If you’re paying attention to what’s going on in the Job market, there’s nothing new in terms of being surprised by the massive layoffs in the Tech industry. While the effects have been largely within in the Tech sector, overall, the labor market hasn’t been excessively affected by the layoffs. In fact, the Tech industry is stronger than it has been for more than 50 years[1].
Big Tech includes companies such as, Google, Amazon, Microsoft, Twitter, Meta, and these are just to name a few. The number of layoffs these companies alone have had alone within the last year are in the 50,000’s. That’s not including smaller Tech companies that are within the sector and aren’t the same size as these behemoths.
If you’re working for one of these Tech companies, there’s much concern to be had with the possibility of losing your current employment in these uncertain times. My aim is to not sprout facts about the current job issues, but to use this article as a guide to help anyone affected by layoffs in finding your next role.
Below is a beginner guide that will help you increase your opportunities to find your next role.
Step 1: Grab Your Resume and Update it!
After receiving any kind of notification that you have/will lose your job in any way, shape, or form, the first thing to do is to get your hands on that old resume and update it! This may seem basic and obvious, but this is something that should be updated every 2-3 months at a minimum, even while you’re employed.
When you’re unemployed, your title and ranking within that company is completely lost. You need to come to terms with this as soon as possible. The earlier you realize this, the faster it will be for you to move on to bigger and better things.
What many don’t realize is that there is something that remains after you lose your employment, which is the best part of moving on to bigger and better things. Everything that you accomplished while you were working for that company becomes experience[2] that you earned in your career path.
Grab this experience and put it on paper. For many, it will be difficult to put it into words so you may want to find someone you trust to give you feedback on what you’re able to put together. It’s important to incorporate key words that will be picked up in recruiting software. After the initial feedback, you can revise it a few more times until you’re able to put together something that recruiters will be able to find through software used that seek special key wording within your resume. You can google what these key words are to make sure they’re embedded within your resume.
You may find yourself reluctant to seek out help depending on your status within that company, but you shouldn’t. There’s nothing wrong in seeking out help, especially when facing the financial limbo of unemployment.
Step 2: Create an online profile to market yourself and be proactive.
Once your resume is in a position that can be presented, it is now the time to create an online identity to help increase your chances in finding your next role. LinkedIn is the biggest platform to market yourself and be yourself. Use this platform to the best of its potential to let companies know that you’re available and in the search of great opportunities.
You may ask yourself, “How will I accomplish that?.” Everyone’s situation financially and professionally is different. Some find it best to let it all out in a LinkedIn post and allow the LinkedIn algorithm to do its job letting everyone know of your situation, and help will come in many ways. Others will simply create an account, upload their resume, and start applying to every position available.
Personally, I found it best to be strategic about it. Create a list of 2-5 job sectors that you want to have an impact on. If you want to remain in the Tech sector, you may include that in your list. Stay positive, because while there have been many layoffs in that sector, there has also been job openings as well. It may not be with your previous employer, but keep an open mind to other great companies that can use the experience you earned in your sector.
When listing your 2-5 sectors, you are broadening your search immensely. While you may have had an impact in Tech, your skills and experience are transferable to other companies that are in different sectors of the job market. Doing so, will increase your chances in finding your next role quickly.
Do some research and write down 15-30 companies that pique your interest in each sector. These companies can be large entities, or they can also be smaller to mid-sized companies.
Do not be afraid to do research on smaller companies, as they have the biggest chances to employ someone that may have just gotten laid off. Your impact in these companies can be the most significant. Keep in mind, at some point in history all the top companies that you may have heard of were once small sized companies.
When you’re doing your research, there are some key items to look for. You want to see growth in these companies, and you want to make sure that your employment there will evolve along with the company. You can get this information by speaking to recruiters, or by speaking to a current or former employee of the company through LinkedIn.
Looking out for the work/office culture is another key item, as it talks about how the CEO and the management team treats its employees. The benefits and perks that come along with the company will evolve with the size of the company, so if that’s important to you, keep that in mind when doing your research.
Step 3: Apply, apply and apply!
Once you have gathered enough information on all the companies that you’d like to work for, it is now time to apply to all the positions that you’re interested in.
Submitting job applications is a daunting experience and requires a lot of your time to submit these applications. The reality is that there’s no escaping this process. When you do these submissions enough times, you’ll realize that many of the job applications are very similar to each other. Using copy/paste features will help to quicken your submission process.
Lastly, when applying for jobs, using different job search engines to apply to these companies is another great way to increase your chances. Take advantage of the job search feature in LinkedIn to apply to many companies quickly. ZipRecruiter is one of my go-to options as they give you status updates frequently when someone in the company of interest views your resume.
Step 4: Follow up with Recruiters!
This last step might seem obvious but there are many job searchers that receive email notifications from recruiters, and that email goes unseen by the applicant.
If you’re in the job market, maintaining constant attention to your email is one of the most important things you can do. It’s the primary way recruiters communicate with an applicant.
One of the ways you maintain attention to the notifications is by making sure your phone number is in good standing so these recruiters can reach out to you by phone if that is how they want to reach you. Reaching out to a candidate takes various forms, emails and reaching out via a phone are two of the main ways to connect.
Also, following up with recruiters is the best way to keep parties interested in you. Keeping parties interested leads to fast interviews.
For the upcoming conversations that happens after speaking with recruiters, it is up to you to be ready for. Be ready for it!
If an interview is scheduled, that means you must look presentable. When you’re answering questions, whether they are generic or technical, you must be ready to answer those correctly. Keep your answers short and sweet!
Knowing what you’re worth, knowing how to communicate, and knowing how you should present yourself for interviews are very important items, as they are seeing you and meeting you for the very first time.
Conclusion
Your next role is within reach!
With a little bit of luck, and lots of effort, you should be able to find your next role soon. There’s no way to guarantee that as soon you submit an application there will be an immediate response to your resume. You need to understand that patience is required in this process, and you need to apply to as many positions you’re interested on as possible.
It is a numbers game. The more you apply, the faster you’ll get to your destination. But as soon as you get traction on a position that you’re interested on, it’s game on! Talk to the recruiter, stay on top of them, and schedule that interview.
It’s a two-way street since recruiters must also do their part in letting the client/company/hiring manager know that there’s a potential candidate for the role. If they’re doing their job correctly, you’ll schedule that interview fast, and it’s time to show them what you’re capable of!
If you fail on an interview, it’s okay. Fail forward. That means, learn from your mistakes, and apply what you learned on your next interview. Overtime, you’ll develop an impeccable rhythm leading to multiple offers.
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