Hey everyone, I am a bit embarrassed to have to share this, but I have been laid off for over four weeks now and I am getting very desperate for a new position that pays well and time is not on my side.

Any tips, advice or any suggestions are greatly appreciated!

Thank you!

My advice is start by understanding there is nothing to be embarrassed about.
Companies are so quick to lay off employees these days that most people don't think anything negative of it.
Times may be hard, and you may need a job for the money, but please understand that you have nothing to be embarrassed about.

***LONG REPLY ALERT ***

It’s unfortunate to read about your situation and stress. I’ve been in your position and it sucks, but it’s not the end of the world although it seems like it. I pray you bounce back sooner than later.

Never be embarrassed; our (Western) society doesn’t prepare us for real life situations like yours. In today’s hyper-competitive market, four weeks isn’t that long. Assuming this is your first time laid off, be mindful of your current skills set and consider the following:

Dedicate time to determine your “why” and “what”:
• Why are you in IT?
• What would your responsibilities be at the “perfect”/ ideal job? I.E. what exactly do you want to do in IT? Learn the most effective way to gain the specific skills needed for the job you want and would enjoy.
• apply for unemployment insurance and food stamps (you pay into these programs while you’re working) and it’s literally there to help people get through challenges like yours

• take this time to upskill (certifications, self-paced training such as Microsoft Learn, etc.)
• time IS on your side; make sure you are VERY intentional…for example:
• schedule your days like you’re working remote:
• 6:30A breakfast/shower/ prep for day
• 8:00A study (MS Learn, AWS, etc.)
• 11:30A lunch break (go outside 2-3 days/ week)
• 1:00P _____
• 4:00P _____
• 5:00P unwind (nothing related to job searching)
• schedule your days of the week: create a weekly routine (Sun is for _____, Mon is for ____, etc.)

• Get a whiteboard!! Your mind will race at times and writing it down helps you plan
• Try your BEST to not compare your life to others (minimize leisurely social media use, it can overwhelm you)
• Don’t beat yourself up for being laid off and like someone else said, if you have to take a lesser job, keep looking!
• Remember that being in IT at any level means you have a career. Go into each day (and challenges that will inevitably creep in) remembering this—keep your head up!

You GOT THIS!

Stay encouraged, learning, and seek out GOD (if you believe in GOD) for Guidance.

My recommendation is to take any job for now and keep looking for your ideal job. If you’re desperate for money, you may need to downgrade for a bit.

4 weeks is nothing in this historically tough market. Come back when you are at 4 months or even a year. Tons of people are out of job for over a year now.

Would be helpful to know how the last 4 weeks have progressed. Are you seeing opportunities of interest? Are you getting interviews?

Your best bet is always to leverage your network - people who have worked with you and think highly of your work. Ask them to reach out to their networks and recommend you for consideration. Get them to give you a LinkedIn recommendation. Line them up for references.

Update your LinkedIn profile so that it shows up in searches, and welcome inquiries there from recruiters.

Find a place where former colleagues went to work (places with even minor connections) and begin with that. Start with questions about “where would they look if they were in your situation”. A few reasons for this approach: (1) avoids the awkward “we don’t have any jobs open here” conversation. (2) enlists them as an advocate without putting them on the spot. (3) they are more likely to think creatively about possibilities.

I've been in that same position for 8 months! To the point of my unemployment is running out next week and my 12 year old daughter sleeps in a dining room and I'm sleeping on a couch of a friend of a friend. We are in PHX and have no AC in my SUV.

I'm telling you right now, just take what you can get quickly .....don't end up like us! It's an election year, the economy is unstable, and so are hiring managers. It's not going to be easy finding something in the tech field. You're going to get ghosted after interviews and other places will pull the position back.......I'm sure you could get lucky, but do you have the time to find out or could you be a shade above being homeless like we are? I'm frantic at this point.....don't put yourself in our situation.

While you look for the right role I would join an agency and get some temporary work. Sometimes temporary roles turn into permanent roles as they help get your foot into a company.
Make sure your LinkedIn is updated and ready to go.
Be confident and get interview ready, there’s plenty of help on LinkedIn as well as YouTube for interview prep.

I am in the same position. I’m applying for so many things significantly lowered paid, but still not getting anywhere.

I am right there with you and have lost sleep last night and tonight anticipating to hear back after an interview last week. Which, one it went very well, but two only open position where I got that far in 4 weeks time.

I was told to expect to hear from them this week, just after leaving the interview, which I view as a good thing but man the waiting game is killing me.

Best of luck to you.

Same here. I was laid off and have been looking since December. Layoffs are high right now . Happens on election years. I can't even find a lower paying job right now and the government only gave 14 weeks unemployment. Not a great year.

Same situation here. You are not alone! We stand and search together!!

Take a job that dont pay well to get the income and continue looking for the higher paid one. I got downsized after 25 yrs, I was an IT Project Manager and getting well paid, especially being single self supporting...but I couldn't find a job for 3 years (I didnt know how to market myself then and thats the key to getting hired). So I reverted back to some old skills I had- administrative clerical and signed up to all the local Temp Agencies just to get work- I went from making (at that time twenty yrs ago), $45/hr, down to $12/hr. I also took a part time job at a local grocery store, salad bar at minimum wage. I did that for about a year when a previous Mgr called me for a contract PM job.

Networking, calling previous coworkers, or family/friends that are in your line of work is a great way to getting hired. Make sure your Resume truly reflects who you are, spend much time on it, show it to a friend for feedback. Then place it on all job boards, and refresh the job board website once a week.

https://joinfishbowl.com/post_1hazo2yp21

OP I am so sorry to hear that you were laid off but do not be embarrassed because that is not something you have control over. This job market is really tough so I would recommend looking on Indeed and Linked in and also networking for referrals as much as you can.

Oof sorry to hear! I've heard of people being laid off for much longer... in fact that was the same story for me until very recently. For salary, did you receive raises and bonuses at your other job? You simply may not be able to get that ASAP, but there could be room to grow for your next role.

Here is what I learned from my outsourcing service:

Tailor every resume to each job description. Apply to what you are qualified for. Use a formula for each statement, Action + Result (or vice versa.). Include numbers where you can. Send resumes and an explanation of your value to local and remote tech recruiting companies. Practice, practice, practice your interviews, with an emphasis on matching their needs with stories from your past. Remember, it's all about the employer. Using a "hero's" story formula like "Business problem + Action + Resolution" makes for a compelling interview style from the hiring manager's end.

Best of luck to you!

Also, look outside the box, apply to jobs even if you feel you are only 40-60% qualified. Even though the job market is tight, so are skilled workers, they are in high demand, and someone willing to learn new skills is a great asset to a company

This just happened to me....it hurts yes, but it isn't your fault, companies are just trying to save money. It's my third layoff since covid but this time it just seems to take forever to find work. Stay positive, apply for everything, call the temp agencies, maybe look into government work? I had a side hustle before the layoff but can only scale that so much...it won't pay the bills. I might end up doing Instacart

1 - As others have already mentioned, there is nothing to be embarrassed about here. Layoffs are an unfortunate part of any company, any size, any industry. A friend of mine owns her own company and had to layoff 1 of her 2 employees (and she feels terrible about it). There is nothing wrong with "grieving" this as you likely made friends and had a sense of stability there and now those things have been pulled away. HOWEVER, there is nothing to feel shame over.
2 - Also, as others have mentioned, apply for all roles that you are qualified for and even some that you're mostly qualified for. You don't need to land your favorite job next, you just need to get a paycheck and benefits again in order to take the pressure off. Just because you take a new job doesn't mean that you commit to it for the next 5 years. You commit to it until the next good opportunity presents itself. (HINT: YOU create most of your own opportunities.)
3 - Even if you make a little less money, it's still more than nothing. Part of the stress of being unemployed is you don't know how long it's going to take. If you're out 2 weeks, it's like a quick break. If you're out a long time, it really wears on you and you think about the jobs that you would have taken just to get some money in the door... so do yourself a favor and get the money in the door while you continue to look.
4 - Get your resume in front of recruiters that can give you meaningful feedback (fix this, remove that, add this section, etc). And do research on "preparing a resume for ATS search".. And even though resume uploads say they can handle PDF, they really can't.. PDF's get garbled, so stick with uploading .DOC or .DOCX
5 - Utilize your network. If you don't have one, create one. Start connecting on LinkedIn.. I personally hate LinkedIn, but it's a necessary evil now. Figure out which of your connections work at places that have openings and ask them kindly to refer you into open roles.

I lost my job at Christmas (20th Dec 2023) and I'm still looking. Expect to see more roles in September so budget!