By Brenda L. Peterson, The Layoff Lady

Searching for a new role is a rough process riddled with rejection, which is never pleasant.

If you're in a post-layoff career transition, It starts with your former employer kicking you out of the whole company and, in essence, saying, “You are no longer one of us.” At every step of the way, you’ll experience people telling you no in a variety of ways--and it hits hard since you're navigating so much uncertainty and so many life changes. 

Even if you are currently employed, job searching and the associated rejection is still no picnic. You're also dealing with the uncertainty of knowing how long it will take to find something new and the challenge of doing good (enough) work at your current job while not knowing how long you'll be in limbo. 

Here is how that rejection may look.

Because of all of the uncertainty and rejection, this whole process can be a lot to bear. It’s hard to keep going when there are obstacles at every turn. Sometimes, even well-intentioned people who are genuinely trying to be supportive ask just the wrong question and make you feel even worse. 

It is paramount that you experience your emotions, then manage your mindset so you don’t let your feelings make the already complicated process of finding a new job even harder.

Here are a few ideas to help you work through the unpleasant emotions that will pop up during your quest for a new role. 

Befriend your feelings. Don’t pretend that you don’t feel how you do. Name them, acknowledge them, and then move on. Pretending those unpleasant feelings don’t exist will not make them disappear. Instead, it may silence them for a bit, but they will pop up later, usually at the worst possible time. Acknowledging each one will help them run their course–and also help you to increase your ability to manage the ups and downs of this process.

It’s impossible to will yourself into feeling better. Sometimes, you need to just sit with an uncomfortable feeling for a while and let it run its course. Cry a little. Rewatch your favorite movie for the bijillionth time. Have a little ice cream. Do a puzzle. Take a walk. Take the afternoon off from your to-do list. Some will run their course more quickly than others. 

​If you’re worried about something, researching answers and managing your expectations often helps. How many job applications does it typically take to get an interview? How long does it take most people to find a new role post-layoff? Which companies are hiring? You'll probably feel a little better by researching options, clarifying goals, and taking useful action.

​Even if you don’t find a complete solution, you at least know more. Having added knowledge will help you worry less or at least direct your worry toward taking productive action that will help you solve a problem.

Social media, specifically LinkedIn, can be a great job search tool. Unfortunately, it can also give you the illusion that everyone else is doing great and you are downright hopeless. Posts like “It only took me a week to find my dream job,” or "I just got an awesome job (aka the one you were interviewing for)," “I’m still employed but I feel SO BAD for my former coworkers who are jobless,” or “Every company ever is doing more layoffs (which means more competition for each job)” will only make you feel worse. Remind yourself that social media isn’t real life and disengage. 

When everything feels hard, taking care of yourself needs to be your top priority. Here are a few quick and easy ideas to make you feel almost instantly better: 

• Breathe.
• Drink water. 
• Eat regularly.
• Rest.
• Shower.
• Take a break.
• Move your body.
• Go outside.

By Brenda L. Peterson, The Layoff Lady

When searching for a job, one challenge is figuring out what work arrangements a given employer has in mind. Since 2020, companies in the United States often label their open positions as onsite, hybrid, or remote. Even with those labels, job seekers and individual employers are still not always aligned on what exactly that means
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​Let's look at some of the factors in play. 

For a job labeled as "remote," their expectations could be any of the following:
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• The candidate lives in the United States and can work from anywhere.
• The candidate lives in the United States and must work from their home.
• The candidate lives within a specific list of states where the potential employer is set up to conduct business.
• The candidate lives within a specific time zone.
• The candidate is willing to work hours in a specified time zone.
• The candidate lives within a specified distance from one of the company's physical office locations.
• The candidate lives in the metropolitan area of the company's headquarters.
• The company is "remote first" with no physical office location.
• The company is "remote-friendly," meaning there may be the option to work in an office location, a designated shared space, or fully remote.
• The company is "open to remote" and may consider a candidate who does not work in their office location.

Regardless of the label, each role may work differently in practice. Here are a few of the many possible scenarios:

• A company may label a job as remote, then later in the job description mention preferences for being onsite.
• A company may label a job as hybrid when it could more accurately be described as remote with some travel to the corporate office.
• A company may label a job as onsite or hybrid, and in the body of the job description, explain that they are also open to remote.
• A company may label a job hybrid, expecting people to be onsite (in the office) anywhere from never to 4 days per week. 
• A company may have an unstated preference for the location of employees.
• A company may not be clear about their ongoing thoughts on having workers return to the office or the timeline for that change.
• Many companies label roles as remote but do not clarify additional details about arrangements (which states, preferences for specific geographical locations).
• Companies may decide on a case by case basis where they prefer employees to be located or if they will be remote, hybrid, or onsite.
• Any of these designations may also include travel. 

As a job seeker who understand the different stated options and possible meanings, here are a few strategies for navigating job listings:

• Review posted job openings for additional details on work arrangements. For remote roles, read the main job description and skim the listing for additional location restrictions (time zones, states, and proximity to a physical office).
• If you're on a job search site, find the job listing on the company's website. Sometimes they will include additional details on the specific states where they are able to hire and/or want to hire for a given position. 
• If you’re not sure if a company can do business in your state, use LinkedIn to search for employees at that company who currently live in your state. This would indicate that the company is legally able to hire someone in your state.
• Connect with and speak with someone at the organization and ask for additional clarification on work arrangements and remote work policies.
• If it’s unclear, reach out to a company recruiter to clarify details (or, if time is of the essence, apply first, then ask questions later).

Overall, my biggest reccommendation is to err on the side of applying for jobs that look interesting and having a more robust conversation about working arrangements during the interview process. 

There are also a few other implications of remote work to keep in mind:
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• Salary ranges will be all over the board for the same role. For example, a title like "Training Manager" could have a salary of anywhere from $50,000 - $225,000 per year, depending on the location of the company's corporate office. 
• Some companies adjust their salary ranges based on the candidate's geographic area, while others do not. 
• Even with pay transparency laws in some states, not all jobs list the salary range--even when they are now required to do so. 

Given these variations on how salaries work for remote roles, be sure to think through your financial requirements and how you will address questions about your desired salary:

• Identify your desired salary range overall. Use this range as a starting point for all conversations.
• Review posted salary ranges for the role. Make sure they at least meet your minimum salary.
• During the interview process, when a recruiter or hiring manager asks you for your desired salary range, answer that question with the question, “what is the salary range for this position?” This assures that you’re not selling yourself short.

By Brenda L. Peterson, The Layoff Lady

Whether you're searching for a new role or thinking about your professional development, not having the right words to describe your skillset can hinder your progress. Identifying your career keywords will help you create effective messaging for your LinkedIn profile, resume, conversations with colleagues, and other written communications like email and social media posts. 

Here is my recommendation for how to begin gathering keywords that align with your chosen profession:

• Identify a job title that interests you.
• On LinkedIn, search for job openings for that job title. Make a note of the specific variations on job titles you see in your search results.
• On LinkedIn, save 5 or more jobs that resonate with you. 
• Make a list of the 10 top skills for 3 or more of those roles you saved. 
• Identify which keywords you saw more than once and look for trends.
• Make special note of keywords that resonate with you. Keep a running list of terms and update it as you encounter new terminology. 

Let me take you through an example.

I searched LinkedIn's Jobs section for Business Partner Organizational Development in the United States. From the results, I selected ten currently open positions to review further (because I'm an overachiever like that). Here are those job titles:
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1. ​Director, People Experience
2. Lead People Business Partner
3. Learning and Development Business Partner
4. Organizational Development Partner
5. Organizational Development Program Manager
6. People Business Partner
7. People Business Partner Director
8. People Partner
9. Principle People Business Partner
10. Senior People Success Partner

Lesson Learned: When you search for a job title, your results will include a variety of titles different companies use. Be sure to review the job description to learn more about what that company expects from that role. The duties for the same job title might vary widely from company to company, as might the terminology they use to describe it.

Total Number of Different Skills Returned for All Ten Jobs
For the 10 jobs I reviewed, 69 different skills were included in the results. For context, if all roles had the exact same skills, this number would be 10. If all of the roles had different skills, this number would be 100. 

Lesson Learned: ​Not only will job titles vary across organizations, but what skills they value can also differ.  Be sure to review the job description to learn more about what skills the company thinks will help make someone in that role successful. 

Specific Skills Returned For More Than One Job
Several skills came up more than once across those ten jobs. Here is the number of times a specific skill appeared for more than one role:
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• Communication: 6
• Human Resources: 6
• Employee Relations: 6
• Employee Engagement: 4
• Problem Solving: 4
• Talent Management: 3
• Confidentiality: 2
• Group Facilitation: 2
• Organizational Development: 2
• Succession Planning: 2
• Teamwork: 2
• Workforce Planning: 2
• Written Communication: 2

Lesson Learned: ​Even if there is not widespread agreement on the terminology used across organizations, some keywords will show up more often. Consider including popular keywords in your skills section on your LinkedIn profile and in your resume.

Different Keywords for Similar Skills 
While specific keywords like "communication" and "problem solving" appeared more than once within the 10 job descriptions, several related terms might be included instead. Here are a few groups of terms that take different approaches to describing similar concepts:
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• Succession Planning, Workforce Planning, Talent Strategy
• Communication, Written Communication, Interpersonal Communication
• Build Strong Relationships, Relationship Building, Relationship Development
• Consultation, Consultative Approach, Influencing Others
• Facilitation, Group Facilitation, Presentations,
• Flexible Approach, Free Thinking, Problem Solving
• Performance Planning, Performance Consulting, Performance Review
• Confidentiality, Sensitive Information, HR Policies

Lesson Learned: When you look at the groupings of keywords, you can see the broader areas where roles like this would operate. Each company may use slightly different terminology regarding the skills that they value. When you talk about the work you do, consider weaving some of these words into your stories. 

How do you identify the right keywords to use to describe what you do? How could you loop in AI into this process? Share your thoughts in the comments.

By Brenda L. Peterson, The Layoff Lady

Many people equate productivity with making progress on a task list. When you're going through a trying time, everything can feel harder. Whether you are navigating family drama, work burnout, or a post-layoff job search, there will be times when you can't just "buckle down" and get things done--no matter how efficient your to-do list is. Managing your energy levels, not just your ever-growing task list is the key to making progress. 

As you think about how to spend your time, learn about yourself and when you will be the most productive and happiest with each activity. I interact with LinkedIn posts during my first cup of coffee, enjoy afternoon walks, and do yoga at night before bed. There are no absolute right or wrong times for many things, just ones that are a better fit for you. 

Take time to reflect on your most and least productive times. Use these questions as a starting point: 
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• Are you a morning person, a night person, or somewhere in between?
• What time of day do you seem to get the most done?
• Do you think about something for a while before doing it, or do you jump right in?
• What tasks take you very little time? What tasks seem to take a long time?
• Do you prefer to work on the same task for while? Or do you prefer switching between tasks regularly? 
• How much structured time do you need? How much unstructured time do you need?

​Remember, there are no right or wrong answers, just what is true for you.

In addition, reflect on the following factors and their impact on your energy levels:

• ​How do you feel when you have too much or too little social contact?
• How do you feel when you have too much or too little time at home? 
• How do you feel when you have too many or too few new experiences?
• How do you feel when you have too much or too little routine?

​Remember, there are no right or wrong answers, just what is true for you.​

Based on your responses to those questions, you may have identified factors that energize you and those that deplete you. 

• For me, I am energized by having enough alone time, having time to think about a task before doing it, and having a balance of unstructured and structured time. 
• I also know that I am depleted when I have too much structured time, too little time at home, and too many new experiences all at once. 

Knowing these things about myself helps me know how to organize my time to maximize my energy.  Letting family and friends know what I need also helps them understand and support me as I work towards my goals. 

After you identify your energy depleters, here are a few steps you can take to build your energy:

• Basic self-care: eating, drinking water, showering, walking outside, breathing deeply, and stretching can help make you feel better almost immediately. 
• Accomplishing something: sending an email, making a phone call, paying a bill, or wiping down your kitchen counters will help you feel like you made even the most minor contribution to the world today. There is something inherently satisfying about crossing one task off of your list.
• Changing it up: taking breaks, going to a different grocery store, walking in a new place, driving a different route as you run errands, working from your kitchen table, or doing whatever you can to add newness to your daily routine.
• Recovering: sleeping, walking in nature, watching a movie you’ve seen before, reflecting on your day, playing games, journaling, and meditating are all great ways to heal.

When I identify my energy patterns and take steps to recover when needed, I have more capacity. Having my energy in a good place helps me accomplish more in less time. Then, I can leverage my to-do lists and make real progress towards my goals.

By Brenda L. Peterson, The Layoff Lady

Life is challenging when nothing in particular is happening. When you're going through a job change (especially one you didn't plan), it's even harder. While I'm a fan of self-reliance, I also know the value of finding people who want to support you and letting them do it. You're not weak for needing people. You are smart for planning ahead for what you will need.

I have been through a post-layoff job transition 7 times, and it is difficult each and every time. There is the fear that it will just never end, and you'll be drifting for eternity trying to find paid work where you can pay your bills--much less in a job you want. You worry that you'll have to settle for something that may be even worse than the worst job you've ever had. You also worry that you'll run out of money and not be able to pay your bills and lose everything you own and everyone you've ever loved. While your rational mind knows this is all pretty unlikely, there will be moments when everything seems hopeless. That's where your support network comes in. 

No matter how resilient and downright badass you are, doing this alone makes it way harder. 

As an extra added bonus, people want to help you! I'm always inspired by all the people who came out of the woodwork to check on me, told me about an open position, thanked me for helping them once upon a time, or offered to refer me for a role. Everyone has struggled with something at one time or another, and someone has helped them. Let other people help you. 

It also takes a village to get you through a career transition. Relying on one person for everything is all kinds of stressful. Know that people want to help, and it's a matter of figuring out what you need, letting people know, and reaching out to people as needed. Going through a job search is challenging, even in the best of circumstances.

Here's a starter list of the types of help you may need during your job transition. More specifically, here is some of what I needed. Use this as a starting point and add details as it helps you:
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• ​Emotional Support: You'll have all the feelings. Figure out who you can talk to about what. Sometimes you'll laugh, sometimes you'll cry, sometimes you'll vent, and on the most trying days, maybe all of the above. 
• Communication: Just telling people what is up can be draining--because people. Realize, too, that your telling them about your situation may result in them inadvertently trying to allay their fears that the same thing will happen to them. Find a friend who can help you spread whatever news there is to convey. Telephone. Telegraph. Tell a Karla. Find those people who love to connect with others (and even share some of the same social circles) and enlist their help.  
• Sounding Board: When you're making big decisions--or doing something you don't do very often, having someone to talk things through will is mission critical. Personally, I don't even always need my sounding board people to say much--just to sit there and listen (or at least just not talk over me) as I talk myself into or out of the idea I'm considering. There is so much value to writing or talking through ideas as you choose your next steps.
• Logistical Support: Sometimes, you'll need a hand figuring things out. Maybe it's having someone to watch your kids for a bit so you can have a phone interview. Perhaps it's help with a ride if you're having car trouble. Whatever it is, it may seem small to them, but it'll solve a problem for you. 
• Fun: There will be many, many times when you just need a distraction. Watching a movie. Having coffee. Talking about non-job search related things. Having a conversation where you don't have to be "on" and can just chat with someone. It doesn't have to be elaborate. It just has to be a welcome break from all those "shoulds" to be something other than a job-searching human.
• Cheerleader: You also need someone to give you a pep talk. Whether it's someone who'll send you a quick "You've got this!" text or someone to remind you to take a deep breath and tell them your remarkable story, remember that encouragement is essential. They can also help you celebrate successes and remind you of your innate value when you're struggling.
• Accountability: You'll also need someone to help you keep on track. It may be as easy as them asking if you applied for that job you talked about. Or asking you if you updated your resume like you said you would do.­­­ Create the positive peer pressure to help you follow through on what you need to do.
• New Ideas: There is a certain amount of trial and error when looking for a new job. Whether it's optimizing LinkedIn, figuring out how to network with new people, finding the best way to position your work experience, or where to find jobs, there's a lot to learn. Whether you tap into someone who works in that industry, or a hiring manager, or a resume writer, figuring out how to be a more effective job searcher is useful. 
• Connectors: Each of us has people in our lives who seem to know all the things and/or all the people. Let them help you connect with the right person, opportunity, or idea at the right time.

When it comes to help, I start with my inner circle--close friends and family. I'm also sure to widen my support team beyond them, too.

I also move beyond that immediate group. I interact with my LinkedIn connections. I tap into online groups including job search groups, The White Box Club, and even LinkedIn groups focusing on networking or a content area (like sales enablement).

I interact with in-person membership groups like ATD or the Omaha OD Network. Or I seek out non-work connections through social Meetup groups or activities. Sometimes, I just spend time in coffee shops to indirectly interact with other people. It's a matter of figuring out what you need and finding a person to help.

Know, too, that there will be times when you need to straight up reach out to someone because you need help. Each person will have their areas of interest and expertise, so be sure to keep that in mind when asking for help.

It's helpful to consider who you might contact for different needs. Here are a few cases when I was job searching and I reached out to people to ask for help:
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• Before a job interview, I would text my daughter to let her know I had an interview. She woudl then text back encouraging words and follow up afterwards to see how it all went. 
• If I need non-job search social interaction, I'd reach out to my former "lunch ladies" coworkers with a link to my Calendly and ask if they're up for a catch-up conversation (then they would pick a time for us to chat.)
• If was having a rough day, I'll reach out to my best friend to talk a bit. 
• If was unsure if my resume was clear, I'll contact a former coworker to give it a look and make suggestions on what I could do better.
• If I wanted to talk shop but not directly job searching, I'd contact a LinkedIn connection I hadn't chatted with in a while and see if they were up for a virtual coffee meeting. I got to have a fulfilling interaction with another person and glean a few professional insights, too.