6 lessons from laid-off tech workers about finding a new job

When Trenton Miller saw a calendar invite from human resources  in January, he wasn’t surprised. “I was expecting layoffs last year, so I knew this was coming,” he recalls. 

His company, tech startup Karat, laid off close to 25% of its staff that day. In doing so, it joined a whole host of other tech companies that have been making workforce reductions. Since the start of the year, more than 200,000 people working in the sector have been let go.

Miller, a recruiter who has worked at places like Amazon and Google, gave himself a day to reflect before jumping into his job hunt. Three months later—and after submitting 250 applications—he landed a new role with T-Mobile. That’s in line with what other laid-off tech workers have experienced, with 79% of those who have landed a new gig doing so within 12 weeks of starting their search.

How can other people impacted by layoffs maximize their chances of also bouncing back after what can be a traumatic experience? To find out, I asked Miller and four other tech workers who went through something similar to share the biggest lessons they learned along the way.

Lesson 1: Use the layoff as an opportunity to reassess what you want 

Finding out you’re losing your job can trigger a huge range of emotions, from the practical, such as the panic you might feel at the thought of making next month’s rent, to the existential. “Employment is one of the most important pillars in your social status,” says Jos Visser, a senior software engineer who was laid off from a tech start-up in January and now works at Amazon. “If you go to a party and meet someone new, the first thing you ask is: what do you do for a living? That’s how important work is.” Having that taken away from you is a life-altering event that you should take the time you need to process.

For some people, that might mean stepping away from their computers for a few weeks—or even just a day, like Miller. Others might need longer. 

That’s what Ebonee Soldner found when she was laid off from her role as a recruiter at Caribou, a car finance and loan start-up. “I’m all about bringing my best self to the table, and I couldn’t do that in my job search while I was feeling burnt out from the experience,” she says. It was an opportunity for her to reflect on what she wanted from and could bring to her next job. She ultimately ended up changing industries, and now works for a public university and runs her own career coaching business. Being laid off “pushed me into areas that I might not have fully fleshed out, had I not had that time to decompress and get out of the hustle mentality,” she reflects. 

The lesson? Seize this opportunity to reflect on your career and where you’d like to see it go in the future. “A job is a bit like a straightjacket—it defines your view of the world and the kind of things you can do,” says Visser. “So, never let a good layoff go to waste. It’s an opportunity to reinvent yourself, go in a new direction, maybe end up in another space.”

Lesson 2: Reach out to your network

Once you’ve taken the time you need, and have a good idea of what you’d like to do next—whether that be more of the same or something completely different—reach out to your network, for example by posting an update on LinkedIn.

“The first thing I did was create a LinkedIn post to let my network know what had happened,” says Soldner. “I basically said, if you’ve worked with me in the past, please interact with this post so I can benefit from that social currency.” It paid off. “Within the first couple of weeks, I got a lot of really great invites to interview off the back of that post.”

When Jessie Wang was looking for her next role after being laid off from website-building and hosting company Squarespace, she was blown away by how much people in her extended network were willing to help. “I had people constantly checking in with me and sending me roles they thought I might be interested in,” she recalls. “I was really pleasantly surprised.” She ultimately landed her new job thanks to a referral from someone she knew.

Lesson 3: Be open-minded but know your sticking points

You might have a good idea of what you’re looking for in a role and company, but know that you might need to be a little flexible. It’s all about understanding where you’re able to compromise and what you won’t budge on. 

That’s what Sindhusha Ravi realized when she started her job hunt after being let go by mobile gaming start-up Skillz. “I knew I wanted to stay working in strategy, but I was open-minded about the industry I might end up in,” she says. “The big lesson for me was, pick that one thing you’re not willing to negotiate on, and be open-minded about everything else.” That flexible approach helped her find a job in a different sector, working for travel site Expedia.

Lesson 4: Get creative in your job search

There comes a point in most job searches where you feel like you’re hitting your head against a brick wall. Emails go unanswered, job applications seem to drop into a black hole. Getting a little creative in your job search can help unblock things.

Miller, for example, built himself a custom RSS feed of relevant jobs. “I’d seen the stats about how many people apply for a job within the first 30 minutes of it being posted on LinkedIn,” he says. Creating his own feed meant he sometimes saw job listings before others, giving him a slight edge. 

Being creative in your job search doesn’t have to be as high tech as Miller’s approach. In a post-pandemic world of online applications and remote interviews, Ravi found that the personal touch can make you stand out as a candidate. “Sometimes even going to a Meetup or an in-person tech group helps distinguish you in this kind of crowded virtual market.”

Lesson 5: Don’t just take the first thing that comes along

When you’ve never been in a position of having to hunt for work, finding a new job after a layoff can be tough, as Miller found. “I had always been headhunted for roles, so this was the first time I was actually having to apply for things,” he recalls. The longer his search dragged on, the harder he found it. “I struggled a lot, mentally and physically. I didn’t get many full nights of sleep during the three months between getting laid off and finding something new.” 

When you start spiraling, it can be tempting to take the first opportunity that lands in your lap. But if you’re in a financial position to hold tight, consider doing so. “Don’t jump on the first thing you find,” warns Visser. “It’s okay to make a choice for higher or lower pay, or more or less fun—and it’s often a tradeoff between the two—but make sure that’s a conscious decision.” 

Soldner agrees. “There can be a temptation to have a scarcity mentality and rush into the first thing you come across, without making sure it’s right for you.” It’s a trap she took the time to ensure she didn’t fall into. “I took a bit longer to make sure I’d done my research to get the right fit with my future team and leaders.”

Lesson 6: Rethink your relationship with work

As distressing as a layoff can be, it can also be an opportunity to reevaluate your approach to work, and adopt a more balanced, healthier attitude. “I used to attach my identity very closely to work. When you think like that, you take it personally when things go wrong,” says Ravi. “After this layoff, I’m approaching things differently. I’m still putting in 100%, but I’m paying attention to my work-life balance in a way I didn’t do before.”

It’s an attitude Visser has always tried to take about the work he does. “I do a bunch of work and a company pays me a bunch of money. If I can find a better job, I’d leave, and if they think they can do better without me, then they need to let me go,” he says. This experience has confirmed for him what he already knew, and it’s a lesson he hopes anyone else who has been laid off can take. “There is life after every job.”

Kevin Grice is the founder of VenturePOps, a boutique recruitment consultancy. He has over a decade of recruiting experience with tech giants such as Google and billion-dollar startups.