Speaker 1: LinkedIn News. I had just moved to New York and
Speaker 1: then a layoff happened and I was like, oh crap,
Speaker 1: I can't get a job. What is it for me?
Speaker 1: I called up my mom. I was like, I'm going
Speaker 1: to come back to DC. She was like, I will
Speaker 1: help you, you know, pay your rent if you need it,
Speaker 1: I will help you, but I am not going to
Speaker 1: allow you to come back here. You you have something
Speaker 1: that you need to do in New York. And Mommy,
Speaker 1: if you're listening to this episode, from the bottom of
Speaker 1: my heart, oh my god, I'm gonna get teary eyed,
Speaker 1: but like it, I am so thankful because she's knew
Speaker 1: that if I had given up on that dream, then like,
Speaker 1: had I moved back home to DC, I wouldn't be
Speaker 1: here with you. I wouldn't be on LinkedIn. There's so
Speaker 1: many things that would be different in my life.
Speaker 2: From LinkedIn News and I heard podcasts.
Speaker 3: This is Let's Talk Offline, a show about what it
Speaker 3: takes to thrive in the early years of your career
Speaker 3: without sacrificing your values, sanity or sleep.
Speaker 2: I'm Gianna Prdente and.
Speaker 1: I'm Jamaie Jackson Gadsden. So guys, today we're going to
Speaker 1: be talking about something that's kind of uncomfortable and it's
Speaker 1: also scary. Layoffs. They're unexpected and they're super anxiety inducing,
Speaker 1: and I mean, honestly, we hope you never have to
Speaker 1: experience one in your career, but your work bestie Jamay
Speaker 1: is going to tell you if someone who has gone
Speaker 1: through four that the reality is we've seen a lot
Speaker 1: of layoffs these past few years, and they've also hit
Speaker 1: many different industries.
Speaker 3: It really is rough out there and super scary to
Speaker 3: know that an employer can kind of just drop you
Speaker 3: on a dime. Layoffs can feel out of your control,
Speaker 3: and that's because they largely are. But what you can
Speaker 3: do is be prepared. That's what we're going to talk
Speaker 3: about today. We're gonna help you deal with the uncertainty
Speaker 3: of possibly getting laid off and share what to do
Speaker 3: if it actually happens.
Speaker 1: So I know a lot of you guys have probably
Speaker 1: seen on social media that people are posting their layoff
Speaker 1: stories more and more. It's really interesting because I remember
Speaker 1: time when we weren't talking about layoffs so publicly, and
Speaker 1: I would just say, over the last couple of years,
Speaker 1: in particular, I've been seeing a lot of people share
Speaker 1: their stories, some even going as far as recording the
Speaker 1: actual moment they get laid off and posting it online. Now,
Speaker 1: there's been a lot of layoffs in different industries over
Speaker 1: the years, and I know how daunting and scary that
Speaker 1: can feel. But it's been really also nice to see
Speaker 1: how people are talking about it in such an open way.
Speaker 1: I think what it's doing is it's allowing for a
Speaker 1: lot of community and support and also for you to
Speaker 1: just understand this is not just the me thing, like
Speaker 1: I am in this shared experience with other people. So Gion,
Speaker 1: I want to ask you, like, have you ever gone
Speaker 1: through a layoff?
Speaker 3: So I've never been laid off myself, but now being
Speaker 3: three years into my career, I've experienced the past, you know,
Speaker 3: two years of all of those layoffs that were happening
Speaker 3: across industries, and they happen at LinkedIn, and that was
Speaker 3: when I was like, Okay, wow, this is really hitting
Speaker 3: close to home. Obviously, there's a lot of anxiety when
Speaker 3: it comes to layoffs. You hear chatter online. I mean
Speaker 3: there's like a lot of websites for people who work
Speaker 3: in tech and people are commenting, you know, I think
Speaker 3: layoffs are happening, and it just I'm on those apps,
Speaker 3: so listen, I'm not because it was just creating more anxiety.
Speaker 3: So when layoffs happened, people were like, oh, how did
Speaker 3: you not anticipate this?
Speaker 2: And I'm like, I'm not on those sites, like I can't,
Speaker 2: I can't.
Speaker 3: So you know, it just creates a lot of anxiety.
Speaker 3: And I remember when layoffs were happening at our company,
Speaker 3: I had just moved out and I remember sitting in
Speaker 3: my apartment reading that email, thinking, crap, what if I'm next? Right,
Speaker 3: because you feel so out of the know, and it
Speaker 3: can feel sometimes super out of the blue, and it
Speaker 3: affects the entire you know, vibe of the team and
Speaker 3: the larger company, right, and then just that general anxiety
Speaker 3: of are there going to be more?
Speaker 2: Is it going to be me next? And I think
Speaker 2: for me it was.
Speaker 3: A real wake up call of like, Okay, things can
Speaker 3: change on a dime, So you need to.
Speaker 2: Be proactive with your work.
Speaker 3: If something's not working, don't wait for someone to tell you.
Speaker 2: You got to shift it yourself.
Speaker 1: Yeah, I totally agree. I think something that a lot
Speaker 1: of people don't talk about when it comes to layoffs
Speaker 1: is survivor's guilt, which is what you me so many
Speaker 1: people experience right where you are not impacted by the layoff,
Speaker 1: but you feel so guilty because now you're asking yourself, well,
Speaker 1: why was this person? You know, these are some of
Speaker 1: your friends or your colleagues, people who have been in
Speaker 1: companies for a long time, right, and there's just all
Speaker 1: these questions. And the truth of the matter is there
Speaker 1: are more questions than answers usually. Now for me, I
Speaker 1: have been on the other side of this.
Speaker 4: I have.
Speaker 1: Survived for layoffs, and I've also been impacked by one.
Speaker 1: And the one that I was impacted by hurt the
Speaker 1: worst because I had just moved to New York and
Speaker 1: I had actually just moved out of my friend's apartment
Speaker 1: into my own spot with roommates. So I was feeling like, oh, yes,
Speaker 1: I'm a big girl now, like I can you know,
Speaker 1: I'm paying rent, utilities, all the things, and like I
Speaker 1: my own room. And then a layoff happened and I
Speaker 1: was like, oh crap, and I was out of work
Speaker 1: for over six months. Now. I had a really great
Speaker 1: severance package that essentially paid for like six months worth,
Speaker 1: so it was nice, you know, I think for me.
Speaker 1: I first got in there and I was trying to
Speaker 1: get a job immediately right, and then I realized, oh,
Speaker 1: this is harder than I thought. And around month one
Speaker 1: then the depression kicks in because now I'm like, holy crap,
Speaker 1: I've moved to New York. I can't get a job.
Speaker 1: What is it for me? I called up my mom.
Speaker 1: I was like, I'm going to come back to DC.
Speaker 1: Like by month two, I was over it. She was like,
Speaker 1: I will help you, you know, pay your rent if
Speaker 1: you need it, I will help you, but I am
Speaker 1: not going to allow you to come back here. You
Speaker 1: have something that you need to do in New York.
Speaker 1: And Mommy, if you're listening to this episode from the
Speaker 1: bottom of my heart, oh my god, I'm gonna get teary.
Speaker 5: I but like it.
Speaker 1: I am so thankful because she's knew that if I
Speaker 1: had given up on that dream then So I say
Speaker 1: all of that because a moment, momentary circumstance doesn't dictate
Speaker 1: your future. Right Like, had I moved back home to DC,
Speaker 1: I wouldn't be here with you, I wouldn't be at LinkedIn.
Speaker 1: There's so many things that would be different in my life.
Speaker 1: But the layoffs that I survived are also difficult. One
Speaker 1: the survivor's guilt that I talked about. Two. Usually when
Speaker 1: you have a reduction in workforce, and if a layoff
Speaker 1: is the reason why, it's not like they're immediately backfilling
Speaker 1: those roles. So you put a lot of pressure then
Speaker 1: on the people who are left.
Speaker 3: Yeah, and we saw that especially over the past few years,
Speaker 3: because a lot of the layups were due to budget
Speaker 3: cuts exactly.
Speaker 1: And then you also have issues where like if a
Speaker 1: particular industry is being impacted, now you're getting droves of people,
Speaker 1: Like it's wild to me sometimes when I'm talking to
Speaker 1: my friends who particularly don't work in tech, because in
Speaker 1: their minds, they're not processing, Oh, all these tech companies
Speaker 1: have essentially over hired right after the pandemic, and they're
Speaker 1: like they can't conceptualize it. Whereas we're hearing ten, fifteen,
Speaker 1: thirty thousand people getting laid off, and then you're worried
Speaker 1: because you're like, oh, gosh, now all those people out
Speaker 1: in the job market, and so like, now you know
Speaker 1: for every job there's.
Speaker 2: Five thousand competition.
Speaker 1: Yeah, And so I would definitely say like surviving layoffs
Speaker 1: has not been easy, but I think for me, what
Speaker 1: helped me get through the one, particularly with our company,
Speaker 1: was I had been through so many I knew how
Speaker 1: this was going to play out right, Like it's almost
Speaker 1: like a rinse and repeat. I know how this is
Speaker 1: about to feel. I know how this is about to go.
Speaker 1: I know the space that we're going to have to
Speaker 1: hold for other people. So again, layoffs are not easy
Speaker 1: for anyone out there who's been impacted. My heart goes out.
Speaker 1: I know what it feels like. But take it from
Speaker 1: your work bestiage. You may you will get through this.
Speaker 1: You will survive this. I hope this episode is going
Speaker 1: to be helpful for you, and also do see that
Speaker 1: this could also be a positive redirection that pushes you
Speaker 1: into something even bigger, better, in something that will blow
Speaker 1: your mind.
Speaker 3: I appreciate that perspective because as somebody who is early
Speaker 3: in my career and hasn't experience that personally being laid off.
Speaker 3: I mean, my voice literally just quivers thinking about that
Speaker 3: happening to me. And like I was saying earlier, when
Speaker 3: layoffs hit the company, I thought, holy crap, am my next?
Speaker 3: And it really did get me thinking, you know, what
Speaker 3: would I do if this was me? And especially around
Speaker 3: that time, there were so many headlines around layoffs, like
Speaker 3: you couldn't ignore it, And so I started thinking, and
Speaker 3: I hadn't given you know, enough thought to it, probably,
Speaker 3: but I started thinking, you know, what would I do?
Speaker 3: Because honestly, like, if I'm being transparent, my initial reaction
Speaker 3: would be like to freak the heck out, Like I
Speaker 3: would freak out, like I would have a full blown
Speaker 3: panic attack. And I mean, you don't have a salary anymore,
Speaker 3: and you have expenses, and that's so terrifying. And I
Speaker 3: think what's so unsettling about, you know, being in an
Speaker 3: atmosphere of layoffs is like people are having conversations about
Speaker 3: you when you're not in that room, and that is
Speaker 3: such a horrible, unsettling feeling. So yeah, yeah, I think,
Speaker 3: you know, if you're early in your career and you're
Speaker 3: listening to this and you haven't been laid off and
Speaker 3: you feel this way too, you know, like, what would
Speaker 3: I do if that is an experience that I have?
Speaker 2: At some point?
Speaker 3: We're going to talk today about the steps that you
Speaker 3: can take to kind of create a plan, because listen,
Speaker 3: I need one, you need one, So hopefully we can
Speaker 3: figure this.
Speaker 2: All out together.
Speaker 1: All this layoff talk makes me nervous, But what helps
Speaker 1: is having a strategy coming up. We're going to talk
Speaker 1: about the things you should consider. I'm putting together your
Speaker 1: layoff plan. All right, guys, So we are back and
Speaker 1: we are going to be talking about how to deal
Speaker 1: with the anxiety of possibly getting laid off, as well
Speaker 1: as what to do if you actually are. Now the
Speaker 1: reality is, when it comes to layoffs, the first thing
Speaker 1: you're probably going to experience is layoff anxiety, and that's
Speaker 1: the feeling of uncertainty and at the thought of possibly
Speaker 1: getting laid off. It doesn't even have to actually have
Speaker 1: happened yet, it's the fear of it.
Speaker 2: Yeah.
Speaker 3: Maybe you know you're starting to hear rumors about possible layoffs,
Speaker 3: or your company isn't doing well financially, so you're thinking, okay,
Speaker 3: are cuts coming? Maybe they already have started doing layoffs
Speaker 3: and you're wondering, okay, am I next that layoff anxiety
Speaker 3: can really affect the overall work environment and the morale
Speaker 3: of the team, but also your work. Right, it's really
Speaker 3: hard to focus when you're concerned that your job isn't safe.
Speaker 3: And we all have the right to feel scared during
Speaker 3: such an uncertain time. So, Jimmie, I'm wondering from you,
Speaker 3: as somebody who's experienced for layoffs in your career, how
Speaker 3: have you dealt with that anxiety of potentially being laid off.
Speaker 1: Yeah, there's a couple of things that I would recommend.
Speaker 1: First of all, lean on your community and your network.
Speaker 1: One thing that a friend of mine told me years
Speaker 1: ago was that she, having worked in HR, would be
Speaker 1: in rooms with people and when it was time for layoffs.
Speaker 1: Sometimes the one thing that separated a candidate being laid
Speaker 1: off and not is the rapport that that candidate may
Speaker 1: have had with their team. So if you are someone
Speaker 1: who comes in you do great work, you have, you know,
Speaker 1: sown seeds across the company. People can attest to your.
Speaker 2: Characters seeds like.
Speaker 1: Some sunlight on them, don't kill them. Now, I don't
Speaker 1: have a green thumb, but like, sometimes it would be
Speaker 1: that small right, And so obviously that doesn't apply for
Speaker 1: every opportunity, that doesn't apply for every layoff. But I
Speaker 1: have always carried that with me, that your community will
Speaker 1: rally for you, and your community will show up. So
Speaker 1: lean on your community and network. I mean, especially if
Speaker 1: you can start to read the tea leaves and it's
Speaker 1: starting to show something weird. Make sure you are connecting
Speaker 1: with those coworkers, your mentors, your family, your friends, set
Speaker 1: up those informationals right, start acting as if you were
Speaker 1: already looking for another job. You don't have to go
Speaker 1: as hard as if you are. But you can always
Speaker 1: operate in a season of networking. And yeah, definitely always
Speaker 1: getting laid off is not an uncommon experience, and so
Speaker 1: more than likely you are going to probably also find
Speaker 1: people who are gonna talk, who are gonna also share
Speaker 1: their layoff stories. Another thing that I think is super
Speaker 1: important is like thinking about that post layoff game plan.
Speaker 1: Do you need to sit down and you need to
Speaker 1: come up with some type of plan. Okay, this is
Speaker 1: gonna help you feel sure. This is when all of
Speaker 1: my structured girlies come to the front. Okay, because this
Speaker 1: is when you can be doing things like updating your resume, obviously,
Speaker 1: updating your LinkedIn right, sharing your portfolio, writing up your skills,
Speaker 1: looking and researching what resources are readily available to you.
Speaker 1: So this is gonna help set you up so that
Speaker 1: even if you are faced with the possibility of getting
Speaker 1: laid off, you know that if that happens, you are
Speaker 1: in a position where you have everything you need another thing,
Speaker 1: go and get those recommendations. You know, we always love
Speaker 1: to hit somebody up after we're like hey, big hey,
Speaker 1: can you like be like someone who like if they
Speaker 1: call you, like, be like how you said earlier, be
Speaker 1: on the offense. Gather those things up as you can.
Speaker 1: And then the last thing I would just say is like,
Speaker 1: know how to tune out the noise For me, I
Speaker 1: love to journal, I love to create vision manifestation boards. Right,
Speaker 1: do something that makes you not focus so much on
Speaker 1: what the apps are saying, right, because you will. You
Speaker 1: will fake news, right, You will literally like gaslight yourself
Speaker 1: into an anxiety attack. Like you don't need.
Speaker 2: That, Yeah, exactly, Like.
Speaker 1: If it's gonna happen, it's gonna happen. You stressing out
Speaker 1: and looking every single day looking at the calendar seeing
Speaker 1: like it's today d day, Like no, it's not to
Speaker 1: go work, So like just focus on what you can
Speaker 1: do and prepare yourself with your community.
Speaker 3: And I want to add something that I appreciated when
Speaker 3: we had Jeanine Dolne on the show talking about side
Speaker 3: hustles a few episodes back, So make sure you guys
Speaker 3: listen to that if you haven't already. But she talked
Speaker 3: about being laid off and how kind of was the
Speaker 3: turning point for her to go full time into content creation.
Speaker 3: And I feel like with gen Z being a generation
Speaker 3: that has so openly embraced side hustles, it's a time
Speaker 3: to really focus.
Speaker 2: On that other work, that side gig.
Speaker 3: Right, So, like, if you're somebody who has a side
Speaker 3: hustle or has a hobby that is important to you,
Speaker 3: focus your efforts there and your energy there because that
Speaker 3: could potentially be something that you can fall back on
Speaker 3: if you know you are laid off.
Speaker 1: Yeah, and now you have the time, right, you have
Speaker 1: the time, maybe you have the resources, especially if you've
Speaker 1: gotten like a severance package, like go all in on
Speaker 1: your dream because you never know where that can go.
Speaker 3: Yeah, And I think also it's like a reminder that
Speaker 3: there's life outside of work, and there's other things you know,
Speaker 3: to put your energy toward that can be a little
Speaker 3: bit of an escape. Okay, So now let's say unfortunately
Speaker 3: the layoff happens and you're impacted. We're going to walk
Speaker 3: you through what to do, the steps you should take listen.
Speaker 3: Being on the jobs and career development beat for early careers,
Speaker 3: I've been so thrown into content around layoffs. The biggest
Speaker 3: thing has been this idea of pausing. I mentioned if
Speaker 3: I were to be laid off, I would panic freak out.
Speaker 3: I would probably transparently panic apply. That's not the most
Speaker 3: effective way to start job surging. So this idea of like, first,
Speaker 3: take a breath, take a beat. It can feel really
Speaker 3: overwhelming when you get laid off, and you know, feel
Speaker 3: those feelings, right like, take a second and grieve. Honestly,
Speaker 3: you know, I feel very closely tied to the company
Speaker 3: where I currently work, in passionate about my work. So
Speaker 3: I would literally have to like grieve losing the job
Speaker 3: and also be kind to yourself, you know, give yourself
Speaker 3: some space to acknowledge what has happened, protect your mental health,
Speaker 3: do what you need to do so that you are
Speaker 3: then ready to start looking for jobs. And also remember
Speaker 3: during this time that layoffs are not a reflection of
Speaker 3: your skills, your experience, your talents, right like. Unfortunately, a
Speaker 3: lot of times like are just a consequence of unfortunate circumstances.
Speaker 3: What's happening in the economy and it's not a reflection
Speaker 3: of your worth, So keep your head up, don't let
Speaker 3: it knock your confidence, and then it's time to start,
Speaker 3: you know, looking at those resources and start job searching.
Speaker 1: Yeah. I really appreciate you sharing that, g because I
Speaker 1: think we always have to remember that, like, at the
Speaker 1: end of the day, these are corporations that we do
Speaker 1: work for, but like you also need to take a
Speaker 1: step back, take a pause, and remember that your worth
Speaker 1: is not attached to your work. So let's also talk
Speaker 1: about resources. Though. The first thing that I would definitely
Speaker 1: recommend is navigating government assistance. Y'all. I really want to
Speaker 1: make sure you are listening for this part, okay, because
Speaker 1: this is so important and these are mistakes that I
Speaker 1: made the first time I got laid off. There's a
Speaker 1: lot of government resources that you can rely on if
Speaker 1: you're laid off.
Speaker 2: Okay.
Speaker 1: The biggest one unemployment insurance. Okay. Each state is gonna
Speaker 1: have their own requirements, so you're gonna definitely have to
Speaker 1: make sure you check that out in the qualification criteria.
Speaker 1: But please look into applying. No matter what, a lot
Speaker 1: of people will be like, oh no, I'm a find
Speaker 1: another job, baby, apply, Okay, just make sure that you
Speaker 1: cover yourself. Links to all of that is also going
Speaker 1: to be in the show description, so make sure you
Speaker 1: guys check that out.
Speaker 2: Wait, so I have a good question on that.
Speaker 3: Can you still apply for unemployment insurance if you're getting
Speaker 3: severance from your company?
Speaker 1: Great question. So it actually depends on the state, which
Speaker 1: is why everyone's going to need to make sure that
Speaker 1: they check out the criteria.
Speaker 2: Gotcha.
Speaker 1: Yeah, So the government will actually offer you a stipend
Speaker 1: for the number of weeks depending on your state while
Speaker 1: you look for another job, which is always great. Another
Speaker 1: thing to look into is health insurance. Now, look, y'all,
Speaker 1: I used to be twenty three once before, ok two,
Speaker 1: I thought I was inevitably gonna stay young forever. And
Speaker 1: then I cracked my knee. And then I'm like, what
Speaker 1: my knees crack in the morning? Now, okay, wait, I
Speaker 1: know what age?
Speaker 2: Were your knees cracking like this?
Speaker 1: I have never had strong kneed? Can Meg the Stallion
Speaker 1: have never been the same person. But I say all
Speaker 1: of that to say that health insurance matters.
Speaker 4: Right.
Speaker 1: You do not want to be out here without health insurance.
Speaker 1: And then something comes up, So applying for health insurance
Speaker 1: is all going to vary by state. You know, you
Speaker 1: have a lot of common options, including Cobra, which a
Speaker 1: lot of people have heard about, or you can even
Speaker 1: shop the healthcare dot gov marketplace. One thing that I
Speaker 1: will definitely emphasize here is more than likely when you
Speaker 1: are let go, you will have a conversation with HR.
Speaker 1: Usually it either might be with HR or it might
Speaker 1: be your manager. It depends also on the company size
Speaker 1: and how many people they have to get through. If
Speaker 1: you have the opportunity to talk to HR directly ask
Speaker 1: them questions. In that moment, you are going to probably
Speaker 1: want to stop thinking, you're going to zone out, You're
Speaker 1: going to dissociate, right. You need to stay present and
Speaker 1: in the moment and level headed and ask the questions
Speaker 1: because your HR professional is going to be able to
Speaker 1: tell you where to look and even how much longer
Speaker 1: you have health insurance for right.
Speaker 3: Yeah, that's such an important call out. And I feel
Speaker 3: like when you were talking before about your layoff game
Speaker 3: plan to start when you're crafting that during that anxiety period,
Speaker 3: you should write out the question that you would ask,
Speaker 3: because I'm sure during that conversation your mind goes blank.
Speaker 2: So prepare those questions ahead of time.
Speaker 1: Yes, and then lastly, I'll say look into subsidize training programs.
Speaker 1: I think that when you are not working, that is
Speaker 1: a great time for you to start upskilling and like
Speaker 1: learning other things. This might be a time where, for instance,
Speaker 1: if you want to break into tech, taking a coding
Speaker 1: class or learning what SEQL queries are, there are a
Speaker 1: lot of training programs that offer it subsidized, which means
Speaker 1: like you know, maybe like pro rated or discount of
Speaker 1: depending on how much you make. And you might even
Speaker 1: be able to find programs that help you develop new
Speaker 1: skills or improve the ones you already have. Also, you
Speaker 1: might work for a company that offers that. You know,
Speaker 1: I have worked at other companies where a certain period
Speaker 1: of months after you've been laid off, they will help
Speaker 1: you search for another job right or send you resources.
Speaker 1: So again, these are questions you can ask HR, but
Speaker 1: also include that in your game plan of this as
Speaker 1: to things that you should follow up on, because this
Speaker 1: is the important stuff. Guys like I know we're gonna
Speaker 1: want to be sad girls, and we can be okay,
Speaker 1: g and I are not telling you can't. We want
Speaker 1: to be proactive sad girls.
Speaker 3: Okay, I want to bring up a question from one
Speaker 3: of our listeners. This is our segment Dear Work Bestie,
Speaker 3: where we answer your questions. This week's comes from nine
Speaker 3: in New York.
Speaker 5: I love to know how soon are you supposed to
Speaker 5: start looking after a layoff? Obviously it depends on each
Speaker 5: person's situation, but would love some general guidelines. Also, how
Speaker 5: do you offer support to colleagues who are laid off
Speaker 5: when you weren't affected yourself, even to those that you
Speaker 5: weren't that close to.
Speaker 3: This is such a great question, and I feel like
Speaker 3: one that a lot of people have is when do
Speaker 3: I start job searching? And like I said before, panic
Speaker 3: applying is not the most effective strategy, but understandably so
Speaker 3: some people have to start applying immediately. In general, I
Speaker 3: think that brief pause is still important, even if it's
Speaker 3: just you know, a few minutes, like just take a
Speaker 3: second to breathe and okay, what is my next step?
Speaker 3: When you decide to start looking for a job is
Speaker 3: of course going to be dependent on your financial situation.
Speaker 3: So if you're receiving severance after getting laid off, or
Speaker 3: have a lot of savings, maybe you don't need to
Speaker 3: jump into that job search right away and you can
Speaker 3: take a break, But maybe you don't have you know,
Speaker 3: the financial backing to be able to afford that break,
Speaker 3: so you have to start looking for a job immediately.
Speaker 3: Either way, evaluating your finances is a really good starting
Speaker 3: point that will help you figure out when do I
Speaker 3: need to start looking for a job. Another thing to consider,
Speaker 3: which is why I think this pause period is so important,
Speaker 3: is maybe this, you know, layoff is a chance for
Speaker 3: you to pivot right We've seen that a lot over
Speaker 3: the last few years. Workers are getting laid off in
Speaker 3: one industry and finding jobs in another. So it's your
Speaker 3: opportunity to decide is this the right career path for me?
Speaker 3: Looking back on your work history or looking back on
Speaker 3: just that previous job, thinking what did I like about this,
Speaker 3: what did I not like? And how does that inform
Speaker 3: what I want in a future opportunity? And maybe that
Speaker 3: means like I want to go to a whole new
Speaker 3: industry right like I don't even want to stay in
Speaker 3: this role anymore.
Speaker 1: Let me just add to that, g that that is
Speaker 1: such an important thing for you to ask yourself. That
Speaker 1: is exactly what I did when when I kept getting
Speaker 1: impacted by layoffs in media, particularly in journalism. I was like,
Speaker 1: I love this so much, but I need something with
Speaker 1: a little bit more security.
Speaker 6: Yeah.
Speaker 1: I was like, I can't do this, and asking yourself
Speaker 1: that question might actually save you a lot of heartache
Speaker 1: down the future. I was able to pivot and I
Speaker 1: get the best of both worlds now.
Speaker 3: Yeah, and that's part of it too, Like, even if
Speaker 3: you personally don't want to maybe pivot, you might think
Speaker 3: for my career and whatever my goals are, it might
Speaker 3: be best for me to, you know, find a more
Speaker 3: stable path.
Speaker 2: Yeah.
Speaker 3: And then of course, once you start applying and you're
Speaker 3: going through the interview process, you are going to be
Speaker 3: asked what happened if let's say it's a shorter stint
Speaker 3: on your resume. So let's say you were at a
Speaker 3: company for a year or so or less than that
Speaker 3: and you were laid off. You know, the good news
Speaker 3: is that companies now don't look at getting laid off
Speaker 3: as a red flag. It's unfortunately become so common that
Speaker 3: it's not, you know, something that's going to stand out
Speaker 3: too much on your resume, especially in this job market.
Speaker 3: You know, you just have to say, unfortunately, I was
Speaker 3: laid off. And if you decided to take let's say
Speaker 3: a few months off in between your job and finding
Speaker 3: a new ones you have a break. You can explain
Speaker 3: the situation to you know, the potential employer by saying,
Speaker 3: you know why you decided to take that break, and
Speaker 3: what you learned during it, what did you gain from it,
Speaker 3: what clarity did that give you? And during that time,
Speaker 3: you know, did you take advantage of you know, upscilling
Speaker 3: programs and keeping your skills fresh. Just keep it short, simple,
Speaker 3: and answer honestly.
Speaker 1: Yeah. Okay. So going back to NIC's question on how
Speaker 1: to offer support to colleagues who have been laid off.
Speaker 1: So the first thing I think is important is to
Speaker 1: reassure them that a layoff again does not reflect their
Speaker 1: competency or talent. And you can do that by acknowledging
Speaker 1: all the work that they've done, I mean, all the
Speaker 1: work that they've done to help you, all the work
Speaker 1: they've done to help the company, or even what you
Speaker 1: appreciate about them as a coworker. Next, and this is
Speaker 1: super important, take a step back and listen. Everybody is
Speaker 1: so quick to offer advice and it pisses me. Yeah,
Speaker 1: it pisses me off.
Speaker 2: Only because you don't like unsolicited advice.
Speaker 1: Unknowing, you know, Gianna, I love it as much as
Speaker 1: I love yapping.
Speaker 2: It all comes.
Speaker 1: Yapping. But I think that, like sometimes we forget that
Speaker 1: when someone is grieving, because this is grief. Sometimes you
Speaker 1: just need to offer a space to listen. And maybe
Speaker 1: in that moment they're not in the right heart posture
Speaker 1: to receive feedback yet or advice. Maybe they just need
Speaker 1: to be angry, maybe they just need to grieve, Maybe
Speaker 1: they just need to be sad, maybe they need to
Speaker 1: go through all their emotions. Be there to listen, don't
Speaker 1: be quick to offer advice or ask what their next
Speaker 1: steps are. Be there as a supportive person. But then
Speaker 1: when you do get asked for advice, make sure that
Speaker 1: it is specific and actionable. It can be something as
Speaker 1: simple as if you ever need a talk, I'm here,
Speaker 1: or let's say, for instance, you are a really great writer,
Speaker 1: help your friends craft their about me section on LinkedIn right,
Speaker 1: help people review their resumes, like utilize your network and resources.
Speaker 1: But make sure that it is specific versus being just general,
Speaker 1: which really can almost help nobody. And I would just say,
Speaker 1: like that helps take the pressure off of that person
Speaker 1: without having to figure out like how they can lean
Speaker 1: on you. But then it also kind of helps them
Speaker 1: feel a little less overwhelmed because they know they have community.
Speaker 1: So if you're going to offer, be specific.
Speaker 3: Yeah, and it's just one less thing for them to
Speaker 3: have to think about exactly.
Speaker 5: Yeah.
Speaker 1: Okay, So guys, look, I know this is a lot
Speaker 1: of information. I know we have thrown so much at
Speaker 1: you today, but again, there's going to be a ton
Speaker 1: of resources down in the show description, so definitely make
Speaker 1: sure you check the show description. And if you need
Speaker 1: more advice on how to handle layoffs, one of our
Speaker 1: own LinkedIn editors, Andrew Semen, has a great podcast called
Speaker 1: get Hired with tons of amazing tips on how to
Speaker 1: navigate job lost, so definitely make sure you check that
Speaker 1: out as well. Lastly, if you've been laid off and
Speaker 1: you want to share your experience, comment in this week's
Speaker 1: newsletter or even create a post and at Gianna and me,
Speaker 1: we would love to hear your stories. I mean, honestly,
Speaker 1: I hope that some of the tips that gian and
Speaker 1: I were able to share today will help you actually
Speaker 1: prepare for this a little bit more. But listen to
Speaker 1: me when I say this, you are not at the
Speaker 1: mercy of what happens to you. You can be proactive
Speaker 1: and prepared in the event you are ever impacted by
Speaker 1: a layoff.
Speaker 3: Layoffs are definitely scary, but just know that you've got
Speaker 3: this and we've got your back up.
Speaker 2: Next.
Speaker 3: Do you know one word that makes me nervous?
Speaker 2: Hey? That's it.
Speaker 3: Just Hey, we're gonna talk about why after the break.
Speaker 1: So normally we close out our show sharing our like
Speaker 1: final takeaways, but I want to change it up a
Speaker 1: little bit this week, and Gianna, I want to put
Speaker 1: the spotlight on you. Okay, you started off the episode
Speaker 1: talking about how you've never been directly impacted by a layoffs.
Speaker 1: You've seen colleagues get impacted and what that did for you,
Speaker 1: and you are in a position I think a lot
Speaker 1: of other people in their early career are right, which
Speaker 1: is like, you've heard of layoffs, you've seen them play
Speaker 1: out on social media. You kind of always have this
Speaker 1: little fear that it's going to come knocking on your door.
Speaker 1: I want to know after today and all the things
Speaker 1: that we've discussed, like, what are some of the takeaways
Speaker 1: that you are taking, What is your game plan? What
Speaker 1: is the Giona game plan.
Speaker 2: Oh God in the hot seat for this now.
Speaker 3: You know. I think the biggest thing that I'm taking
Speaker 3: away from our conversation is that layoffs are something that
Speaker 3: so many people experience, so you are not alone in that.
Speaker 3: I feel like that's very comforting to know. I do,
Speaker 3: you know, admittedly think that it would hurt a lot,
Speaker 3: but I think this conversation has really shown me the
Speaker 3: importance of having a game plan. You know, I've clearly
Speaker 3: given some thought to this, but I don't have anything.
Speaker 2: Like actually fleshed out. And he just said, my resume
Speaker 2: is collecting us right now.
Speaker 3: So I think that's a really good first step, is
Speaker 3: assessing my resume, just making sure that I'm updating that
Speaker 3: so it's not just a huge task, and also making
Speaker 3: sure that I have a good outlook on my finances
Speaker 3: and understanding of my financial landscape.
Speaker 2: So yeah, I think those are my takeaways.
Speaker 1: I appreciate that. And I think what you were saying
Speaker 1: about being prepared and having a game plan does not
Speaker 1: mean that you are ready to leave your job right
Speaker 1: Like people start saying, oh, let me brush up the resume,
Speaker 1: Like wait, you get to own your career and that
Speaker 1: is so important. Yeah, all right, this has been a
Speaker 1: pretty heavy episode. I get it. So let's even mood
Speaker 1: a little bit. You know, let's get a little comfortable.
Speaker 1: We are gonna do cringe. Are cool?
Speaker 7: Oh?
Speaker 1: I love this.
Speaker 2: That's when we get to.
Speaker 1: Talk about things like workplace trends, things that are happening
Speaker 1: in the workforce out in the world, and Gian and
Speaker 1: I get to put our gen z and millennial minds
Speaker 1: and we get to discuss is it cringe or is
Speaker 1: it cool? Now I'm a little nervous. I'm already cringing
Speaker 1: a little bit because I have no idea what we're
Speaker 1: talking about this week.
Speaker 2: Okay, I feel like I already know. Every time I say,
Speaker 2: I'm like, I know what you're gonna think.
Speaker 3: But okay, this week we're talking about hey, hanging hey.
Speaker 1: Like for h y Okay. I was gonna say, for
Speaker 1: a cow do cows?
Speaker 2: Oh No, not like hey like enang okay? Hey, Hey.
Speaker 3: So this means, okay, I'll give you a scenario to
Speaker 3: help you understand. So let's say, for instance, I'm messaging
Speaker 3: on Slack. I just say hey, that's it, and I
Speaker 3: wait for you to reply before I tell you why
Speaker 3: I'm messaging you, which maybe for you and I are dynamic.
Speaker 2: You know, you might not be like, oh god, what
Speaker 2: is it?
Speaker 3: But for somebody who maybe has a bit more influence
Speaker 3: if they message you in that way, or your manager
Speaker 3: or you know in general, right, Like it's hey, Haying,
Speaker 3: and it can cause a lot of anxiety because it's
Speaker 3: like what does this person want?
Speaker 2: What is coming next? I am scared?
Speaker 3: And once you answer, you're like, Okay, they know them around.
Speaker 3: I got to answer their next thing quick. So what
Speaker 3: is it so scary?
Speaker 2: So what do you think, Hey Haying.
Speaker 1: I'm not answering.
Speaker 2: Here're done?
Speaker 1: No, because what are we doing?
Speaker 2: Like no, I don't like it?
Speaker 1: No, what are you doing?
Speaker 2: Yeah?
Speaker 1: Like if you had enough time to write, hey, you
Speaker 1: could have at least given me like a like a
Speaker 1: quick trailer, something like a five word like.
Speaker 2: What a little prevow?
Speaker 8: Yeah?
Speaker 1: I don't like that. No, yeah no, But see, the
Speaker 1: thing is like, because my anxiety would actually spike because
Speaker 1: I'm just like what and that has actually happened to
Speaker 1: me before. It was senior leadership Like they do that
Speaker 1: and then like I don't hear anything. I go into
Speaker 1: a meeting again, in the middle of a meeting, then
Speaker 1: they're like hey, send me five examples of this, Like
Speaker 1: right now I'm talking to like the senior CEO of
Speaker 1: like well, and I'm like what that's eye twitches like no, no, please, yeah, please,
Speaker 1: I do not I but you know what when whenever
Speaker 1: that happens, I try to remember, like certain people that's
Speaker 1: how they communicate. But I would say I think the
Speaker 1: anxiety comes from it being in a work environment. If
Speaker 1: you are the person who does that, just kind of
Speaker 1: like give people a little teaser, a little sound bite,
Speaker 1: a little send a voice not you know, gion and
Speaker 1: I love the voice. That would be great or even
Speaker 1: just like a quick like hey do you have blah
Speaker 1: blah blah blah insert And also when you do that,
Speaker 1: add a deadline. Oh god, this is add a dead.
Speaker 3: Oh my gosh no, because when you are ever messaging today,
Speaker 3: you got rules to follow.
Speaker 1: I need I need an eta of like when you
Speaker 1: need this buy because everything is gonna feel like a
Speaker 1: level ten priority. But like you just saying hey makes
Speaker 1: it feel so casual. No, I don't like it.
Speaker 3: Yeah, I am like so not here for it because
Speaker 3: it gives me so much anxiety of like what's coming next.
Speaker 2: I'm the person that.
Speaker 3: I'm like, so opposite of hay Hanging, I will like literally.
Speaker 2: Type out a whole novel to you.
Speaker 3: I will be like, hey, like whatever, whole novel of
Speaker 3: everything I need.
Speaker 2: It's all going in one message, to.
Speaker 3: The point where like my manager has been like, wow,
Speaker 3: you had that message ready?
Speaker 1: Yeah, prescript it.
Speaker 2: I do.
Speaker 9: Sometimes I Oh my god, you guys are gonna think
Speaker 9: I'm clinically insane, which I am. I mean, but I
Speaker 9: will like message like, I will type out the message
Speaker 9: also to myself in slack first, because I don't want
Speaker 9: people to see.
Speaker 2: Like I'm typing for so long? Is that crazy?
Speaker 1: Actually I do the same thing. Okay, I write it
Speaker 1: in my notes app yeah, and then yeah I haven't
Speaker 1: read Yeah. Yeah.
Speaker 2: Let us know. What do you guys think about hay Hanging?
Speaker 2: Are you a hay Hanger? Why are You'll just.
Speaker 1: Message us and they just say hey, and that's their response.
Speaker 1: If we don't, I'm not I'm sorry, just kidding gian
Speaker 1: and I will answer because we love you all. Okay, guys,
Speaker 1: this has been immedy episode, but I hope that you
Speaker 1: guys have been able to take away a lot of
Speaker 1: actionable tips that you feel empowered by. Thank you guys
Speaker 1: so much for listening.
Speaker 3: Yes, thank you guys, and make sure if you're not
Speaker 3: already following our newsletter, Let's Talk Offline, where we go
Speaker 3: even deeper into the topics we discuss on the pod.
Speaker 3: You can share all your takes for our segments like
Speaker 3: cringer cool, if you're hanging, or all the things. You
Speaker 3: can find the link in the show description and it's
Speaker 3: also in my LinkedIn bio.
Speaker 2: It's called you Guessed it.
Speaker 1: Let's Talk Offline.
Speaker 2: I like it stunning now.
Speaker 1: Also, I'm gonna give a huge shout out Tony for
Speaker 1: sending in their question. I I know that that was
Speaker 1: probably a hard question to ask. We appreciate it. We
Speaker 1: want you all to know that you also have a
Speaker 1: friend in us. You can send us your questions. Okay,
Speaker 1: information on hab you that is also in the show description.
Speaker 3: One last thing, make sure you guys rate and follow
Speaker 3: the show wherever you like to listen. I'm a Spotify girly,
Speaker 3: what are you doing?
Speaker 9: I'm Apple podcast, but I do love a Spotify love
Speaker 9: all right, And before you guys, thank you.
Speaker 3: Remember Jimmy and I've always got your back. So if
Speaker 3: something comes up in the meantime, let's talk offline.
Speaker 2: I'm Jianna Prudenti.
Speaker 1: And I'm Jamaie Jackson Gadson Gollop. Before you go, we're
Speaker 1: going to end the show a little differently. Today we
Speaker 1: ask listeners who've experienced layoffs to share their messages of support,
Speaker 1: and we got an overwhelming response. Job loss is such
Speaker 1: a common experience nowadays, so if you're going through it,
Speaker 1: it helps to know you're not alone. So stick around
Speaker 1: and I hope you enjoy.
Speaker 7: Hey, So I actually got laid off, not once, but twice,
Speaker 7: and I have to say, if you've recently gotten laid off,
Speaker 7: that's not where you were meant to be and it's tough,
Speaker 7: but it'll be so much better one way or another.
Speaker 7: You'll be grateful this happened to you. And that's what
Speaker 7: happened to me.
Speaker 4: I've changed careers multiple times, and I've also been laid
Speaker 4: off various times for reasons outside of my control. Always
Speaker 4: have found that my network in my community get me
Speaker 4: to the next place, and I always find something bigger
Speaker 4: and better. Hi.
Speaker 8: I was laid off in twenty twenty three, and a
Speaker 8: few months after I started my own business for those
Speaker 8: laid off recently. This might be a low point. So
Speaker 8: whatever your next move will be, be bold, whether it
Speaker 8: be finding your next job or starting your own business,
Speaker 8: say strong and you got this.
Speaker 6: Being laid off can be scary due to the uncertainty,
Speaker 6: but you will be okay. Sometimes the best things come
Speaker 6: from in certain situations, So take a moment and breathe.
Speaker 6: Great things take time, and you will be okay.
Speaker 3: Let's Talk offline as a production of LinkedIn News and
Speaker 3: iHeart Podcasts. The show is produced by Western Sound. Our
Speaker 3: producer is Sabrina Fang. The show is edited by Savannah Wright.
Speaker 3: Our associate producer is Sarah Dilley. Alex McInnis is our engineer,
Speaker 3: and Ben Adair is the executive producer.
Speaker 1: Executive producers at iHeart Podcasts are Katrina Norvel and Niki Eatore.
Speaker 1: Got import from LinkedIn's Jesse Hemple, Sarah Storm and Ayana Angel.
Speaker 1: Maya Pope Chappelle is director of Content, Dave Pond is
Speaker 1: Head of News Production, Courtney Coop is head of Original Programming,
Speaker 1: and Dan Roth is the editor in chief of LinkedIn