🙋♀️ Hello! Helen here with our weekly installment of Mind the Beet!
Over the last few months, I have had the privilege to witness and help clients, colleagues, and friends who have found themselves impacted by “reductions of force” — especially in tech.
I have seen the full range of emotions: anger, shame, frustration, relief, sadness, and grief to name a few. As someone whose job has defined me for many years, I have deep empathy for everyone who finds themselves without a “job” and the destabilizing effect that can have. It is well known that the loss of a job is a top-five stressor and anxiety inducer in the United States.
Here are the questions I have been asking my clients to help them clarify their next steps.
1️⃣ How much time do you have to find your next job?
When I talk to people who have been laid off, I often see them frantically networking and jumping into interviews for the next role. They’re surrounded by helpful friends and colleagues rushing to make introductions, offering advice on what role they’ll be great at next. If that feels great to you — awesome.
My advice: get the facts. How much time do you really have before you need to be in your next role, and how much of that time do you want to use for a break?
We live in a culture that incentivizes the hustle and the grind. With a layoff, whether you like it or not, you have a break. Most people I’ve spoken to end up realizing that they have more time than they think to take a breath and think about what’s next.
Things to consider:
Understand your severance package.
Do the math to understand how long you have (with some buffer) before you need to be working again.
Factor in a realistic job search timeline — let data, not fear, be your guide. Remember: people who get jobs quickly rarely post about it on LinkedIn.
💡 Bonus reflection: If you knew you had six months before your next job, how would you spend it?
2️⃣ What do you want to remember you did during this time in your personal life?
Remember the pandemic? We experienced shared grief over the loss of in-person connection, and many of us processed it by finding a new hobby to focus on during that time. Some of us nurtured a sourdough starter, others baked cakes, and learned to knit, paint, etc.
The pandemic forced a pause that we were not ready for - and there are similarities with an unplanned layoff-induced pause. So how do you want to use this moment?
Is there a trip you’ve postponed, a book waiting to be read, or a hobby you’ve been curious about? Make this more than “the time you were job-hunting.”
Maybe you want to cook something new, try a sport, or relearn how to play with your kids without reaching for your phone.
Whatever it is, coping with grief will be part of your healing. You will also be a lot more appealing to an employer if you’ve processed the layoff by the time you get to the interview.
💡 Bonus reflection: What story do you want to tell about this chapter a year from now?
3️⃣ How do you want to show up to your kids and colleagues right now?
Real talk — this is a moment of deep vulnerability. Someone told you your role was no longer needed, and it’s jarring. No matter how much betrayal or hurt you feel, know that you will come out on the other side.
If you’re a parent, your kids are watching. You are their model for navigating something difficult.
What do you want them to learn from how you show up right now?
Is it resilience? The ability to ask for help? Finding joy in small things or savoring newly found time together?
Be intentional — for yourself and for those who look up to you.
💡 Bonus reflection: Who are you when you’re not your job title?
4️⃣ What do you want to learn professionally during this time?
Many people I talk to want to learn more about AI - usually entailing taking a course or getting a new certification. I would consider digging deeper on your why and what would be most interesting and impactful to learn for you right now.
If you are looking for a certification because you are hoping it will help you land a new job - remember to check your assumptions. Certifications and degrees matter, but oftentimes experience speaks louder.
If you are a product maker, think about what product play looks like at this time. Whether you are playing with Lovable or vibe coding - make it serve a purpose that you are passionate about.
Consider advising a start-up or getting involved in a non-profit so that you have stories and learnings to share during this time.
💡 Bonus reflection: If you had total creative freedom right now, what would you build, explore, or experiment with?
5️⃣ What’s important in your next phase?
Your next job will mark the beginning of a new chapter. Before you jump in, take a holistic view of what’s important to your whole self.
Ask yourself:
What do you want to take with you from your previous setup? (e.g., in-person vs. remote, manager vs. IC, type of work, culture, pace, balance)
What do you want to leave behind?
What do you want to be true in your next chapter?
💡 Bonus reflection: What did your last job teach you about what energizes you — and what drains you?
Maybe it’s “the year I reclaimed my creativity,” “the year I learned to rest,” or “the year I became braver.” Naming it helps you live into it.
🌱 Closing Thought
A layoff is not the end of your story — it’s an unexpected intermission that will undoubtedly end. Fill it with intention rather than dread. It will help your next act be more fulfilling.
Give yourself permission to rest, rebuild, and reimagine what’s next.