A Layoff Guide: 10 Steps to Go From "WTF, I got laid off" to "OMG, I kinda love it"

Happy Saturday Everyone! 👋

_{(Read time: 10 min)}

Welcome back to the UpEmployment newsletter.

We’re here to help you get more startup offers faster with less stress!

I’m not sure where you’re reading this from, but it’s springtime in New Jersey.

Snookie saw her shadow, so winter is finally over.

That also means an ungodly amount of pollen and me sneezing like a maniac.

If you catch any missspellingz, you can blame it on that.

There’s a lot going on in the world of tech job hunting, so I’ll stop ✊ pumping the Jersey Shore jokes and get straight to the situation. _{(see what I did there} 😉₎

Read on for:

👔 1 Job Hunt Tip - A Layoff Guide: 10 steps to go from “WTF this sucks” to “OMG I kinda love it.”

🔨 2 Tools - Two useful AI tools to supercharge your job hunt.

📈 10 Startups Hiring - 10 companies who have recently raised money and are looking to hire you!

👔 A Layoff Guide: 10 Steps To Go From “WTF this sucks” to “OMG I kinda love it”

Meta, Redfin, Opendoor, Buzzfeed, Boost, Business Insider, F5, Calibrate Health, and Amplitude are among the dozens of companies that laid off employees this month.

Over 172k tech employees have lost their jobs this year as the tech employment market has come down off its COVID-induced hiring spree like a kid coming off a sugar high.

I’ve been through 5 rounds of layoffs in my career.

In four of those layoffs, I was the one who had to tell people they had lost their jobs.

That sucks!

I also lost my job in two of those layoffs.

That also sucks!

But what I can tell you from experience is while I know it’s stressful, sad, uncertain, lonely, anxiety-inducing, frustrating, [insert adjective for bad here], it can be a time of incredible growth and inspiration for your career.

That is…if you treat it right.

There are a million lists about what to do after being laid off.

Some of this will look like those.

But there are some things on this list that no one else will tell you because, quite frankly, no one else does these things.

I promise that doing them will make you happier and more successful in your hunt.

The 10 things to do immediately after being laid off:

1. Take a breath

Everyone says to take time to process everything and clear your mind.

And while it sounds super mushy and soft, it’s true.

Regardless of who you are, being laid off sucks.

Even if you saw it coming.

Even if you have hundreds, thousands, or millions of dollars in the bank.

It sucks!

So take a breath and take the rest of the day, the weekend, or the rest of the week to let the wave wash over you.

Take comfort in knowing you’re not the first person who has walked this road and that there are tried and true methods to find your next awesome role as fast as possible.

2. Understand your severance package

In your layoff conversation, the HR rep or your manager probably said something along the lines of, “You’ll get an email with the details of your severance packed in the next few minutes. Please read through it and let us know if you have any questions.”

Make sure that you get the severance agreement in writing.

Once you have received it, make sure you understand it.

• How much are you being paid?

• When will the payment(s) be made?

• Do you get paid for your unused PTO?

• What happens with your unvested shares?

• Are they providing outplacement services?

If you don’t understand something, ASK.

Remember that you can negotiate your severance package on your way out.

It’s challenging because your leverage is low, but it can be done.

If there’s something you want or need, ask for it.

I know pregnant moms that have been laid off and gotten health benefits and extended severance pay because… well… who lays off the pregnant woman?

3. File for unemployment

There’s no shame in applying for unemployment (Click here to apply and learn more).

I’ll say it again, there’s no shame in applying for unemployment.

The program was created in 1935 to make sure you had a bridge to your next job, even in tough economic times.

So get that money!

But don’t expect to be rolling in free dough.

Most states pay 30-50% of your prior weekly earnings with a cap at a certain level.

It’s not designed to pay for your next vacation, just to get you to that next role.

4. Get your results data

This may feel uncomfortable, but do it anyway, it’s going to pay off BIG TIME.

Let me guess, you didn’t see the layoff coming.

If you didn’t see it coming, you likely didn’t collect all the data to show the results you drove at the company.

These will be critical to use in your resume and LinkedIn profile.

While you can try to remember and estimate, it’s much better to know for sure.

So here’s what you need to do:

• Reach out to the people at the company who you worked with that didn’t get laid off

• Ask them to pull the numbers for specific projects you ran and provide you with generalized data

You can use this template:

• For example: Say you worked on the Uber New York State launch and you’re looking for the revenue driven in the first year. A friend on the inside could share that, “In the first year after launch, Uber NY did over $300M in ARR.”

• While you’re at it, see if they have access to any non-sensitive blank templates, playbooks, or spreadsheets that you created at the company and see if they’ll make a copy and share them with you.

I’m not a lawyer, so consult your legal agreement, but do everything you can to get the information you wish you would have had before the layoff to help you land your next role.

5. Get referrals

There are 3 types of referrals you will want to get:

1. Request LinkedIn recommendations - Ask your manager, skip-level manager, cross-functional stakeholders, senior teammates, and founders for recommendations on LinkedIn. When you reach out, highlight what you want them to cover in the recommendation. Go a step further by writing the referral for them, sending it to them, and asking them if they would feel comfortable posting it and making it in their own voice. Make it so easy for them that they would feel terrible saying no.

2. Request video referrals - Do you know what people love when they buy? Testimonials. Do you know what converts better than written testimonials? Video testimonials. Write a brief email to 3 to 5 high-level people you worked with. Ask them if they would feel comfortable recording a 5-minute video sharing information about what it was like to work with you. You can use this template:

   1. Hey [FIRST NAME], would it be crazy to ask you for a video testimonial? I’m trying to use this job hunt as an opportunity to land my next career-accelerating startup role, and I’m doing everything I can to set myself apart from other candidates. That includes sending follow-up messages with testimonials from inspiring leaders I have worked with. If you’re open to recording a 5-minute video highlighting what it was like working together, it would mean the world to me. Here are 5 question prompts to help:

      1. Who are you?

      2. What did we work on together?

      3. What was your favorite thing about working with me? What results were we able to achieve together?

      4. How would you describe me to another company looking to hire me?

      5. What kind of company/manager/team would you recommend hiring me?

3. Request permission as a reference - Some companies ask for references. You can beat them to the punch by providing the contact information for awesome people you worked with in the past that you think will impress your future boss. Ask 3-5 people if it’s cool to add them to a reference list. Make sure you two worked close enough together and that they can speak to your abilities. Choose these poorly, and it can kill your chances of landing a role.

6. Get feedback

Everyone has blind spots.

Use this time to shine a light on yours.

Send a message to former colleagues, family, and friends you know will give you the honest truth and ask for feedback.

Use this template:

Guess who’s going to ask you about your weaknesses?

Your interviewers.

Guess who already has a non-BS answer prepared for those questions because you asked this question already.

You.

7. Get clear about what you DON’T want next

Odds are, your last role wasn’t perfect in every way.

Identify the things that you absolutely do not want in your next role.

Write those things down and write why you don’t want them.

This “don’t want” list will be a good reminder when you’re getting yourself excited about a role that, deep down, you know will give you more of what you don’t want.

Put this list somewhere you will see it regularly.

8. Get inspired by what you DO want next

Now is the time to take stock of where you are and where you want to go.

Paint a vivid description of your ideal life in 2-5 years, then work backward.

To get to that point:

• What skills have you developed?

• What experiences have you had?

• What teachers have you learned from?

• What network have you built?

Make this future so compelling and exciting that you can’t wait to read about it, write about it, and talk to people doing it.

This will fuel you through tough times and create consistent progress instead of random action.

9. Eliminate all useless information

Purge everything that does not serve the purpose of helping you find your next career-accelerating job.

This means:

• People who don’t support you or who distract you

• Social media that doesn’t educate you

• Any source of negativity or comparison

Whenever you come in contact with something or someone, ask yourself, “How is this serving my goal of getting to where I want to be in 2-5 years?”

If it doesn’t, kill it.

10. Kick off healthy habits

Get lots of sleep.

Eat healthy food.

Lift heavy things.

Drink lots of water.

Move your body more.

Go for regular walks outside.

Stop drinking so much booze.

Spend unplugged time with friends and family.

These will be the first things to go when you find yourself in the midst of the job hunt grind.

Leaning into them keeps you consistently great.

Consistency wins.

Abandon them, and you’ll find yourself burned out before you know it.

See what I didn’t include in there?

• Obsessively updating your resume.

• Immediately applying to as many jobs as you can.

• Setting up 100 job alerts.

• Following career profiles on social media.

You got laid off.

That sucks.

But now’s the time to use all the skills you’ve developed in service of a company that will move you closer to a future version of yourself that you find inspiring.

I promise it’ll pay off.

🔨 2 Job Hunting Tools

Tool #1: Poised

What does it do: Syncs with your virtual meeting software, records your video, provides a transcript, and uses AI to coach you to improve your speaking, posture, and facial expressions to make you the most effective speaker possible.

Why will it help: It’s like having a personal speech coach. Start using this in every networking conversation and interview you have, review your performance, and work on areas of improvement. In no time you’ll be a more confident and effective speaker.

What does it cost? Free

Click here to check it out

Tool #2: Yesware’s email template library

What does it do: I’ll cover Yesware as a software in a future email because it’s free and great, but this is a website from the company that gives you templatized sales emails for cold outreach and follow-up, including subject lines and body copy.

Why will it help: Ever want to reach out to someone but find yourself saying, “I don’t know what to say!” When job hunting, you’re selling yourself, so take a page out of the sales book and use tried and true templates instead of recreating the wheel. Reminder: These are templates, so add your personal voice to them. You don’t want it to look and sound like a template.

What does it cost? Free

Click here to check it out

📈Who’s Raising? Who’s Hiring?

Click here to request free access to the names, funding details, company details, and job openings for 10 startups that just raised money and are actively hiring for non-engineering roles.

And just like that… our weekly time together has come to an end 😭.

Follow my 10 steps to kick off an inspiring post-layoff job hunt.

Use those two tools to improve your interviewing and cold outreach game.

And jump into the list of companies that just raised money and are actively hiring

Let’s become career champions together 🏆

Kyle

P.S. Whenever you’re ready, there are 3 ways I can help you:

#1: Free Job Hunt Strategy Call: Request a free job hunt strategy call with me to get closer to landing your dream role tomorrow. On our call, we will walk through your vision and how to make it a reality, cover the obstacles standing in your way, and help determine the best next step for you to take based on your short-term and long-term goals. Schedule a call today!

#2: Want the proven playbook to get more dream job offers in less time with less stress? Discover how to build a proven system to land your dream job in a matter of days.

#3: Follow me on LinkedIn for more job hunt systems, productivity tools, and networking templates.

Share UpEmployment

The job hunt isn’t something you need to do alone.

In fact, if you surround yourself with other career champions, you’ll land your dream job quicker.

So share this newsletter with anyone you know that is currently looking for that next career-accelerating opportunity so you can win together!

Forward them this email or just copy and paste this link: https://upemployment.beehiiv.com/subscribe

See you again next week!