Photo: GaudiLab (Shutterstock)
Almost everyone experiences a layoff at least once in their career. Layoffs almost always feel personal and shake our confidence, but it’s extremely rare that people get laid off because of their performance. More often, company leaders are evaluating that “seat” (aka your job) on the org chart and deciding to eliminate it, and it actually has nothing to do with your work, how talkative you were in that last meeting, or your capability as a person. You’re still a talented and well-loved human, and the people around you are going to want to hire you. You just have to let them know how.
Announcing your layoff on social media (whether that’s LinkedIn, Twitter, or another platform) can be a stressful exercise in vulnerability, but doing it well can also pay dividends in kickstarting your job search and reducing the amount of time you’ll have to spend looking for that next gig.
Don’t rush into announcing your layoff
There are plenty of time-sensitive things to do after being laid off—posting on LinkedIn isn’t one of them. Prioritize sorting out your health insurance, getting your severance (if your company offers it), and processing the many emotions that come with this news. It’s natural to feel like you need to take action immediately, but wait until you’re ready to actually respond to messages and follow-up on job leads before you announce the news online. If you start asking for leads, messages, and meetings before you’re actually ready to take them, you’re likely to get overwhelmed and potentially miss out on some of those potentially awesome early suggestions (and make yourself feel even worse in the process).
Whether you post the day you get laid off versus a week or two later won’t make a huge difference, so prioritize your sanity first. Waiting until you’re ready helps make sure you can build good momentum and put your best foot forward for any calls, interviews, and messages you get as your network jumps into action.
Avoid shaming your old company
It’s natural (and valid) to be pissed, frustrated, confused, and hurt after being laid off, but bringing those emotions to your LinkedIn announcement won’t do you any favors. You should absolutely spend time processing and talking shit, but do it privately with friends and family when possible.
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You don’t owe your old company anything, but keep in mind that recruiters and hiring managers are looking at your online presence—and there isn’t a ton of information to go on besides your resume, LinkedIn, and your website if you have one. The unfortunate reality is that people draw conclusions from limited information, and we don’t want to give anyone a reason to believe that you wouldn’t be a good fit at their company just because you’re rightfully upset after a layoff.
If it really feels disingenuous to not mention that you left against your will (beyond just saying you were laid off), you can rephrase it so it doesn’t feel quite as aggressive as “this is bullshit.”
“I’m leaving sooner than I would have liked...”“I wish this journey could have lasted longer...”“I would have loved to continue the work we were doing...”Recap your accomplishments and share what you’re looking for next
Even if it doesn’t feel that way right now, you’ve accomplished amazing things over the course of your career that are worth calling out. Don’t get too braggy about it, but call out the big wins and growth areas from the last few years. Some people like to do this in a big-picture way, zooming all the way out and contextualizing your work within the rest of your life, and some people like to stay more focused on the job you just left. It’s personal, so think about your wins in the way that makes the most sense to you.
If you’re looking for a job in the same field, call out the wins and awesome work you’ve done in your past roles and be specific about the job titles and industries you’re excited about next. If you’re looking to make a pivot or explore something new, highlight the transferrable skills and multifaceted projects you’ve worked on and call out how that will make you successful pivoting into this new space. If you’re reading this and thinking, “none of this applies to me,” then just write about a few things you’re proud of accomplishing in the last few months or years. They don’t have to be huge or life-changing, but celebrating the wins can remind your network what makes you so great, and can even be good for your own mental health.
Being clear about your qualifications and what you want next will help people keep you in mind for relevant roles they see, and will also help avoid people sharing roles that are totally irrelevant to you (and then having to navigate a “thanks but no thanks” conversation).
Don’t be afraid to tag mentors, managers, and treasured coworkers
It’s always good practice to give credit to the people who supported you on your journey, and these people want to see you succeed so they’re highly likely to shower your post in love. Shout out the people who helped you grow, who you partnered with closely in your work, or whose leadership you appreciated. Tagging people notifies them so they don’t miss your post, and has another plus: if you tag Anna in your post, your post will then also be shown to Anna’s connections. Now, you’ve got your post in front of an even wider network without having to take any extra steps. (Just don’t overdo it—tag the people you genuinely want to shout out, not every single person you ever had a meeting with.)
Include specific calls to action
The people reading your post will naturally want to help, but that often turns into messages of “let me know how I can help,” which isn’t particularly helpful, actually, and can get overwhelming fast. Be clear in your post about what kind of action your supporters can take, and your community will be better able to actually give you the help you want (and less likely to just offer random, not-so-helpful help).
There are a number of actions that can be extremely helpful as you’re beginning the search for your next job. It’s probably best not to ask for every single one of these bullets, but pick a few that you actually feel like would be helpful for you right now. If you’re not ready to meet new people right now, don’t ask for new introductions, but you could instead ask your existing network to make time to catch up over virtual coffee.
Making introductions to people who might be useful in your job searchTagging recruiters and hiring managers in the comments of your postReaching out to catch up if we haven’t worked together or spoken in a whileSharing relevant job leads (based on what you said you were looking for)Writing a recommendation for you on LinkedIn Sharing your postBe judicious with your hashtags
Hashtags can help your post get seen by more people, but the most valuable eyes will be those of your network. The people in your network will be the best poised to make referrals and introductions for you, but more eyes and interaction to your post could also mean more attention from recruiters who wouldn’t have otherwise seen your post. It’s a balance. A few hashtags are fine (#opentowork, #layoff, and #opentoopportunities are popular options) but don’t overdo it. Too many hashtags can also sometimes attract spammers in the comments and replies, which can then put people off interacting with your post.
Be yourself and have a personality
There is no post less interesting than a robotic, hyper-formal, hyper-professional note. Don’t stifle your personality for the sake of being palatable. If you typically bring humor or snark to your writing, bring it here too. If writing this post makes you feel so incredibly awkward, be honest about that. Being yourself will make it easier for your readers to empathize and relate to you, and there’s simply no good reason to not be yourself—we want someone to hire you for the human you are, not for how fake formal your posts are.
