Being laid off changed the course of my career — and I’m weirdly grateful for it
In the moment, it was difficult to know what path my life was going to take, but 15 years later, here’s what I’ve learned.
Office days can sometimes blur together, but this one is crystal clear.
For the first time in its 75-year history, layoffs were taking place, and it was a pretty big deal. This organization was a firm known for stability, strong employee loyalty, and prudent decision-making.
For weeks, associates had known or suspected a layoff was coming — and folks started to get calls and have meetings with HR that morning. I waited at my desk all day, wondering if I was going to get a call…and I did, right around 4:50 p.m. (whew…talk about being the last on the list!)
I had so many mixed emotions.
- “I gave 8 years of [what I thought was] good work to this company…and this is what happens?”
- “Maybe this is a chance to do something new.”
- “Why me?”
I wallowed in those feelings a bit (which is natural, and good), but in retrospect, here are three things that I believe allowed me to see this moment as an opportunity, versus a setback.
- Ask for, and accept help.
It was a scary time. My husband and I had just bought a house. He had also been laid off a few months prior. We were fortunate to have some savings, but the future was very unclear.
So, we did all the things…
- Applied for unemployment
- Visited food banks
- Picked up jobs that we might not have previously considered, if they generated a bit of cash
- Went to my parent’s house for dinner more often than we might have organically :)
LinkedIn was not nearly as robust then as it is today — and every day, I see folks offering to help others who are seeking work. It’s a powerful space full of generosity.
Asking for help is often difficult, but research shows that many people are very willing to help when asked, particularly against requests which are SMART (just like goals!) — so what is it that you need, in this moment?
2. Make room in your life for the things that always got pushed down the list.
For years, I’ve been guilty of de-prioritizing — my health, my personal relationships, my interests and hobbies — in favor of work.
Losing your job creates an immediate and forced re-prioritization.
It might feel indulgent to re-engage around some of your deprioritized items.
There are real financial pressures, fears about healthcare coverage, the voice in your head screaming that “every minute not searching for a job or prepping for interviews is wasted” — but realistically, it’s incredibly difficult and draining to job search full time.
So, what is it (low to no cost, ideally!) — a walk outside, a catchup conversation with a friend, or re-reading one of your favorite books — that fills your cup and will keep you energized for the road ahead?
3. Say Yes.
I tend to be more risk-averse when working at a company. Maybe having a 9–5 is too comfortable for me, takes up too much mindspace to be open to new opportunities, or I feel like I have too much to lose.
It can be hard to picture abandoning something that seems stable for the unknown.
After being laid off, I found myself more willing to try things out and see if they would stick — which is what led me to open my first business, a cookie company specializing in custom-decorated cookie favors.
It’s a leap I didn’t feel ready to take when I had my corporate job — but was willing to give it a go, once I didn’t have that anymore.
Is there something you’ve been dreaming about for years? How could you test that idea out, and see if there’s a there there?
It doesn’t take being laid off to take any of the steps above. For me, it was a forcing function — and I’m grateful for it now, even though I wasn’t at the time.
Without that (uninvited!) push, I wouldn’t have:
- Started a bakery
- Had the capacity as an entrepreneur to temporarily step into an Executive Director role at a local non-profit, whose mission I cared about deeply (and loved it so much that I stayed permanently)
- Been inspired to learn more about the application of business in the social impact sphere, which led me to business school
- Discovered my passion for talent and people questions, which led me to consulting, people strategy & analytics, and eventually, my role as Head of People
- …which has now led me to take that collective knowledge and build my own People/HR consulting practice.
I know not everyone’s layoff story will take this path. But 15 years later, I can’t imagine what the alternative case would have been.