By Brenda L. Peterson, The Layoff Lady You Have A Job Offer!Finally having a job offer after your post-layoff job search is a call for celebration. Now, you can breathe a sigh of relief and start to build your new post-career transition normal. While you may want to shout from the rooftops that you've finally landed and start celebrating, I suggest you play it cool for a couple more weeks. In most cases, accepting a job offer will lead to you starting that job just as planned. On rare occasion, something happens and that job offer falls through. Just in case, I suggest taking a few interim steps between the time you accept your job offer and the day you start your new role. How Often Are Job Offers Rescinded?In my long history of layoffs and finding my next job, I have had a job offer fall through exactly once. That means that through seven layoffs, I have had to revise my plan one whole time. Job offers can be rescinded for a number of reasons. For example, I have heard more about job offers being rescinded early in the pandemic as companies were realigning staff and when companies have been going through financial hardships. It might also be a case wehre funding for a role seemed certain, and then did not come through. In yet other cases, between the time the offer was accepted and the new employee's start date, someoen in teh organization could have just decided they want to hire someone else, not fill that role at all, or put the role on hold. In short, you can't necessarily predict when a job offer will evaporate. LIke with any job, you can look for red flags. My Rescinded Job Offer ExperienceAt the end of February, I accepted an L&D Manager role where I would build the training function from the ground up in a fast-paced startup environment. I was very excited about the opportunity, and happy that my job search--which was then clocking in at about 5 months--would be over soon. After a disjointed, a little all over the place hiring process, and an offer that took a couple of weeks to come to fruition as promised, I happily accepted and had a start date of mid-March. Soon, I did my "hooray I got a job--more details later" on LinkedIn. I didn't mention the company's name at this time since I had not yet started. I learned that lesson after announcing a job that I had accepted and not yet started--and later learned that the company had not yet notified internal candidates that they hired someone external. I was excited to have a two week gap between when I accepted the job offer and my start date. A week before my start date, I got a call from the recruiter for the role telling me that there would be a delay in my start date--and he wasn't sure how long. A few days later, I talked with the hiring manager and learned more. They were going to hold off on my start date until numbers had come in from the first quarter. She assured me there were no real concerns that I would start, but it was more when. I asked if this role was really going to happen, and I got sufficient assurances that the job would, indeed, start within a month or two at the latest. She would keep me posted on updates. The longer I waited, and the fewer updates I heard, the less confident I was the job would happen. Of course, I'd already announced that I had a new role and taken y LinkedIn profile out of job search mode, so I lost a couple of months of job search time waiting for a start date to materialize. The assurances became less frequent, and less convincing, until I got a call from the recruiter with apologies because the role was not actually happening. ...and now I had lost 2 months of job searching time and had to restrategize and restart my search. A New PlanEven though having a job offer rescinded is not a regular occurance, it is still a risk worth thinking through. Just like we buy car insurance just in case we're involved in an accident, I realized I needed to mitigate my risk of being left without a job should a job offer ever fall through again again. Reccommended Next Steps After Accepting an OfferRemember, in most cases, accepting a job will lead to you starting to work for that company shortly thereafter. Even so, remember to act in your own best interest just in case the role does not pan out. Here are suggestions for you to consider:
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By Brenda L. Peterson, The Layoff Lady Demonstrating Your SkillsEmployers are trying to find someone to solve the unique problems their business has. Recruiters and hiring managers will want to make sure that candidates have the skills and competencies included on their resume. Let's look at a few ways employers might verify candidate abilities during the hiring process. About Assessments and Work SamplesDepending on the company, the newness of the position, and the level of the role, there may be more to the interview process than talking with all the stakeholders. Potential employers may also ask you to complete projects to demonstrate key skills. Some employers may rely on your existing portfolio and review your previous work. In other cases, employers may ask you to complete specific work samples as a part of the interview process. This means completing unpaid work during the hiring process to demonstrate your skills as they more directly align with that role. In addition, they might ask you to complete assessments as well. My Experience With AssessmentsAs a part of a few hiring processes, I’ve been asked to take various tests to assess my tendencies, abilities, and aptitudes. Key focus areas often include problem-solving, strengths, work style, spatial ability, logical thinking, and temperament. For one role after layoff #7, the first two “interviews” with one organization were online assessments that compared my test results to a role-specific and company-specific ideal profile. For that job opening, I had 2 “interviews” like this and received a rejection email without interacting with actual people. For another hiring process, I took online exams on logical reasoning, general intelligence, and basic math before I was eligible for a phone screen. In some cases, assessments may be a prerequisite to meeting with a human interviewer or may be included later in the process to gather supplemental information right before making an offer. Concerns With AssessmentsWhile assessments have value, they may not help employers find a better candidate. Assessments can be useful when they are used to verify skills relevant to performing a specific position well. However, some assessments may be checking for skills not required for a given role. In addition, some assessments are not intended to be used during the hiring process and may introduce irrelevant or biased information into the hiring decision. My Low Time Committment ProjectsAs someone who works in the field of learning and development, I expect a potential employer to ask to see my portfolio. In many cases, during the application process, they will ask for a link to an online collection of work samples. On occaision, potential employers will ask for reccommendations on which of my work samples they should review more closely that align with the specific skills for any given role. I'm also ready to talk an employer through my work samples and highlighting my process in developing those materials. I also expect to be asked to demonstrate my ability to present content to a group. On many occaisions, I've been asked to deliver an interactive 10-15 minute presentation on the topic of my choosing to a panel of interviewers. For a manager role, I've often been asked to put together a 30-60-90 day plan outlining my initial onboarding and how I would identify and prioritize projects. My High Time Committment ProjectsAs I’ve progressed into higher-level roles, the projects have become more time intensive and elaborate. Here are a few examples: For a consultant role, I was tasked with creating an innovative plan for employee onboarding for new contractors and full-time employees. For this project, I designed a pitch deck to garner buy-in from stakeholders on the solution. I delivered that presentation to a group including the hiring manager, additional managers, and team members. I also designed a blended learning solution that leveraged subject matter presenters and accommodated people having distributed locations and start dates. For a manager role, in addition to a 30-60 day onboarding plan for myself, and created a list of equipment, software, subscriptions, and additional resources needed to begin creating videos for the company. For a program manager role, I was tasked with creating an innovative onboarding program to teach new full-time staff about company products. I designed a new hire career fair with multiple tables showcasing different products, complete with a passport for trainees to collect stamps. Those trainees who visited each table and filled out their passports were enrolled in a prize drawing for a bigger company-branded prize. For a director role, during the initial application, I answered several essay questions along with my resume and a cover letter. Later in the interview process, after taking two professional assessments, I was also tasked with completing these three projects:
Concerns With ProjectsUltimately, I did not receive job offers for any of these roles where I completed more elaborate work samples. I also found it frustrating to be tasked with what ended up being hours and hours of skilled work without being compensated, or ending up with a job offer. In the abstract, I’ve seen many people bluster on social media about what they won’t do as part of an interview process. I also don’t necessarily disagree with the boundaries those people suggest. I do know that making that decision feels much different in the throes of job searching. When being asked to do a few projects to help you get a job you think you’ll love, it’s often hard to say no. Here are a few suggestions I have for deciding what you personally are willing to do as a part of the interview process. Strategies to Adapt
Learn MoreBy Brenda L. Peterson, The Layoff Lady I Found a Job!After 9 months of career transition, I am gainfully employed again! I'm excited to be working in an amazing organizational development role. Each layoff and subsequent job search brings its own challenges. Take a look at my lessons learned from this time around. New Challenges
My Post-Layoff Transitions: DurationPeople often ask how long a career transition lasts. To give a partial answer to that question, here is my unscientific, skewed-sample-size data on how long each of my periods of post-layoff career transition have lasted. The time listed starts with my last day of work with my previous employer (aka "Layoff Day") and ends with my first workday in a new role:
Overall, my average time in career transition is 128 days (just over 4 months). Layoff #7 was the longest one I've had so far, and 3 months longer than my previous record. Career Transition Duration: Contributing FactorsThere are a few key factors that made this period of career transition longer than after my previous layoffs:
The Numbers: Job Applications and InterviewsGiven that my previous employer was starting to make organizational changes, including a few rounds of "quiet layoffs," I started to keep an eye out for a new job starting in July of 2022, which I've included in this summary:
The Insights: More Opportunities, Fewer InterviewsOne challenge during this job search is the newly added focus on work location--specifically the following labels: onsite, hybrid, and remote. Part of why I felt comfortable relocating from Minneapolis, MN to Omaha, NE in mid-2022 was the prevalence of remote work. I also realized that the definition of "remote" for companies can vary widely. As I reflect on my job search, I wonder how many positions I applied for with companies who were not interested in or able to hire someone who lives in my current state of residence. While there are, indeed, many remote jobs available in my chosen field of learning and development, I discovered first-hand that companies and job search sites are not necessarily aligned on what each of these words means. Remote jobs mean more applications for me and way more competition:
The Numbers: Working With RecruitersRemember, LinkedIn is your billboard to the world. Be sure to make your profile a good representation of what you bring to the table as a job candidate. Have a strong headline that includes the job title(s) that interest you and a few key skills. Have your professional summary in the About section, your work experiences, and at least a couple of sentences about each of your previous jobs. This is what recruiters will check after you apply. This is what may come up in a recruiter's search when they are sourcing candidates. Make this count. Here are the responses from recruiters this time around:
My Re-Launched Job SearchIn April, when I re-launched my job search, I changed my overall approach.
At this point in my job search, I had also built stronger relationships with my colleagues in my Omaha-area professional development groups. When I first launched my job search in the fall, I had only been in the area for 2 months. Between then and April, I had met more people in person, talked with them in meetings, presented to groups, and helped a few of them solve business problems. I'm sure getting to know me better and working alongside me helped them to feel more comfortable speaking to my skillset and recommending me as my job search progressed. My Overall Insights
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By Brenda L. Peterson, The Layoff Lady Managing Curious and Well-Intentioned PeopleOne of the hardest things about being laid off is telling other people about it--specifically fielding their uninvited questions. I'm not talking about work people or your professional network, either. I'm talking about the family friend you run into at the grocery store, that parent you went to a PTA meeting with once and the neighbor you seldom see. Worse yet, it is interacting with a group of well-intentioned people who express their curiosity, worry, and opinions regarding your well-being. Here are a few suggested talking points for managing those conversations that pop up at just the wrong time. Getting Your Patter DownAfter you've chatted with your inner circle--those people with whom you share your raw and uncut thoughts, feelings, and worries--it’s time to think about how you talk about this with all the rest of the people. It is those people who make random comments, who don't really know how layoffs go, and who might be trying to be helpful or supportive or to give you advice on a situation that is foreign to them. These conversations may be rough for you, especially if you're feeling vulnerable. Your goal may be to get through the awkwardness and move on to other topics. To prepare, it is helpful to have an idea of how to respond. Here are a few suggestions for talking points to get you through. Talking About Your Current State and Plans
Talking About The Job You No Longer HaveThe question: I heard you’re unemployed. What happened there! Your core message: My job ended. It is a thing that happened.
Talking About What Is Next For YouThe question: What are you going to do now? I would be freaking out. Or I’d be scared to death if I were you. Are you sure you’ll be okay? Or A person I sort of know lost their house/was unemployed for years/had to take a pay cut/never worked again. Your core message: I’m going to keep on living and also look for a new job.
Talking About STILL Not Having a JobThe question: So--do you have a job yet? Or Are you STILL unemployed? Or Did that thing you were interviewing for work out? Your core message: I am job searching and something will work out.
Acknowledging People's ReassurancesThe question/comment: Don’t worry. It’ll be fine. Hang in there! You’re so talented! Your response: Thanks. Addressing Well Intentioned and/or Awful AdviceThe comments:
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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 NumbersThings 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:
Differences From Previous Job SearchesMy 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 YearFortunately (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 AvailabilityDuring 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 NetworkI 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 QualificationsI’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 LuckThere 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 |
Just get laid off?
Click here for info on what to do first. Author7-time layoff survivor Brenda L. Peterson, The Layoff Lady, waxes poetic on layoffs, job transitions, & career resilience. Buy The Book!Were you recently laid off from your job and need a roadmap for what's next? Pick up a copy of my book, Seven Lessons From Seven Layoffs: A Guide!
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