Preparing for and Dealing with Layoffs

I’ve seen lots of articles and posts on prepping for and dealing with layoffs. Here are the top tips:

1.    NYT recommends you “do a career checkup while you are still employed.”

• Check on the employer’s health – is it meeting its financial goals?  If business is flat or declining, update your resume with your latest achievements (and save all those emails/accolades).
• Network with people you know well and not so well: “Introduce yourself to people who work at companies or in industries you’re interested in, and keep in touch with them intermittently, through platforms like LinkedIn.”
• Build skills that will help you with your next job. Use any education budget for doing this!

2.   A Senior Director at LinkedIn and Xgoogler  gives some excellent LinkedIn tips. She says:

• Turn on “Open to Work” and select roles you’re interested in
• Connections matter (quantity and quality), so actively connect with / follow people who are important to you
• Engagement matters (react to posts, subscribe to content, follow pages, post, create)
• Think of your “Headline” as a tweet that encapsulates what you’re known for
• Your “About” section should shout your super powers to the world
• Show Career Progression under each employer (job changes, promos, scope increases)
• Apply “Skills” tags for each role (newer feature)
• Need inspo? Check out the profiles of your amazing connections!

3. A more granular resource breaking down how to use LinkedIn so you are findable: https://knakdigital.com/linkedin/how-to-optimize-your-linkedin-profile-so-you-can-be-found-by-recruiters/.

4. A former Senior Manager from LinkedIn who joined Meta and got laid off recommends:

• Talk to recruiters when they reach out. She recommends that you “take every call!” She says, “I thought I was a ‘lifer’ at Meta. I was approached on a regular basis by recruiters but just ignored them or declined the calls. Even if you’re not interested in leaving where you currently are, it’s great practice OR you can use it as leverage for your current company.”
• Keep track of your projects. Interviewers will ask about your prior work and may drill down about details, which are hard to remember way after the fact.
• Be kind to people: “Take your empathy with you.” Some companies interview with compassion, and others do not. “When the time comes and you find your next opportunity, remember to be caring to others who are looking. You never know when you’ll be on the wrong side of employment.” Get your interview skills up to speed. She notes”[a]fter my first few interviews, it was apparent that I was REALLY rusty. I wasn’t getting past the hiring manager phase. I was really discouraged. So I spent time listening to interviewing podcasts, and reading any article I could get my hands on to help me.” Yes, interviewing is a specific skill set, and there are lots of unwritten rules (don’t go on long, keep answers under 90 seconds, tell interesting stories, etc.) you need to follow, so get up to speed!

Note the repeated tips: cultivate your network, talk to (good) recruiters, and track your accomplishments.