They say history does not repeat itself but boy howdy does it rhyme. Another quarter, and another batch of layoffs. This builds on previous guidance.
If you are Leaving
Firstly, I am sorry. I really am. Go check out Now What, and Now What II, for some initial guidance (especially about that RIF package you may or may not have gotten).
Resume
In addition to everything else in those other pages, you will want to use modern tools for modern solutions. While I do not believe AI is a golden hammer, it *can* help you brush up that resume. The key here is to use it for *parts* and then review it and add your voice and finishing touches. Things to particularly pay attention to:
- a concise summary at the top – by concise I mean 240-character-tweetable concise.
- bulleted skills list.
- tailoring to different role types that are adjacent – a given person is perfectly capable of being a Technical Program Manager or a Product Manager, but how you slant your resume will differ for those two roles.
- clean design – you want enough white space to not make it cramped and not so much that it creates extra pages of reading or the eye falls off the page.
Before you send it out, triple check it for accuracy, and remove any “the user” or other phrases that signal AI use.
Networking
Find local chapters and meet-ups of folks who are in the same industry/specialty as you. Yep, meetup is still a thing, as is dev.events. You may be an introvert (Hi. It’s me. I’m an introvert.) but you’ll want to get out there and network – this can lead to consulting gigs, soft intros, expanding your LinkedIn (up next), etc.
OK I mean yes, you can post how you are/were impacted. And your feels. But after that you need to look at LinkedIn as a tool.
- “Link” to those you worked with that you had a good working relationship with – because now you can see jobs that get posted on their pages, by *their* network.
- Clean up your profile like you clean up your resume: get yourself a headline, an “about” section, make sure your experience and skills are up to date.
- Did you know you can set the “Open to Work” feature to Recruiters only?
- Use it to find companies that say they are hiring (more on that later). When you reach out to recruiters or folks hiring, add a short note about why you’re messaging them (personalize it). It will help you stand out.
- Take a look at your post history – is there anything there that *might* give a recruiter or a company second thoughts? I’m of a “hey if I say it at all I will shout it in a public square” mentality, but not all are.
Job Hunting
Indeed, LinkedIn, etc. all post roles that are “open”. I say “open” because you know and I know that some organizations aren’t great about their job posting hygiene, leave roles online that have been filled, or (in some cases) have “ghost” roles open. You don’t want those, you want real jobs.
If you can, look at the posting date. Focus more on applying to things posted sooner to “now”, than older. Those are less likely to be well into the interview and/or hiring process, and more likely to be legitimate and still funded.
If you know someone who works at that company, reach out to them and ask them for a soft intro to the hiring manager, or a referral.
Stress Management
Touch grass. I’m serious: go out for a walk, make sure you’re hydrated, and so forth; this is a stressful time and stress management is going to be a requirement, because stress can impact a lot of things including your immune system. You don’t want that.
If you are Left
Yes, this sucks for you too; go see “Closure“.
You get LinkedIn homework too.
- Find the folks you know are impacted, that you have a good working relationship with them, and “Link” them. This gives them an extended network and exposes them to more opportunities.
- As fellow Linkies post jobs available, repost them. You don’t have to add your thoughts if you don’t want to, but reposting them extends the visibility of the opening through *your* network directly.
- For closer impacted folks, you can help them eyeball their resume. Sometimes when you’re in the thick of a role you don’t realize all that you do, so you can be that “realizer” for your impacted friends.
Referrals
- If your company has open positions, offer referrals for those you know would be a good fit. Referrals may sometimes feel like a black hole via the “system”, so if you can (without too much political capital) reach out to the hiring manager of the role your fellow Linkie is applying for, that can absolutely help.
- If a position has been open for longer than 2 weeks, *definitely* check with the hiring manager if you can before referring. In the current market, that role is likely already filled or deeply in the hiring process, and it may be too late.
Stress Management
This applies to you, too. Both from a survivor’s guilt perspective, but also from a “there’s bound to be a shuffle in the work structure or the workload”. Try to maintain good sleep hygiene, get some cardio, and stay hydrated, because it’s going to be icky for a bit as you juggle what you see online and what you experience at work.
Deep breaths, and do the best you can, with what you have.
Bobbie Conti 