Do you believe in life after lay-off?

The reality of the last year in the tech world has hit hard on many people. Redundancies, layoffs, and the domino effect of the tech crash were unprecedented for the modern tech world. We have seen in recent history companies go up and down, we have seen startups fail, and scale-ups being forced to reorganize and let some people go along the way. But until last October, we had never seen the biggest players being shaken off that much, and we haven’t seen so many thousands of people being affected by redundancies, at least not in the working lifetime of the millennials.
As a recruiter, psychologist, and coach, but most of all, as an empathetic human being, I spent many hours talking to people who were affected. I helped with many CVs, revised many homework and presentations, listened to many self-presentations, and tried to give as much usable feedback as I could. I have a word or two to say about the current trend of unreasonably complicated recruitment processes, but that’s not the topic here. Here, I would like to give my two cents on how to cope with a layoff (or to be more concrete, what are the tactics I saw most efficient). Here they are: 

    • You anticipated it and tried not to think about it, but apparently, the call (or email) happened. The first reaction as in every loss is grief. Give yourself time to grieve about it. Cry if you want to cry, scream if you want to scream. You were affected, and there is nothing wrong with showing emotions. It’s healthy and needed.
    • Give yourself the luxury of not knowing what to do next. You will be asked the question a lot. And it’s okay to say – I don’t know, I’m working on it. Is it going to be a step in a bigger company, or a startup? Am I striving for a management or a specialist position? Do I look for hybrid, remote, or office possibilities? Not sure. And I’m working on realizing what’s best for me. And it’s okay.
    • Put out the green banner, call the people you know who may help you, write the LinkedIn post, and start applying. Despite the useless discussions on the green banner, it’s fair and helpful to announce you are looking for a new opportunity, as it will bring you closer to leads. The market is tough and we all try to help each other, not judge each other. And if they judge you, you don’t even need them!
    • Find your way to relax. Believe me, I know it’s easier said than done, but now, more than ever, you need you! You need to be positive, optimistic, fun, relaxed and smiling. I can’t even stress enough how fast will this attitude attract the options for you!
    • You have to always remember – it will take time, but just enough time as it’s needed. What’s yours will come to you, and the declinations and ghostings weren’t an option for you. There is a reason why, whether you know it or not. 

I can imagine these are not the magic self-discipline steps you would expect from a Career Coach, but they are the truth. And you deserve the truth.
And yes, there is a life after a layoff. A changed but better, more positively challenging, and life full of joy. And you deserved it!

Author: Monika K. Tomashevska