How to rebound from a tech layoff

Working in the tech industry? Then you’ll know all about layoffs, which have been happening in trickles and surges since mid-2022. While redundancies dried up a little at the end of the summer of 2023, they are back in full force with redundancies tracker Layoffs.fyi reporting over 49,000 layoffs this year so far.

We have seen high-profile announcements from Salesforce, SAP, eBay, Google, PayPal, Amazon, Wayfair and Vroom, which have accounted for a high proportion of this glut of layoffs.

Layoffs aren’t uncommon, and they happen across industries. For example, the media industry has also shed thousands of roles, and retail giant Walmart laid off more than 3,000 workers in 2023.

It is a likelihood that for many workers, they’ll be axed from their jobs at least once over the course of their careers. With large layoffs becoming more common in the U.S. since the 1970s, the more recent rise of the gig economy is putting additional pressure on tenured employees.

That said, if and when it happens to you, it’s not such an easy thing to handle. A layoff is stressful, and can cause feelings of worry and shame, or even depression. It can affect your physical health too, with a 2012 study finding that losing a job could raise your risk of a heart attack.

So if you have been laid off this year, what can you do to smooth that transition from work to unemployment — and back again?

Firstly, sit with the idea that this isn’t a reflection on you or your abilities, it is rarely personal and isn’t your fault. Here’s what else you can do to rebound after you get bad news.

Do a skills assessment

Look at your strengths and weaknesses, make a note of the significant work accomplishments you’ve made in your previous job(s), add in any recent qualifications and certifications and list all your hard skills, such as programming languages.

Be aware, too, that soft skills are increasingly important to employers. You may be a sole contributor now, but if you can demonstrate skills in creative problem-solving, communication and conflict resolution, you could use these to help with a career pivot.

Refine your marketing materials

Take some time to polish your resume, adding any new experience, skills and professional certifications. Also update any professional social networks you’re on. Specifically, on your professional social presence. Some hiring managers say setting yourself as “open to work” looks desperate, while others recommend it. Do what feels right for you. If you’re quite public about your search, you may have a better chance of being contacted by recruiters looking to hire for your skill set.

Check-in with industry peers

Networking isn’t something everyone enjoys, but it doesn’t have to involve uncomfortable situations. Instead, reach out to those on your professional network, including former colleagues, mentors and industry contacts, to inform them of your situation and ask about potential job opportunities or referrals. Thanks to the referral bonuses many tech firms offer, it’s now far easier to leverage your contacts to boost your job search.

After all that, the next step is to start your job search. You can begin that on the VentureBeat Job Board, which contains thousands of job openings all across the U.S. Discover three of those below.

Whisker, formerly known as AutoPets, is the maker of Litter-Robot, Feeder-Robot and Litterbox.com. The Senior Software Engineer will be responsible for ongoing AWS IoT development, integrations with third-party IoT products, co-management of an agency partner, system debugging and more. You will also provide support to the mobile application team when developing new interfaces and debugging issues.

Vorto is looking for a Full Stack Software Engineer in Denver to successfully take ownership of features from idea to production, by primarily designing, building and maintaining web applications (Angular/Typescript) and implementing supporting server endpoints on an ad-hoc basis in GoLang.

Or, discover this Software Engineer job at G-Research in Dallas. You’ll join the Infrastructure Development team, providing tooling to maintain and develop the smooth running of the company’s IaaS platform and allow other software development teams to leverage it to its full potential.

Find your next role in tech today via the VentureBeat Job Board.