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The Layoff Lady

The Emotional Side of a Layoff

9/27/2022

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by  Brenda L. Peterson, The Layoff Lady

All The Feels

Whether due to an economic downturn, an acquisition, or a company reorganization, I’ve found myself in an unexpected career transition quite a few times. Even having been through more than my share of layoffs, it’s still an emotional experience each and every time. Here is the good, the bad, and the ugly of the feelings I’ve personally gone through. 

Shock

The phone call from HR, the perp walk through the office to the dreaded conference room, the last-minute ominous meeting invite, or the oddly timed tap on the shoulder all seem to come out of nowhere. There is something surreal about being pulled into a virtual or in-person room and having someone look you dead in the eye and tell you that you are going to go through a significant life change starting, well, now.
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Even if there were layoff rumors, or news about leadership changes, or low sales reported for the quarter, it’s always a surprise on the date and time when layoffs go down. It’s the feeling of the ground being pulled out from under. It’s the gap between expecting a full day of meetings and finding yourself in your car mid-morning with a white box. 

Anger

Even in cases where I was actively looking for a new role, a certain amount of anger goes along with a layoff. I was angry learning about the people who didn’t get laid off (like that guy whose messes I’ve been cleaning up for the last year) and comparing my perceived value to theirs.

​I’ve been angry at the timing (right after vacation, right before a holiday) and how that makes finding something new an even longer process. I’ve been mad that yesterday’s mission-critical work-all-night project has become irrelevant. But, mostly, I’ve been mad that someone else decided when I didn’t get to do that job anymore instead of me getting to choose when it was time for me to move on. Feeling that lack of control is often the most challenging part.

Sadness

Exiting a job abruptly leaves a big hole in your life, starting with the 9+ hours per workday being replaced with dead air and uncertainty. People who earlier that day were coworkers, casual work friendships, or confidants now may be nothing at all now that you no longer share an employer.  

​The consistency of a morning routine, daily commute, and regularly scheduled meetings are replaced with a battle with the unknown that may last a week or a year. Sometimes it’s easy to be hopeful about the future, and other times it’s hard not to be mired in sadness about all the things you can’t control.

Fear

There is plenty to be afraid of. First, the idea of not having a paycheck is horrifying. Not knowing how long your final payout or severance check has to last is unnerving. Now knowing how long your jobless period will last and what job you’ll end up with is sometimes unbearable.

​I fear being unemployed endlessly and not being able to support myself. I worry about panicking and taking the first job offered to me. I worry about holding out for something closer to the “perfect” job that may never come. I fear that I will never get a job as good as the one I had. On the worst days, when fear has given way to full-on catastrophizing, I worry that I will lose my house, car, professional reputation, and everyone I’ve ever loved.

Relief

Here's the one that might seem unexpected. At one point, during an ongoing economic downturn, I made it until the seventh round of company layoffs. While I was happy to be employed that long, each time we heard rumblings about reorganizations or started seeing those empty white dots pop up on Microsoft Teams, I had that sick feeling in the pit of my stomach waiting for it to be me.

The strange benefit of finally being laid off is that you don't have to worry if it will happen (and when) because it just happened. At that moment, you also realize it's not as bad as you imagined it might be, and now what there is to do is pick yourself up and create your fantastic new future. 

The Good News

Through the tumult of emotions, it’s important to acknowledge each one and process those feelings. It’s helpful to grieve, then focus on all the possibilities to come.

Learn More

  • Common Feelings After Being Laid Off
  • The Layoff Lady: I Just Got Laid Off--Now What? 
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Five Resume Tips from a Frustrated Hiring Manager

9/20/2022

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by  Brenda L. Peterson, The Layoff Lady

Insights From An Unemployed Job Seeker

As someone who has been laid off a lot, I have applied for about three bijillion jobs throughout my career. I've become a resume nerd through this whole ordeal. I’m always learning about the best format, writing a punchy introduction, tailoring my resume to each position, and having the right level of detail on my LinkedIn profile. Which leads me to...

Insights From A Hiring Manager

On the other side, I’ve also been a hiring manager searching for new computer trainers, instructional designers, technical support specialists, and technical writers. 

​As a hiring manager, believe it or not, I very much want you to be the perfect candidate for the position I have open. However, while searching for a new career opportunity is no picnic, being on the other side of hiring is also challenging.

​Unfortunately, many candidates who apply for a job are either not qualified or represent themselves poorly on a resume. Which brings me to my...

Top Five Tips For A Strong Resume

  1. Start with a professional summary section.
    When I read resumes, it's helpful to have a professional summary section front and center. Use this to briefly explain who you are professionally and the top skills you bring to this role. This is the part you can tailor for each position (without spending much time rewriting your whole resume).
  2. Keep it to 1 or 2 pages.  
    I received one resume that was 17 pages long. It was for a qualified candidate with 20+ years of great experience. It also included details all the way back to high school. Prioritization and conciseness are the name of the game. If you cure cancer, put it on page 1 and ditch something else.  Being able to discern what is valuable and relevant is a critical skill. Droning on and including everything ever is not. 
  3. Don't get fancy.
    Many resume templates are available with graphics, charts, columns, and just all the things. I have seen versions of these resumes that cram in a lot of text and too many details. ​First off, an ATS (Applicant Tracking System) will have a hard time with this format. Secondly, it's just busy and a lot. The way to go is to use the relatively straightforward chronological resume format with lots of white space and a readable-sized font.
  4. Skip unnecessary details.
    Resume space is at a premium. Make sure to include only details that add value. Leave off a picture of yourself, cutesy graphics, your home address, education-related dates, and "references available upon request." This will help you save space, focus on your recent work experience, and not give people a reason out of the gate to make assumptions about your age.
  5. Format your resume and cover letter like you know how. 
    Candidates who tout their “attention to detail” and then make several amateur mistakes hurt my soul—as do people looking for a job requiring graphic design skills whose resume is formatted so poorly that I can’t pick out a job titles from company names. Use headings, bold important content (like job titles), and use bulleted points to organize your skills and accomplishments. As an extra added bonus, it will be more skimmable. 

A Secret About Hiring Managers

As a job candidate, it may often feel like you are at odds with hiring managers, and the companies trying to fill open positions. Want to know the truth? 

​As a hiring manager, I’m really hoping that you are the right candidate for the opening I have.

I’m trying like crazy to find just the right person who can do what I need done and who will enjoy working at my company. Each time I come across a resume that includes a great list of skills, but who makes one or more of the mistakes listed above, you're making it harder for me to sell your skills to my boss and get you the salary you want.

Learn More

  • Resume Summary Statement Examples and Writing Tips 
  • Ten Tips To A More Professional LinkedIn Profile
  • The Layoff Lady: I Just Got Laid Off--Now What? ​
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The Why and What of Posting on LinkedIn

9/13/2022

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by  Brenda L. Peterson, The Layoff Lady

Using LinkedIn To Build Your Brand

Sharing content on LinkedIn is a great way to engage with your connections, add value to your professional relationships, and promote who you are and what you know. However, only about 1% of LinkedIn users ever post anything at all--which I think is a huge missed opportunity to stand out.

Why People Don't Post on LinkedIn

When I've asked people what is stopping them from posting on LinkedIn, the overwhelming answer is, "I don't know what to post." ​Like with most everything in life, it comes down to your overall goals.

Whether I'm promoting myself in general or actively searching for a new "day job" in L&D, my goals remain consistent: to share knowledge and strengthen relationships. There are many ways posting on LinkedIn can help. I suggest using LinkedIn to share posts that support who you are as a professional. 

Types of Posts

You don't have to write a long, original manifesto to post on LinkedIn and make an impact. Here are examples of what you can post on LinkedIn that will help you "build your brand" and share what you're all about, both professionally and as a person:
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  • Showcasing your expertise
  • You as a person
  • Inspirational content
  • Promoting others
  • You doing things
  • Your work samples
  • Sharing insights
  • Sharing opportunities and resources

​Let's look at a few examples of my posts.

Showcasing Your Expertise

Who are you professionally? What are your skills? What do you bring to the table as a possible employee of a given company? For me, my skills include training leadership, needs assessment, relationship building, instructional design, project management, technical writing, facilitating classes, and more.
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You as a Person

Who are you? What is it like to work with you? What are your interests? What do you care about? ​For me, I love helping people to succeed. I love removing obstacles so people can be successful. I enjoy board games, inline skating, my cats, my family, and a good cup of coffee. I am also kind of a nerd. I also own a velvet Elvis--because of course I do.​
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Inspirational Content

What picks you up when you are down? What insights struck you? What motivates you? For me, I love quotes about the value of lifelong learning, self care, and shifting your mindset. 
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Promoting Others

Who inspires you? Who do you learn from? Who shared a useful resource that benefitted you? For me, I enjoy finding awesome people to learn from and sharing useful articles with others who might also find them helpful.
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You Doing Things

What do you do? What did you write? How do you volunteer? For me, I lead classes, go to professional development meetings, deliver webinars, inline skate, and, on rare occasion, beat my daughter in a rousing game of Ticket to Ride. 
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Your Work Samples

What projects do you work on? What do you write? What content to you create? What experiences have you learned from? For me, I teach custom webinars, write blog articles, assist other instructors, and design learning.
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Sharing Insights

What have you learned about your chosen profession? What's a tip you like to share? What's your go-to strategy for solving a problem? What's something unique you have noticed?  For me, I make observations, see unique solutions to common problems, or see how training and learning are out there in the world. And also coffee.
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Sharing Opportunities and Resources

What problems can you help people solve? Who do you know who is a go to person for a given topic? What is a solution you learned about from a common problem? For me, I share information for people who want to get into corporate training, share job search resources, point people towards others who share topic-specific content. 
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Learn More

  • The 31 Best LinkedIn Profile Tips for Job Seekers
  • How To Build an Amazing LinkedIn Profile [15+ Proven Tips]
  • Ticket to Ride 
  • The Layoff Lady: I Just Got Laid Off--Now What? ​
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Post-Layoff Job Search: Insights from Layoff #5

9/6/2022

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by  Brenda L. Peterson, The Layoff Lady

Surprise! It's Layoff #5!

In 2019, for the fifth time in my career, I found myself unexpectedly in a position where I needed to change jobs. The last time around, my position was suddenly eliminated on the day I returned from vacation. That was about two years before, and I was not expecting to have to do this again quite so soon. 

My Job Search Numbers

Things moved a bit more quickly this time than I initially expected. Keep in mind, too, that about half of the jobs I applied for have not responded. In their defense, I was on and off the market pretty quickly. With that, here’s how this job search shaped up: 
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  • Total Length of Job Search: 47 days
  • Number of jobs applied for: 21
  • Jobs where I had an employee referral: 11
  • Total number of interviews (phone and in-person): 12
  • Total number of interviews for companies where I had a referral: 11
  • Total interviews for companies where I had no referral: 1
  • Total jobs where I had at least one interview: 8
  • Total positions for which I applied where I heard nothing at all back ever: 10
  • Total where I withdrew due to salary limitations: 4
  • Total where I received rejection emails: 4
  • Number of offers received: 2
  • Number of jobs accepted: 1

Differences From Previous Job Searches 

My last job search (after layoff #4) lasted 147 days. That's right. It was exactly 100 days longer. So what were the differences between these two job searches? What magic did I use to so quickly land a great new position?

Time of Year

Fortunately (as I look at the bright side), I knew I needed to make a change in late September. I’ve found that being unemployed over the holidays nearly guarantees about an extra month or two of job searching (or, more likely, waiting).

​My last two job searches included the holiday season, lasting 180 and 147 days, respectively. My best advice is to take some time off from job searching over the holidays. This time around, when I estimated the possible length of my period of unemployment, I surmised that I would either secure a new position before Thanksgiving or I’d most likely be waiting to start a new role until February or March of next year. Getting a jump start, even by a couple of weeks, made a big difference.

Position Availability

During layoff #1 and layoff #2, I lived in Madison, Wisconsin. While I love Madison as a city, as someone whose chosen profession is corporate training, I knew that I needed to move to a larger job market or consider doing something else for a living.

In the middle of layoff #2, I started targeting companies in Minneapolis and planning a move. Even with the challenge of relocating (and managing all of the other areas of my life that were in transition right then), finding a new job took under five months. Being in the greater Twin Cities area, even with me being more selective on where to apply, I still had a lot of options. This gave me a better chance of one of the positions I applied for moving me along to the interview stage.

I also learned to manage my job search anxiety by applying for additional positions each time I was concerned about not hearing back from one potential employer.

Professional Network

I started using LinkedIn seriously in 2006. Since then, I’ve connected with coworkers, members of professional development organizations, colleagues with whom I’ve interacted, and pretty much anyone who I encountered and found interesting. I stay active on social media sharing useful content and attend industry meetings on a regular basis. Having this robust professional network and assisting individuals in my network when they are job searching or exploring new fields of interest, has helped me immensely.

​When encountering a position that interested me, I immediately looked to my network to see who might be able to put in a good word for me and help me get pulled out of the initial pile of candidates. I have also had more than one “informal interview” with a possible referrer so they feel comfortable recommending me for a position. Since people are putting their reputations on the line, I don’t take their assistance for granted.  ​

Strong Qualifications

I’m at the point in my career where I know what jobs interest me.  I have good formal education, recent job titles that are well aligned with roles for which I’m applying, and I’ve stayed current on the industry. While having someone refer me for a position helps, I know I still need to be a well-qualified candidate. Those qualifications are what helps me get from a courtesy phone interview to being considered a viable candidate for an open role. 

Pure Dumb Luck

There is a certain amount of planetary alignment that happens whenever something good manages to actually happen. In this case, a company in a field that interests me (software) had an opening for which I was qualified, and I had a former coworker who was willing to refer me for the position. The quotes “The harder I work, the luckier I get” comes to mind as does “luck is preparation meeting opportunity.” Sometimes, timing is everything. 

Learn More

  • The Importance of Networking (and How to Do It Well)
  • The Layoff Lady: I Just Got Laid Off--Now What? ​
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    7-time layoff survivor Brenda L. Peterson, The Layoff Lady, waxes poetic on layoffs, job transitions, & career resilience.

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