Navigating Job Layoffs
Navigating job layoffs can be a difficult and time-consuming process. As someone who has dealt with being laid off twice before the age of twenty-six, I know the fear, pain, confusion, and sadness that comes with job loss. It can be a very disorienting experience and make someone feel quite lost. For most of us, our careers are an important part of our lives, especially because we spend the majority of our life working and spend more time working with our colleagues than we do with our own families. It can be easy to let our career become our sole identity, rather than a part of our lives. I have heard it said that “Our career is not who we are, but something we do.” I like that quote because I feel that it helps us remember that while our career holds significance, it shouldn’t be more important than our family, friends, hobbies, and other things that we hold dear to ourselves. When I was young, I definitely thought my career path was going to be very linear and I would easily climb the corporate ladder, but I’ve realized that’s not how most of our careers unfold. I remember seeing a post on LinkedIn that said no job is a lifetime arrangement and I think this is a good concept to keep in mind.
The first time I was laid off was when I was twenty-two years old and I remember feeling very shocked, disappointed, and lost. I was working at a part-time human resources job and unfortunately wasn’t needed anymore as they hired more people. Like most people, I have worked very hard to get my foot in the door and have dealt with a lot of rejection. It was hard because I felt that I put a lot of work in at that company and felt that my hard work was wasted. After taking the time to process the job layoff and feeling a myriad of emotions, I realize I learned a lot and can take those lessons with me throughout my entire career. I feel that layoffs show us that it’s time to leave that company and have a new experience. It can also be a sign to change career paths or take your life in a new direction.
Later when I was twenty-five years old, I was laid off from my first full-time marketing job because my company got acquired by a larger company. I remember feeling very disappointed learning the news and again feeling that I just kept encountering more roadblocks in my career. It brought up questions about whether I was on the right career path in my life and what is my life purpose? I think these are all questions most of us struggle with and it may take a while to understand our life purpose. Some people know what their purpose in life is early on and some people take a while to figure it out. Overall, I feel that each job/experience we have helps us figure out what we should do with our lives.
Layoffs can be very challenging and stressful, but I do think they propel us into a new future that we may not have explored if it didn’t happen. Layoffs can also show us the importance of taking care of our health and making sure we don’t neglect ourselves. I saw on LinkedIn a post about the 85% rule that discusses giving only 85% of our effort and focus into our careers rather than 100% as not to get burned out. I think this is good advice because it can be very easy to burn ourselves out and it can be hard to recover. Overall, while our careers play an important role in our lives, they shouldn’t be our sole focus. Life is more beautiful when it’s balanced rather than in extremes. Spending time with family and friends and having new life experiences is essential.
I also wanted to share some layoff resources that I have found helpful over the years:
Keep a Career Archive of All Your Work Samples, Reviews, Contacts, and Projects
Worker’s Guide to Advance Notice of Closings and Layoffs
How to Survive Losing Your Job and Moving On
What To Do When You're Laid Off
