Per Layoff.fyi, there have been 109,000 layoffs in the tech industry this year alone. As a recruiter, I spend a lot of my days on LinkedIn looking for candidates to fill open tech positions here at Bravo LT. The green banners on LinkedIn indicating ‘Open to Work’ have been plentiful, and the stories you see are heartbreaking. But, there is hope; there is the next great opportunity around the corner. If you find yourself in this position, here are three tips to get back to work in your next dream role.
1.Be okay with where you are!
I have been talking with a lot of people who have been laid off recently. Many of the folks I am talking with are feeling shame, regret or feelings of being less than because they have been laid off. IT'S OK! Feel those feelings, grieve for the job you just lost. But, once you have done that, get ready to move on. There should not be shame in what happened, you are not less than because of the situation you were caught up in. When having conversations about what happened, be matter-of-fact. Use it as a learning experience to better define what you want out of your next employer and prepare yourself to speak to why you are looking in a positive, matter of fact matter.
2.Use your Network to find your next job
LinkedIn is a great place to do this! As saddening as it has been to see the amount of people impacted by layoffs, it has also been amazing to see the amount of people willing to help one another. I spoke to one gentleman a few weeks ago that shared he had 5 interviews scheduled from his LinkedIn post about being laid off. People want to help! colleagues, friends, your aunt's neighbor who added you on LinkedIn five years ago, you never know who could give you that next lead. But, they cannot help if they do not know.
Also, think about what professional groups you have in your area. Meetup.com is a great resource to find professional groups in your area that you can attend meetings for in person or virtually. Network and get to know people in your field. Those connections can turn into leads for jobs.
3.Find a balance between your job search and life
For all of these tips, I do want to acknowledge the real-world pressures that most any job seeker is facing. The stress of making ends meet and having an identity without work is real and a normal thing to feel. But, the same way that you cannot work around the clock, you cannot job search around the clock. The best advice I have heard from job seekers is to make finding a job your new job. Set aside a defined amount of hours each day to devote to your job search. Have goals each week of controllable outputs like number of applications you submit and number of professional networking meetings you have each week. This will help in having a feeling of success each week before you land the perfect job!
YOU GOT THIS! I will leave you all with a great Theodore Rossevelt quote. Be the man in the arena today!
“The credit belongs to the man who is actually in the arena, whose face is marred by dust and sweat and blood; who strives valiantly; who errs, who comes short again and again, because there is no effort without error and shortcoming; but who does actually strive to do the deeds; who knows great enthusiasms, the great devotions; who spends himself in a worthy cause; who at the best knows in the end the triumph of high achievement, and who at the worst, if he fails, at least fails while daring greatly” - Theodore Rossevelt
Written by Bill Osborn, Director of Technical Recruiting