First time getting “terminated” for reasons that were a bit vague and unclear, but “unforced errors” in the past couple weeks that made the agency have an “unsympathetic review”. I’m a bit shocked and trying to figure out how to move forward. How’s the job market currently? Should I use this as a point to position in-house?

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The job market is still hot. Especially with remote work. If you are experienced, you probably won’t have a problem landing interviews.

The good news? Agency life is full of ups and downs. There are so many variables to consider when thinking about success or failures, that at the end of the day, failures are perceived and probably not real. In a service-based industry, scapegoats are an easy way to save face with major clients. A lot of agencies still build their offices around tentpole clients. And if one of them goes away, a lot crumbles. So remove an employee, save the revenue. It may be as simple as that.

I have been part of two big layoffs before due to downsizing or the office closing all together. Layoff, fired, doesn’t matter as we think about the “what ifs”. Don’t. Use this as an opportunity. Evaluate what you liked and didn’t like. Ask for feedback from colleagues you trust. Reflect but don’t dwell. Get back out there. Confidence is contagious. And it works. Trust me.

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Love the boost of support. Definitely using this time to look inward and start my outreach.

I’m so sorry to hear this! There’s a lot to unpack here but I wouldn’t take one bad experience as a sign that you need to change directions necessarily or that you’re a “bad worker”. Agency teams are different depending on lots of factors - I had an experience a couple years ago that shook me and made me question agency life when it turned out I just had a terrible boss. I made some changes and am now with a team and job I love.

If your heart just isn’t in the role, figure out what really speaks to you. If you have a colleague who knows you (ideally at the agency you’ve just left) ask for honest feedback on your experience- not just “what you did wrong” but what they see as your strengths and where you shine. Sometimes other people see our superpowers better than we do.

Best of luck!

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I’d love to hear about your experience. My confidence is bit shooked. As none of the feedback had been brought up or addressed previously. It also makes me wonder how it’s been framed at the agency. I was on 2 massive accounts, in a director level role and now I’m gone. I worry about my reputation too.

I love that idea of asking for further feedback.

In a similar situation. In my experience, agencies are like high school. If you fit the clique, it can be great. If not, you get bullied by the cool kids and backstabbed.

Reach out to your network, use your experience to come up with some good questions that try to get some insight into what the culture is like. Just like hiring, it’s hard to really know.

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