3 Mistakes to Avoid After Being Laid Off

If you’ve been laid off, you know how tough it is to decide where to start your job search strategy. Whether you have a rainy day fund saved up or not, it can be difficult to make clear decisions because of the nature of being caught off guard in the layoff process.

However, it’s very easy to make mistakes when picking up the pieces and making your next best move after being laid off.

By the end of this post, you’ll have a better understanding of what to do and, more importantly, what not to do in order to develop your job search strategy and activate your network so you have everything you need to elevate your job search strategy.

What not to do after being laid off

1st Mistake to Avoid After Being Laid Off: Bad-mouthing your former employer. 

When you bad-mouth your former employer after a layoff, it sounds like you’re taking it personally when a layoff is not personal. 

It’s the exact opposite. 

It will also showcase to other potential employers that you won’t hesitate to bad-mouth them either. And why would someone want to hire someone who speaks ill of their organization? 

Most importantly, bad-mouthing your former employer deters the conversation from being focused on supporting your job search. For example, let’s say you have 5 minutes or less to speak with someone in your network. If you spend all of that time speaking ill of your former employer, that means you didn’t spend any time sharing with them what type of role you’re looking for and how they can support you.

2nd Mistake to Avoid After Being Laid Off: Going into isolation / not leaning on your network.

It’s easy to want to be alone after being laid off. And while taking alone time is perfectly fine, you want to be sure and balance it so that you also take time to lean on your network.

People love to be helpful. Let them!

One of my mentors always says, “closed mouths don’t get fed.” and she’s right. People won’t know how to help you if you don’t ask. People in your network know that you're being laid off has nothing to do with your skills and your capabilities. 

Get out there and get ahead of the crowds of others who have been laid off. Start sharing what type of roles you’re looking for and how people can best support your job search.

If you know that you need to build your network to support your job search, but you need to figure out where to start to meet your first 1 or 2 people, I created a free 30-day Networking Planner where I take you through 30 days of strategic networking. I go through the things you need to do to ensure you build authentic relationships with people in your dream career to ensure you’re uniquely positioned to be recommended for the exact type of job you want to land. Download your 30-day Networking Planner today. 

The 3rd Mistake to Avoid After Being Laid Off: is not having an elevator pitch for your job search.

Without an elevator pitch, you won’t be ready when people ask what you do and how they can help. To empower people in your network to support your job search journey, you must be prepared to clearly and succinctly articulate your workplace value and the type of work you want to do. 

People want to help you, but it is helpful if you make it easier for them to do so. 

The elevator pitch is a quick 1-2 minute phrasing of what you are looking for and why.  

Without the elevator pitch, you will come off as vague and unclear. 

So let’s get you ready to shine!

Use this formula to craft your elevator pitch today!

What you do + How it helps a company + Why you love doing the work. 

Here’s an example using the formula.

I’m a connector. The depth of my career, I have honed in on the ability to work cross-functionally to problem solve and build sustainability within the projects I manage. I love doing this type of work because I’m a big believer in teamwork.

In that example, I’m describing a project manager role but doing it in a more memorable way using the formula I laid out.

Those are the 3 mistakes to avoid and what to do when you have been laid off.

But here’s a bonus for one for you. One final mistake you really don’t want to make; it’s not having the resources you need to support your job search journey. That’s why I’m sharing a quick video showing tools to support your job search and save time. Learn about the 3 Useful Job Search Tools You Didn't Know Existed today.

I’m cheering for you and wishing you much success on your career journey.