What to Do When You’re Laid Off During a Recession

[곽영어]

by  Marisa Bryan

November 30, 2022

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Summary.   Losing a job is hard. If you’ve recently been laid off, know that it will get better. Here are some lessons the author learned when she was laid off.

• Know that it’s not personal. People are cut based on factors like the necessity of their role in generating revenue, location, and the way that a team is structured. Most of these factors are out of your control – and business leaders often have a tough time deciding where to make cuts.
• Don’t make looking for a job your only job. To protect yourself from burnout, decide which part of your day you’ll dedicate to your job hunt and how you’ll go about it.
• Be patient. It can take up to six months to find a job, and the timeline differs from industry to industry. Stay open to new opportunities while you wait for a big win. Temping or freelancing keeps you gainfully employed, occupied, and also helps you expand your network

Fifteen years ago, a global recession made its mark on the world. The Great Recession was the longest economic downturn since World War II. In December 2007, when the recession began, the unemployment rate was hovering around 5%.  Months after experts said the recession was over, in June 2009, it was at 10%. Nearly 9 million people had lost their jobs.

Divided Decade: How the financial crisis changed jobs

I was one of them.

I’ll never forget sitting and crying in a café across from my mother. I had just been let go from Google, and I thought my career would never recover. In retrospect, I should have thought: This is the beginning of my next chapter.  In the moment, it was difficult to rise above the fog of what felt like a major failure.

If you’re facing a similar situation today, I get it. The current job market isn’t great. Some economists think a recession could come to the U.S. by the end of 2022, spread globally within the next year, and potentially last for the entirety of 2023. Central banks around the world have hiked interest rates in response to inflation. This could lead to a string of financial crises in emerging markets and developing economies, according to the World Bank. One report suggests that 39% of CEOs have frozen hiring and more than 45% plan to make job cuts in the next six months.

All of this is not to scare you, but to prepare you for the reality of what may come. If you’ve recently found yourself out of work and you’re not sure where to turn next, I am here to tell you that it will get better. Training my mind to focus on the possibilities — as opposed to the feeling of defeat —after a layoff was a practice in patience and repetitive affirmation. But since that day in the cafe, I’ve learned some valuable lessons and I’ve come a long way in my thinking and in my career.

Based on my experience, here are four of pieces of advice that I’d like to pass on to anyone feeling the pain of losing their job:

Know that it’s not personal.

When a company has to reduce their workforce by a certain percentage, it’s rarely about the performance of individual employees. People are cut based on factors like the necessity of their role in generating revenue (say, a team managing the print magazine that is going digital), location (some company “hubs” are more important than others), and the way that a team is structured (consolidating the PR and social media teams with overlapping roles). Most of these factors are out of your control – and business leaders often have a tough time deciding where to make cuts.

All this is to say: You probably weren’t laid off because you were underperforming or because you weren’t valued as a person or as a worker. This doesn’t mean it won’t initially feel that way. Losing a job can resurface the worst version of your inner imposter. It will be hard not to wrack your brain trying to figure out what you did wrong or what you could have done better.

Let yourself have a moment to grieve your loss. But do your best to keep your mind from staying in that negative place. Put yourself in the shoes of the business decision-makers. Revisit the factors outlined above to remind yourself that it isn’t personal. If you can rise above the fog, it will become clear to you, very quickly, that this layoff is not a reflection of your value.

Don’t make looking for a job your only job.

You’ve likely found yourself with a lot more time on your hands, and instinctually you’ll want to be aggressive in researching new opportunities. That fire in your belly is great! But remember that, just like with a “real job,” you need to go home eventually. You’ve got to take your mind off work. You’ve got to rest.

Back in 2008, this really helped me, and I can tell you that it will do wonders for your mental health, too. At your new job of finding-a-job, set a schedule of work hours. Don’t stay up until 2 am searching for a new role, spend 16 hours a day applying, or dedicate your weekends to the hunt. Decide which part of your day you’ll dedicate to your job hunt and how you’ll go about it.

For example, you could decide that, in the first few days after a layoff, you’ll spend the majority of your workday reaching out to former colleagues, setting meetings to reconnect, and sign off by 5 pm to rest. This isn’t a bad strategy, as a former employer may be hiring or your former peers may have suggestions for other places you should apply to.

In the days that follow, you could plan to spend three hours a day scouring job sites like LinkedIn, two hours a day reaching out to your network to see if they have connections at the companies you want to apply to, and three hours a day applying to at least one role. That would account for a solid eight-hour workday. 

Having an organized schedule and being realistic about what you can accomplish will protect you from burnout and keep you from pushing yourself too hard, too fast.  

Be honest with people.

When you’re reaching out to people for help, don’t be afraid to share your story.  You’ll be amazed by how quickly people offer to support you, which — in the earliest days after a layoff — is critical to keeping you in the right frame of mind.

While you may feel shame attached to being laid off and you may want to keep the news close to your heart, remind yourself again that layoffs are not personal. Being vulnerable with others will only make them feel closer to you, and in turn, want to help you more. 

Be patient.

Experience tells me that it can sometimes take up to six months to find their next right opportunity, so be patient with yourself. Remember that the time it takes to find a new job isn’t entirely up to the job seeker, but rests on a lot of different factors, including industry and economy.

What can help you stay motivated is being open to new opportunities while you wait for a big win. It keeps you gainfully employed, occupied, and also helps you expand your network. When a friend of mine was let go from her corporate job, she explored freelance work, even though she wasn’t all for it. It went well enough to lead her to create her own consulting practice even after the job market rebounded. Depending on the skills you have, you could explore signing up with creative or temp agencies. You never know what you will find if you’re open to something new or a role that’s adjacent to your skills.

Build in time for things that make you happy.

It’s healthy to let yourself feel all of the difficult feelings, but don’t push away the positive in the process. In fact, I recommend making an effort to find it.

Remember when you worked so much that you didn’t have time for lunch with friends, yoga, or walking your dog for more than a loop around your house? It’s important to your mental health to set aside time to do whatever makes you happiest so you don’t sit at home working nonstop, applying, and crying. If you don’t actively try to do things that make you happy, it’s very easy for your mind and emotions to keep you down.

If you’re not sure what would make you happy right now, try something new and fun. Get back to yoga class. Make plans to spend time with friends and family. Take a trip to a new destination if you’re able to. And most importantly, look after your relationship with yourself.

Volunteering is a great way to keep yourself active and ensure that you’re engaging with people outside of your immediate circle. Bonus points because it’s incredibly rewarding for your soul. I once read stories to the elderly in a care home, an experience that has shaped me since and is something I still do many years later. Doing your “things” will give a major boost to your mental health. It will give you something to look forward to that isn’t attached to anything other than joy.

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I’ve been laid off more than once, and frankly, it sucks. Ultimately, after my first layoff experience, it took me about three months to find another opportunity — a great job at Apple, where I stayed for almost five years. But take it in stride and surround yourself with things and people that contribute to your happiness. Like me, you’ll walk away smarter and stronger than you were before. Remember, you’re not starting from scratch. You’ve just been given a chance to rewrite your story better than it was before.

Marisa Bryan is an internationally experienced talent leader in the online media and technology sectors with more than fifteen years of global experience leading teams and recruiting senior executives, sales leadership, and technical profiles. She is specialized in a high-growth start-up environment. Her other specialties include expansion into new markets, succession planning and leadership coaching, building talent acquisition teams from scratch, and fostering a culture of diversity, equity and inclusion. Marisa lives by the sea with her husband and 3 rescue dogs. Connect with her on LinkedIn.