who has just experienced a traumatic event,” says Theola DeBose, founder of JSKILLS, a career change academy. “Getting fired is a punch in the gut. Your first instinct is to strike back… This do-it-first approach is wrong. It’s a plan for your career, but not for you as a person. Manage your emotions about the layoff beforehand so they don’t come back to haunt you later.”

She and others say the first step after being fired is to just “be.” Allow yourself to react and process what just happened.

As you create your mental narrative of what just happened, be careful not to blame yourself. “Framing is important—choose to under-personalize, not over-personalize,” says Shoshana Hecht, executive and personal trainer and host of the Your New Life Blend podcast. “In these wild times in the job market, there are clearly bigger forces at play, and it doesn’t apply to you. Of course, there may be things to learn, ways to move forward differently, and we can certainly all benefit from that. But in this initial phase after a layoff, the most important thing we can do is manage our inner critic and focus on moving forward realistically and with intention.”

Okay. What am I actually doing? dohowever?

For those who define themselves through their work, sudden silence or emptiness can be another struggle. DeBose offers the following:

– Take a journal and write how you feel.

– Take care of your basic needs, such as eating healthy foods and exercising regularly.

– Give yourself some time to grieve, especially if you’re feeling angry or stuck. (“I’ll be mad about it for a month, and then I have no right to complain about it.”)

Spend some time figuring out what you need, suggests Phoebe Gavin, a leadership and career coach. “It’s important for newly made people to take a comprehensive look at their needs, especially if they have the benefit of a financial cushion. If you need time to recover emotionally, take that time to do things that are soothing, energizing, and strengthening so you’re in the best position to hit the job market in January.

Oh $%#*$. It’s Christmas Nobody’s Hiring, Right?

Yes and no, say the experts.

It’s okay to wait a year, says executive coach Sushil Cheema. “If you’re laid off around the holidays, instead of sending out tons of resumes and cover letters in response to job postings, it might be a better use of time and energy to reconnect with people who might be able to help you get a job,” she says. “Finding a job in itself is a full-time job. In general, if you find yourself facing a layoff over the holidays, take time to rest and reset as much as you can while you plan and strategize to look for work after the New Year.

“It’s not the best time to set up interviews,” agrees Kat Bradley, a product marketing manager who once launched an app for unemployed people to connect with each other. Instead, “You want to build a portfolio and prepare materials to stand out.”

Shift your mindset from seeking interviews or overt networking to asking yourself, “How can I have more interesting conversations?” People tend to be more relaxed in December and more willing to have informal informational conversations with low stakes. “It can very quickly turn into job interviews two weeks later, a month later,” Bradley says.

And if you’re ready to move on, recruiters say the truth is that many sectors are still hiring — and aggressively so, especially in health care, education, engineering. Larry Graham, founder of The Diversity Pledge Institute, a career development program, says there’s never a better time than now: “Apply to as many jobs as possible as soon as possible. Given the economy, you don’t want to wait a day because who knows when or if things will get better.”

What do I want next?

It is no coincidence that many of the places where there are layoffs are large employers. “Companies that haven’t had explosive growth in the last 18 months are in a better position not to make layoffs,” says Jermaine Murray, founder of JupiterHR, which focuses on diversifying the technology sector; it has hired 351 blacks in tech jobs since 2019. “They’re growing organically and they’re still hiring.”

Be open to contract or freelance opportunities that may be more abundant right now. “The work that these companies were doing still needs to be done, and their current workforce is working beyond capacity,” Murray recalls.

After being laid off twice, product manager Kim Fox started keeping lists of “what I’m doing/what I’ve done” and also created a “values ​​list.” The latter, she says, helps identify the next employer or opportunity you want.

“For so much of my career I was ‘following my gut’ and felt like I was riding in a bumper car. Sometimes I was fine, but often I crashed into other cars,” she says. “When it comes time to apply and filter job opportunities, it’s extremely helpful to be aware of your values, which allows you to determine the type of work you want to do and, more importantly, the type of people you want to surround yourself with each day. It’s a really emotional time, and having a list like this to help anchor you can be helpful.”

This strategy helped her land her current job as director of reader experience at Hearst Newspapers. “I realized the huge importance of relationships for me – working in an environment of cooperation, acceptance, understanding, teamwork, caring and encouragement,” she says. “I’ve used that as my number one north star and refused to compromise, and it’s put me in a wonderful environment where I’m incredibly happy.”

What about those of us who aren’t laid off but want to help?

I asked layoff victims what or who helped them the most when they lost their jobs. What surprised me was the simplicity of their responses: many were simply looking for sympathy, a sympathetic ear, or questions like, “How can I support you?” or “What do you need from me right now?”

“The most helpful thing someone said to me was that they’ve been through a layoff and they know how awful it feels,” says Leslie Ford, who runs Mom’s Hierarchy of Needs, a company that advocates for caregiver-friendly work practices . “It helped someone to admit and express their feelings.”

Remember that leads and networks are an invaluable thing to share. “Just hearing from people was always an emotional boost, but the biggest help was from the editors who would recommend me for jobs,” recalls Graham, who has been laid off before. “During my first layoff, I didn’t think I needed help, and I was wrong. The second time I trusted my network and within weeks I had a new job.”

One person who has been laid off twice and requested anonymity says he was grateful when people took him out to lunch: “Take the extra step beyond saying, ‘Just tell me what I can do for you.'” Think what connections in your world would make sense to the affected person and make them.”

The best support Bradley received after being fired was a lawyer friend who offered to review her paperwork and severance package. She says they all show up in your text messages right after the news of a layoff — but just like any other life event, it’s really in the next two or three weeks that you might need their support.

What should we not say?

“This is the best.”

“And this shall pass.”

“One door closes, another opens.”

“Oh, just relax.”

“Get some rest.”

Advising someone to take time off or not to panic usually comes with privilege – and a paycheck. “For people of color and others who lack generational wealth, work is like air,” says Ford. “Most of us don’t work just for identity reasons. Losing a job regardless of the circumstances is traumatic. And every time I experienced it, the negative financial impact on me and my family was traumatic.”

How do I find the next thing?

As a manager, DeBose says she has never hired someone who is still bitter about their previous experience. Yet explaining the narrative of labor history is key. She suggests creating a “what happened” statement that describes why your last job ended and what you’re looking for next.

“The most attractive job candidates could describe their unwanted job change in neutral language and convey a sense of hope and excitement about where they’re going next,” she says. “Retrenched job seekers must work to eventually become such a job candidate.”

Everyone I’ve interviewed who’s been laid off says it’s changed them profoundly, from bouts of insecurity to learning new work habits. One said, “Always have a plan for what you would do tomorrow if you lost your job.” This person is now happily hired as a manager and happens to be hiring during the holidays. However, he says, he has a game plan if he gets fired tomorrow.