Finding Another Job After Getting Laid Off

Back in August, I was laid off from a job I loved. While I admit that there were signs, I saw, it still came across as a shock. But because I half-expected it, I took it much better than had I didn't. In a way, I already had a sort of plan in place in case I was laid off - which I was.

Just to make things clear for now: I have no bad feelings for my previous company. I understand why some people might feel angry, betrayed, or disappointed. But I have incredibly personal reasons why I don't. This post is meant to be more of a guide to document my experience and help people figure out how to navigate the experience. If you are a first time jobseeker, this post might also help you navigate the job market as well and how to handle being laid off if you ever get to that point.

Prelude: What Happened

I was employed as a Data Analyst at a company I genuinely liked. It is a small startup company in the financial technology sector. Unfortunately, some things happened that forced the company to lay off around a third of its workers.

Although I was kind of expecting something like it to happen, it still felt surreal when the news came to me. I won't go into the details as to why I expected it as most of them are actually gut feelings I still cannot put into words even until now. However, the important thing is that it happened, but it didn't happen suddenly.

When a company lays off people, there are usually signs already before that it will happen. You can see these in many Reddit threads. Some of them include:

1. There is a hiring freeze.

2. Executives are initiating meetings to tell everyone "Everything is fine".

3. Executives getting more and more meetings together.

4. The company is becoming incredibly stingier with office supplies like pens and papers

5. The accounting and finance people are leaving

But note: these are signs. They are not "one and done" kind of thing. Executives could be getting more and more meetings for other reasons other than financials. But they are things worth exploring. And if multiple signs are happening at the same time, you should be preparing your resume already at minimum.

Furthermore, cost cutting mechanisms are meant to be able to stay within the budget of the year. Imagine if you know you're going to go over your budget because of an emergency, you might have to reevaluate your gas expenses. That is how I think about cost cutting mechanisms in a company. So, I don't see cost cutting as necessarily a sign that layoffs will happen.

However, if those cost cutting wouldn't be enough to save the company financially, then layoffs will probably occur. And that's exactly what happened to me.

Immediate Consequences

After getting laid off, the most immediate thing that stood out is the severance package. I'd say my company's severance is decent and not insufficient. But man, the anxiety began.

The job search process is brutal as I've been through it twice already. Once for finding this job and once for trying to find a freelance job before that. It wasn't a nice feeling at all, and I dreaded having to go back to it.

Furthermore, the company's culture and people were great by my standards. I was fearful I wasn't going to find another company like it. I wasn't looking at an exact copy-pasted culture, but I wanted to find the most important parts I enjoyed.

Openness is one of them. In my previous job, I could basically message anyone - including the CEO. But while I rarely messaged the executives, what I appreciated about the culture is the fact that you can basically ask anyone about anything. You were not hindered by a lot of red tape. You were encouraged to go to the person directly if they are the only one who can answer your question.

I am a person who asks a lot of questions if I don't know or am unsure. I needed that culture as I want to feel safe when asking questions - not to feel stupid for doing so.

Another aspect I enjoyed is the incredible respect for work-life balance. If someone is on leave, they are NOT to be messaged about work as much as possible. I took leaves for various things like government requirements and what-not, but I never felt like I was supposed to be at work.

And lastly, I was scared I won't find another boss like my previous one. He was incredibly supportive and always looked out for me and my previous coworker. After hearing many horror stories about unsupportive management at corporate setups, I felt incredibly lucky to have him.

These were the reasons I was scared and anxious. I enjoyed my job and now I don't have it.

The Short Career Break and the Board Exam

After the news finally settled with me, I decided to take a short career break as the board exam for Electrical Engineering was nearing (about a month after I was laid off). I decided to focus full time instead of spending most of my remaining time applying to as many jobs as I could.

However, I still decided to apply to jobs but at a much slower rate. I updated my LinkedIn and resume to reflect my career change. After which I applied for a few jobs (and by few, I mean 50+ jobs) and simply waited for the calls to come.

And they did come - with some coming from recruiters themselves.

First Job Offer

I got my first job offer while studying for the board exam. A recruiter on LinkedIn reached out to me. It is a remote job for a foreign company who claims to have a very similar culture with my previous company.

I got to the final interview, but I decided not to continue for personal reasons. The most major one was that I did not see myself growing too much in the company. It was an industry I was not particularly interested in, and I don't feel like I will like the job.

Once I decided so, I told the recruiter and wished them luck on their search for a good job candidate. Eventually the date for the board exam came and I passed it with flying colors. When I got my rating, I started looking for jobs again. This is where the difficulty began.

Back to the Job Market

One thing I realized while I was back in the job market: No one reads your resume or your cover letter.

How do I know? I regularly get recruiters who don't use my name. Or recruiters who obviously didn't see that my skills aren't a good fit for the job. Or recruiters who ask why I left my previous company (despite my cover letter saying I was laid off).

But oh well. It's a fact of life I had to accept. I applied to more than 50+ jobs again after the board exam within two weeks. Most of them are data related jobs and I get regularly rejected to them.

There was one where I needed to do a coding exam. There's nothing special about it except that when I did it, I decided that I don't want to work as a data practitioner. That's a post explaining more for another time. The important thing to remember is that all data jobs are basically out of the picture.

So that leads to engineering jobs. Of which none of the ones I applied for online reached out to me. Let me tell you now: my academics are no slouch at all. It's actually stellar. My performance in the bar exam was incredibly good and I had more work experience to boot (although unrelated). Sometimes, my college specialization was related to the job I was applying for, and my university is well-known for supplying good engineering graduates.

This is all to say I have an advantage in landing a job as a fresh graduate. At least, I should have. I use personalized cover letters as much as possible when applying for a job. I message HR directly. But I'm still not getting any callbacks from companies looking for engineers, so I decided to do more than just apply for online job posts.

Maximizing my Advantages

After almost two weeks of trying to find a job through online job postings, I decided to do two things:

1. Reach out to my network and alma mater

2. Apply in person

I went to a few target companies I wanted to work at and printed out my resume, a personalized cover letter, and a photocopy of my transcript of records (as it was a norm to ask for it). I gave it to the target companies in person and waited.

I was in interview clothes whenever I gave it, but the front desks have only let me give my docs to them. That's alright with me as I was just giving my resume. However, because I keep expecting someone to at least interview me, I usually dedicate at least half a day to applying. And that means I do not have much resources as I only have too many days and clothes to dedicate for the job applications.

While submitting to a few companies I was targeting, I reached out to my network and alma mater to help in finding jobs. Someone actually reached out to me and told me of another finance startup in need of the same job. I entertained it, and we talked already, but it was still only one and not guaranteed, so I wasn't resting on my laurels yet.

Eventually, my alma mater gave me around 10+ companies I can contact. I reached out to most of them through phone and most of them told me to send it through email. I did and simply waited.

I searched for job fairs in my city and the nearby metro areas, but the closest date was still a month away. I decided to put it in my calendar just in case and readied my resume.

So far, there was some callback and feedback happening, but I still feel incredibly demotivated at this point as it feels like I was doing everything wrong. I knew there was supposedly a better way to do this, but it feels bad knowing that you're not getting the responses you want.

Imagine spending three weeks applying to jobs 8 hours a day and knowing that you're only going to get less than 20 responses. Half of which are rejections. At this point, I would honestly take the rejections as it means I don't need to hope. It's still incredibly demotivating and demoralizing to go through this job market.

I actually considered getting a barista job at a local coffee shop or working as a fast food worker. I told my parents - they were not happy. I decided to pursue it only if I haven't found a job yet by the end of November. I still had some funds left from my severance and I wasn't paying any bills. Plus, my parents were still willing to support me.

Furthermore, I thought that going to the workplace could mean I could turn away a few employers as they might expect me to start at once as a fresh graduate. It is normal in the Philippines to have a one month notice (although they also require the employers to do the same if you were ever fired). Thus, if ever I get a theoretical job, the employer must be willing to wait one more month after I get an offer. For mid-level and senior-level jobs, this is normal and acceptable. But for fresh graduates, it isn't the case. A lot of employers expect you to start as soon as possible. Which is why I decided to postpone it.

If ever I get another job too after working, I could burn a few bridges with my supposed employer. That is not something I'm comfortable with at this stage in my career.

Anyways, I was still getting some interviews and invitations for some required tests. I took them all because I wanted to see which ones would accept me. I don't want to say no unless it is an obvious scam or is not fit for my role.

Someone Reaches Out to Me

On a random Tuesday noon after I was supposed to have an interview, someone reached out to me. They told me to apply for a job opening at their company. After looking at the job description, I decided to give it a chance.

A few minutes later I received a call, and it was from the same company. It was the initial interview. His questions were very standard - what caught me off guard is that he wanted me to do a technical interview the morning after.

I usually prepare a lot for technical interviews and while I am still confident in my knowledge, I still like to read before the interview starts. I didn't really have the time to keep reading with the number of applications and personalized cover letters I was making.

Anyways, even though I was nervous, I still said yes. I started doing some review on the topics to be quizzed upon but a few minutes later, he called asking if I could be interviewed on the day.

To refresh the timeline with you, he called me midday for my initial interview. He wanted to do a technical interview three hours later. Of which I didn't feel like I was too prepared.

I still said yes but I started preparing a lot on the topics to be discussed. When the time to do the meeting came, I went into the Teams link and immediately noticed it was a group interview.

My anxiety levels immediately multiplied by a hundred. This would be the first time I did a group interview for a job. I mostly had one to two interviewers for my previous interviews but this one had around 5-6 people asking me questions.

Here's a habit I developed even before I was laid off: Every time I am in a meeting through Zoom, I usually type some notes in Windows Notepad or write something in a piece of paper. Because I was about to do a technical interview, I had a pen and a paper with me, so I was writing notes on it instead. I do these things because I find that it calms me down a lot and gives me something to focus on instead of the actual situation.

I found myself taking notes way too much to calm my nerves. I tried to focus on the people, but I found myself stuttering and clicking my pen too much. I was fidgeting with the pen so much that I broke the handle. I was anxious but not because of the people. They warm and friendly. Honestly, their questions were not unexpected at all. It was simply the situation itself that was making me jittery.

After answering some non-technical questions, we went ahead to the technical interview and exam. It was good because the technical interview was tough for me. I answered all the questions, but some were just guesses. When they asked me why something was the correct answer, I told them my thought process on why I think it is correct rather than telling them why it was actually correct.

Because of that, I legitimately thought I failed the exam. They told me to prepare for another technical interview two days after, but I told myself that it is probably hopeless at this point, and they were saying that because it was standard procedure. I genuinely felt more hopeless after the interview but decided to still do some additional preparation just in case. I reminded myself I thought I was going to fail the boards as well as many exams in the past. It was better to prepare as my knowledge would still be useful for other technical interviews anyway.

The Two Short Days After

The day after came and I was desperately waiting for an email or a call from the company. It was a good thing I had another interview from another company, so my mind wasn't 100% focused on the event. I answered their questions honestly, but I still feel emotions coming from the past interview.

Once the interview was over, I applied to more jobs to pass the time, but I was genuinely feeling bad for myself already. I decided to do some reading on the topics I feel like I didn't do well on. It feels difficult to do this as it makes you remember the exam itself and when you know you did something wrong, you beat yourself up - which is what I did.

I decided to call a few more companies recommended by my alma mater to pass the time. Before I finished, someone called me - it was from the same company who reached out to me yesterday. He told me I passed and was to proceed to another interview the day after which is just what the earlier interviewers told me. This call was incredibly stress-relieving. I felt incredibly demotivated to study the remaining topics but knowing I passed the interview means I wasn't as stupid as I thought.

After agreeing to the time, I decided to spend the remaining time studying. Come the next day, it was a standard interview but much more focused on the technical side. Due to the time limitations of the previous interview, I wasn't able to ask three questions I usually ask to every company I am being interviewed:

1. Can you describe the culture in the company?
2. If I get the job, what do you expect in me within one month? Three months? Six months?
3. How do you invest in your employees?

I ask these questions because at this stage of my career, career growth is much more important to me. Knowing the expectations and how they invest in their employees is something I would like to know before deciding to go into a company. I prefer to start in a role with a little bit less salary if it means I can have much more within a few years.

Furthermore, as I said before, I really loved the culture of my previous company. While a lot of companies actually do some white lies here, I treat it as a question to weed out the obviously bad companies. If they describe their culture as "We are a family", there is usually something wrong.

Anyways, after doing the interview, I was a bit more confident in how I did but not 100%. Based on their answers, it was a company I would go into should I get accepted. But because there was still no contract, I decided to entertain other employers.

A few hours later, I got a call back from the same employer. It was for another interview within the day. This time, it was not technical anymore but more of a final interview. I got into the interview, and I answered their questions - which again, were not unexpected. I was still incredibly nervous, but I kept reminding myself that I got into the final interview stage already so all I needed to do was to not mess up.

I did not mess up. A few minutes after our interview was over, the recruiter reached out to me again and told me they were going to discuss the job offer and schedule me for a medical exam already. This basically almost means that I already have the job and there's only a tiny miniscule chance that the company was going to back out. However, as I kept telling myself, until there's a contract signed, I will not assume. There are stories on the internet where people already gave a resignation notice and the other company backed out for some reason. I decided to wait it out. It did calm my nerves a lot because even though these things still happen, it is incredibly rare and basically means the company is being a prick.

Within the day, another employer texted me if I was available for an initial interview. This was the same employer that gave me such a difficult technical exam on data that I decided not to practice data and instead focus on engineering. So, to say I was shocked is an understatement. And as I said, until there's a signed contract, I am not taking my chances - so I agreed.

The Final Day

The job offer discussion was honestly the best meeting I had that week. At the very least, it didn't feel like I was going to suddenly lose the opportunity because I said the wrong words, or my nonverbal communication was communicating the wrong things. I was a bit more relaxed.

In terms of compensation, I generally have a price floor where companies are instantly rejected if they offer something below it. I have never said much about compensation to this company before, but others want it much earlier. If you are a job seeker, I suggest not to answer it directly. Rather, say something like:

I am not incredibly comfortable giving out a number yet because I base it on a number of factors - such as benefits and career growth options.

This is much better as you're just telling the person, "I don't have enough data". Companies rarely pay below market rate. It is better to avoid the question rather than giving out a number. Fortunately, they were the first to give out a number and I immediately liked the offer.

Most negotiators would say I was stupid. While I get their point, I don't have too much to offer except my enthusiasm. I could have gotten much more, but I am not prepared to lose another opportunity after a lot has passed by already. The other companies were moving too slowly and this one really wanted me as soon as possible. It's why I took the offer because it was decent by my standards, and I wasn't willing to be anxious again.

I took the offer and signed it within the day. I finally breathed a sigh of relief after two months of being unemployed.

Rejecting the Other Companies

Now that I have signed a contract, I started to reject other companies. I was initially scheduled for an interview for Thursday. And while I could just ignore them, I don't like the idea of burning bridges this early in my career. So, I basically reached out to a few companies who I've already done an interview with and told them about my situation. It was a simple script along these lines with a few words changed here and there.

Hello! It was great to be considered at COMPANY NAME. However, I decided to accept another job offer at another company already at this point. I wish you the best in your search for a ROLE and I hope our paths cross again.

The world is a small place. Even if I don't have plans to get into some industries yet, I can meet some of these people eventually for many different reasons. If that happens, I don't want some friction in the relationship.

And with that, I was done with the job searching process. But knowing this could happen again, I decided to do some postpartum reflection.

For the Future

First, I don't think applying for jobs on job posts is effective. Out of the 100+ ones that I applied to, less than 10 gave me an initial interview. The success rate is incredibly low that if I were to do it all over again, I would focus on other methods such as reaching out to my network and going to the HR directly. I would still apply for online jobs - but I wouldn't dedicate 8 hours of my day to it as I did before. It would be treated as "just in case they actually reply". It's just so ineffective and I have two ideas as to why.

1. There are too many applicants that you are lost in the noise. I just checked my LinkedIn jobs page and there's 125 applications already for a job posted 6 days ago (~21 applicants per day). This is engineering - a highly regulated field one cannot easily enter. When I searched for data science, I noticed a job post posted 2 days ago with 337 applicants (~169 applicants per day).

   Imagine you're the HR. You are hiring for multiple positions and as such can only dedicate so much time sifting through job postings. And this is only the sorting part - you still have to interview people, orient them with what your company does, etc. If you are about to receive hundreds of applications a day for all of your job posts, you will take shortcuts. Or sometimes, you'll just ignore the online posting because there's it's Sisyphean to go through it.

   It's too much of a hassle to go through each one even for only a few seconds. You must download every resume. Even cover letters get lost in the noise because you still must download and read them. And by the time you finish, you probably have more applications to look at.

   Even if you are an amazing applicant, you will probably get lost in the noise of a hundred other people. Even if recruiters admit that a lot of those people are actually unqualified, they are still going to do a lot of filtering. And sometimes, you will get included with the filter to make the numbers manageable.

2. The automated applicant tracking system is throwing my resume away. It's no secret that companies use Applicant Tracking Systems or ATS to manage recruitment. It's such a surprise then that there is no free tool on the internet to check if a resume can pass it. The ones I checked do not work.

   As said in the previous point, recruiters get hundreds of applicants per job posting. One of the shortcuts they use is the ATS. If your resume cannot pass the ATS, it cannot go to the recruiter.

   People generally recommend simply using Microsoft Word or Google Docs and your resume will likely be parseable by ATS. I have been doing that, but I still have no guarantee that a robot decided it was unreadable.

I still have to hold out on "applying to HR directly", but I can say that job posts are usually ineffective. If you are someone who is about to apply to a million job posts, I suggest you let a machine do that for you and focus on other things because it is not worth your time.

Seriously. Pick a few job boards (LinkedIn, Glassdoor, etc.) and create a bot to do the applying for you. If you want to manually fill up things, at the very least create some autofills because you're going to be doing it a LOT before you even get one callback.

Second, LinkedIn is important. While I have always thought LinkedIn people to be annoying and fake, I still understood how important a good profile is. I did not update it too much when I was employed at my previous company but one of the first things I did after getting laid off is to update it.

I still do not know how to maximize LinkedIn as I have no intention of creating posts to humblebrag on how I rejected a USD 500k salary because I love my current job. But I am going to keep my profile as updated as possible. If a recruiter sees my profile, I want them to know whether I will be fit for the job or not. Those who do not will be ignored.

Third, a network is vital for finding a job. While I will be the first to admit that my network hasn't helped much in finding the job I want, I still found out how valuable it is in two aspects:

1. Advice and mentorship. My network gave me a ton of advice on a lot of things. One person was the reason I considered the construction industry, and another was the reason I decided to start applying in person to companies instead of just doing it online. This alone felt like it had a huge impact on my job prospects.

2. Getting more job opportunities. Most of the few companies that called me back came from my network. A friend from my previous company told me about an opportunity that opened up in another startup. Another told me about an opening in the power distribution sector. Meanwhile, another recommended me to the HR in the telecommunications industry. I might never enter these industries, but they are also opportunities I have taken and probably would have never gotten otherwise.

While my network was only decent, I did think that had I not reached out, I would have had a much harder time going through the layoff. It was brutal. Getting a lot of support and knowing I probably had it easy makes me feel bad for the rest who weren't as lucky.

To be honest, I'm just happy now that I found another job at this point. I am hoping on many things right now, but one thing I don't want to experience again is going back to the job market. I hate it.