After being laid off, woman is worried about interviewing
Nearly 50,000 people, primarily in the tech space, have been laid off in 2022. This doesn’t include major corporations in other sectors. Inflation is out of control, prices are soaring and there is concern over being baited into a World War. Jeremy Siegel, a professor at the Wharton School of the University of Pennsylvania, said in a CNBC interview that the United States is already in a recession.
With the backdrop of challenges already facing Americans, a job hunter starts at a disadvantage. Companies are concerned about the economy, possible recession, falling stock prices and increases in costs caused by inflation and supply chain disruptions. It's easier for human resources to hold off hiring or slow-walk the interview process hoping for a better turn of events.
It’s easier to find a job when you already hold one. When you’ve been downsized or worried about holding onto your job and possibly needing to find a new role, it places you in a difficult situation. You are forced to look for a new position at the worst time. Your defenses are down. Your ego is bruised. As many people tie their career with their social standing and identity, they feel adrift and lost.
You’ll have to go to interviews not feeling your best. In addition to the normal nerves associated with interviewing, it's natural that you're feeling depressed, stressed and resentful over losing your job. Your self-esteem and confidence are down. The pressure is compounded as companies in your space are laying off. Unless you’re a software engineer or an extremely skilled technologist, you may not have many choices.
What You Need To Do If You Lost Your Job Or Want To Leave A Bad Situation
It may sound counterintuitive, but don’t do anything right away. Most people will tell you to spring into action and immediately jump into interviewing. For some, this may work. More often than not, a downsized person needs time to heal, practice self-care and look after their mental health and emotional well-being.
You should allocate anywhere from a weekend to a week or so to process what just occurred and decompress. You want to come to terms with being laid off and work through any anger issues and feelings of resentment and self-pity.
Engaging in activities will keep your mind and body active and help mute the ruminations running through your mind. It's helpful to share your feelings with others and not bottle them up inside. Use the time off to hit the gym, do yoga, ride a bike, go for long walks, renew hobbies and rekindle social relationships that were placed on the backburner due to your hectic schedule.
Sign up for online or in-person courses that can add to your tool kit. Attain accreditations, credentials and licenses that could help with advancing your career. Tap into your network. Gain a sense of what is happening in their worlds, which may give you insights into what to do next.
Conduct a post-mortem. It's hard to do, but think about your actions. Did you say or do something that made you a target for downsizing? This is not victim-blaming. It's similar to the way football players and their coaches watch films of the game afterward. You want to analyze what went right and what didn't. Any lessons learned will help you in the future.
Now may be the right time to think of alternatives. You have the luxury of some downtime to give thought to your job and career. Ask yourself if you love your job and career, or is it time to start looking into making a pivot or reinventing yourself. Consider if you want to find another role that offers more meaning and purpose. Maybe you might want to find a remote, hybrid or digital nomad-type position that provides a better life and work balance.
The Problem With Interviewing
No matter how much you want to seem immune to the vicissitudes of the job market, you’re only human. It's exceptionally hard to suppress your anger and dismay over being downsized when you speak with the interviewer. The layoff is like an anchor around your neck, weighing you down. You can’t escape feeling resentment about being being let go.
It's understandable that you get upset during the interview process when the subject of your termination arises. It's painful to relive and explain what happened for the 10th time this month. The interviewer may be caring, but they’re not inclined to hire someone dealing with anger issues.
You try to put a good spin on it, but come across as if you broke up with your longtime partner. Trying to be polite, inadvertently, you say something not too flattering about your former management team, boss and co-workers. After you said it, you know it didn't go over well with the hiring manager. She thinks you might be toxic and feel uncomfortable that you talked badly about them behind their backs. You know you made a mistake and tried to correct it, but it's too late. Many other candidates for the boss to hire don't have baggage or issues.
When you currently hold a secure job, you can interview more confidently. If you get the role, it's great. If not, no big deal, you’ll return to your company and try again. The pressure is high for those who don't have the luxury of having a job or are with a company that's downsizing, enacting hiring freezes or rescinding offers.
How To Spin Your Story
You'll have to try harder if you are worried about losing your job or have been downsized. The first thing to do is create an elevator pitch narrative of what happened. When asked by the interviewer, “Why are you no longer with the company?,” take a pause, collect yourself and tell her, “I greatly enjoyed my time with XYZ Widget Company. It was a fantastic experience. I learned so much there. The people were great. My boss was nurturing, encouraging and supportive. She’ll be happy to provide a recommendation if you’d like one. Unfortunately, as you may know, my company, along with many others in the space, enacted layoffs, hiring freezes and rescinded job offers. I was part of a large group that was downsized.”
Rather than go for pity or allow your frustration over the situation to bubble up to the surface, remain resolute and strong. Offer a positive spin. “Thank you for asking about my previous company. In hindsight, I believe that this may be one of the best things to happen to me. I’ve been with the organization for more than five years. If this didn’t happen, I’d probably be there another five or more years. This was the push I needed to start something new. When I saw your job listing online, it resonated with me. After researching the firm, its people, corporate mission and the amazing products and services you offer, I was excited and couldn't wait to submit my resume and hope for an interview. My skills perfectly match what you are looking for in an applicant. I believe that I’d add value, learn and grow within the firm. If I didn’t get laid off, I never would have pursued this great opportunity!”
By saying this, you demonstrate your inner strength, resilience, and the ability to bounce back from adversity. These are the qualities and characteristics hiring managers desire. They want candidates who are self-motivated and capable of managing rejection and difficulties. The interviewer, putting themselves in your shoes, will think of how hard it must be to have the mental and emotional strength to withstand a layoff and remain positive, enthusiastic and motivated.
Similarly, if you are gainfully employed, but suffering the concerns of being tapped next for being downsized, you want to follow the same strategy. You can tell an interviewer, “I love my company, supervisor and colleagues. Unfortunately, the firm has already started rounds of layoffs. Management has not given any guidance as to how long this will last. I understand the rough position that leadership is in. Since times are tumultuous, I get that it’s hard and nearly impossible for them to predict the future. In light of the current events, I felt it prudent to selectively seek out top-tier companies, such as your firm. I hope you appreciate that I am very interested in the opportunity. Even if my company was in perfect shape, after reading the job description, conducting due diligence about the firm, people, environment and reputation, this is a perfect fit for me.”
